How pottery class can help your IB Score

All of us want to do well in the IB. We’re all driven to be successful students and want to get extra points. But is this desire for success helping us or could it be holding us back? And what has all this got to do with pottery?

(I’m going to tell you a story now, but there aren’t any wizards)

One story that has become famous is quoted in the book Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. This story is about a pottery teacher and is incredibly helpful in thinking about how to get the most IB points possible.

The story goes like this…

The ceramics teacher announced that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.

His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pounds of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot — albeit a perfect one — to get an “A”.

Well, grading time came and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity!

It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work — and learning from their mistakes — the “quality” group had sat around theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.

Practice, not perfection

One of the biggest difficulties I had when I did the IB was that I wanted to get things right. I wanted to produce a great essay or score really well in the homework. Because of this I would spend ages procrastinating or planning and never actually start work. Just like the pottery students who spent a term planning I never actually got around to doing the work.

The best thing you can do to gain IB success is to start working right away. Do not get stuck trying to come up with the perfect piece of work, just aim for good enough. Then, make your work better afterwards if you have time.

If you’re struggling with perfectionism, just remember that most of the time your work doesn’t have to be perfect for you to do well. Even if you’re aiming for a 7 in your essay, you don’t need to revolutionise your field. Remember that even the best authors, mathematicians or scientists were once children who picked up pencil and had to learn to write their names. Everyone has to start somewhere, and so do you, so start!

(‘Good enough’ is a hard thing for some people to believe in!)

Repetition, not preparation

One of the biggest dangers in the IB is that you spend so long learning to do things that you never actually practise doing them – and there is a huge difference. One thing I have noticed about successful students is that they spend some time learning a skill, like solving a certain kind of equation, and then they spend a lot more time practising that skill than reading about it.

This means that once you basically know something, don’t spend ages and ages reading that same thing again and again. Instead, get to workusing your new knowledge – this is the most important habit. Don’t just think about the perfect essay, start writing essays and write them again and again until they improve. Let go of perfection and aim for improvement.

5 Scientific Facts that Can Boost Your IB Score

1. Distractions Kill Success

I used to listed to the Fresh Prince theme song on a loop while I studied for the IB. Some people might like to Whatsapp their friends while revising. Others prefer to sit in the lounge and listen to the TV in the background. We all like to do fun things that can make boring work a bit better. Thing is, all this stuff sucks your attention. Despite what you might have heard it is impossible to multitask. In fact, any background noise with words steals your ability to concentrate. So make sure any music is instrumental and shut everything else out!

2. Position is Primary

Wake up your studying! Working in one place all the time can be really boring. In fact it can actually drain your focus! Don’t take my word for it, Psychologist Dr. Bjork studied this exact process. He asked two groups of students to help him. Both groups were asked to study a list of 40 words. One group studied in just one room. The other moved around, and it was this group who aced the final test. Dr. Bjork explained his results in the New York Times, saying – when the outside context is varied, information is enriched, and this slows down forgetting.

SO try studying in different places (a bedroom, library or maybe Costa) and give yourself a better chance of remembering content.

3. MAXIMIZE practice-testing:

Wow, there’s so many ways to study! So surely it’s a case of just picking the one you like and going with that? WRONG! Not all study-methods were created equal. In fact there is one method that is significantly more effective than any other – and this is testing yourself. If you do the questions from past IB papers, even a couple a day, this is more useful than any other method. In fact for any studying testing yourself is always the most efficient way to learn. Don’t believe me? The study’s right here.http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/science/21memory.html

4. Don’t work into the night!

We’ve all been there. Staying up in the middle of the night writing an essay that seems like such a sensible idea, especially when your work is due in for tomorrow. However, staying up late doesn’t just make you tired and makes you…really dumb. How much does lack of sleep impair cognitive ability?

(In China some students use washing lines to keep themselves awake while they study before University Entrance Exams)

Well here’s a scary fact: getting only 6 hours sleep per night for two weeks leaves you with the same mental capacity as if you had been awake for 48 hours. And the really scary part about this is that you won’t be able to judge that your abilities have been impaired.

How long will the effects of just one night missed sleep last? Up to four days according to this 2008 study. All nighters, really aren’t worth it.

5. Stop Cramming

Lots of students think they are able to study best when they are cramming. they say that by studying for 2 hours in a row they will be able to remember more information. Nothing could be further from the truth. Spacing your work out into blocks with breaks in between is the best way to remember new material.

The overall most effective method is the Tomato Method, which you can read about right here.

If you are dedicated and follow these tips you are bound to be successful…

How to Get Good Grades in International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)

Getting good grades in IB can be a great challenge, but if you remain consistent in your good working habits, IB will be one of the most useful programs you'll ever go through in your life..

