The IB Organization (2009) states that “the whole school community is expected to model the values and behaviours associated with education for intercultural understanding” (p. 4). In other words, parents should be included in this discourse, which can involve more than one-way newsletters and website information postings. IB philosophy can become the subject of ongoing dialogue through online forums, emails, messaging and discussion groups. Drake (2004) found that critical analysis may be resisted in Chinese homes because Chinese parents consider it disrespectful when their children question them (p. 195). Robinson and Guan (2012) echo this thought, saying that “critical thinking and open-mindedness … are not always appreciated and to some extent not tolerated in China” (p. 309). If parents are assisted to understand and appreciate critical-mindedness, they may be able to support, rather than hinder, their IB program children. Parents should be invited to study groups which involve inclusive engaging role-plays to demonstrate new behaviors, and two-way communication should be used through the discussion to ensure that these culturally-challenging new concepts are understood. If parents hear a consistent message from a variety of sources and through different mediums, they are more likely to be reached and it will be possible for their conceptions to change. It needs to be declared by principals, echoed by teachers and reinforced by Chinese advisors. It needs to be seen in formal power-point presentations and again in emails and Wechat messages. Once the message is clear, it will be fair for us to expect parents to abide thereby. This concludes my presentation of strategies based on research literature which will help overcome the challenges faced when implementing IB IM in China. Knowing how problems
The IB Organization (2009) states that “the whole school community is expected to model the values and behaviours associated with education for intercultural understanding” (p. 4). In other words, parents should be included in this discourse, which can involve more than one-way newsletters and website information postings. IB philosophy can become the subject of ongoing dialogue through online forums, emails, messaging and discussion groups. Drake (2004) found that critical analysis may be resisted in Chinese homes because Chinese parents consider it disrespectful when their children question them (p. 195). Robinson and Guan (2012) echo this thought, saying that “critical thinking and open-mindedness … are not always appreciated and to some extent not tolerated in China” (p. 309). If parents are assisted to understand and appreciate critical-mindedness, they may be able to support, rather than hinder, their IB program children. Parents should be invited to study groups which involve inclusive engaging role-plays to demonstrate new behaviors, and two-way communication should be used through the discussion to ensure that these culturally-challenging new concepts are understood. If parents hear a consistent message from a variety of sources and through different mediums, they are more likely to be reached and it will be possible for their conceptions to change. It needs to be declared by principals, echoed by teachers and reinforced by Chinese advisors. It needs to be seen in formal power-point presentations and again in emails and Wechat messages. Once the message is clear, it will be fair for us to expect parents to abide thereby. This concludes my presentation of strategies based on research literature which will help overcome the challenges faced when implementing IB IM in China. Knowing how problems
ib-im.docx