1. 
   1
   Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. What makes IB unique from other high school programs is the breadth of knowledge offered. IB forces you to focus on all 6 subjects. Therefore, the first step is to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses in every subject.
2. 
   2
   Revise everyday. This cannot be stressed enough. Without revising, all those lectures that your teacher gave to you today will just be another waste of time. You don't have to take 5 hours to revise. As soon as you get home, get a blank notebook and write about what you've learnt today in school. If you feel like you're forgetting something, open up your notes and read the parts you forgot. Then, go back to your notebook and write what you remembered from skimming those notes. For example, If you were introduced a new mathematics formula, immediately memorize that formula the same day. And follow through with that some more by going into your textbook and practising some questions that go along with the formula you just memorized. This is all part of good work ethic.
3. 
   3
   Minimize your time to procrastinate. Every time you find yourself starting to procrastinate, just remember that you won't achieve anything at all.
4. 
   4
   Time Management. Learn to manage your time from the littlest things (like how much time you take to shower, etc) to the bigger ones. This will aid you in coping with IB. For example, take shorter showers, study one hour for each subject etc.
5. 

   
   5
   Relax once in a while. Release yourself from the death-air of IB and inhale the fresh air. You never want to have all the stress from the year's work build up, this can cause it many health issues. When you find that you have a little spare time on your hands, take this opportunity to have fun and do what you love! Even if it's only for a few hours, just let yourself go and release the stress and tension. Go for a walk or a jog, sit on your front porch and watch the rain fall! Read your favourite magazine while sipping an ice vanilla latte. etc.
6. 
   6
   Focus on all subjects. Don't turn a blind eye to subjects that you're already good at. Focus on all your subjects in school. When you get home it is important that you take at least 30 minutes-1 hour for each subject, review that days lesson and you'll feel ready for tomorrows lesson!

How to Get a 7 in IB Diploma English

1. 
   1
   Work hard on every assignment during the year. You won't have a shot at a 7 in the final exam if you've been getting 5s all year. Make sure your assignments are all well structured [IB English encourages the use of good structure] and all the arguments are backed up with suitably footnoted quotes from the book.
2. 
   2
   Keep a World Lit. Journal. World Lits give you a chunk of your marks, and since they are done in relatively easier conditions [as compared to the exam and the oral] it is easier to score well in them. Keeping a detailed World Lit journal will help you identify the major themes, ideas, plot points and stylistic aspects.
3. 
   3
   Schedule World Lit meetings in advance, and draw up detailed plans since advice on the first draft can only be given once. Speak to your teacher, and discuss the appropriateness of your structure at length.
4. 
   4
   Keep all your notes from class well organized and preferably in a binder or notebook for easy reference, which is especially useful for revision and can sometimes pinpoint important aspects of text to you [for example if your teacher discusses certain plot points in great detail as compared to others]
5. 

   
   5
   In grade 12, do a timed commentary every week in order to train yourself to plan and write a commentary within a time limit and under relatively more stressful conditions than the untimed assignments for homework.
6. 
   6
   Pay attention to aspects of the language, and learn the names of literary devices such as assonance and alliteration. When reading poetry, pay attention to the way words sound and the effect it has on the poem [for example: long drawn out vowels slow down the pace].
7. 
   7
   Always mark out the context and importance of passages so that you can incorporate them into the commentary, since the IB marks references to the context high.
8. 
   8
   Pay attention to the syntax and punctuation, along with the way the passage is organized and discuss its effects in the commentary, taking it to another, more technical, level.
9. 
   9
   For the Oral Exam, prepare yourself well in advance, and brush up on your public speaking skills if you are nervous. Make allowance for the fact that you might talk faster than usual if you're nervous. Try to keep close to the maximum time limit as it limits the number of questions that can be asked [you don't want to end at eight minutes and have four minutes of questions tossed at you]
10. 
    10
    Read all the assigned texts several times, make detailed notes on all of them and mark points of transition.
11. 
    11
    Always consider the dramatic tension and other aspects of performance while handling plays such as the The Ban Plays or No Exit, as it takes the commentary to another level.

How to Survive the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

1. 
   1
   If you haven't decided to take the IB yet, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. Talk to all the tutors and teachers of the subjects you wish to do. Make sure this is definitely what you want to do. If you have an issue, see your IB coordinator. They do, in fact, know all.

Method 2 of 5: Getting your mindset in order

1. 
   1
   Stay organised. This can't be stressed enough. You are juggling 6 or 7 subjects at a college (read: adult) level here, so for goodness' sake, keep your notes for each separate, organised and well written so that you can refer to them when it comes to exam time.
2. 
   2
   Make the most of your classes. Ask questions. Take well ordered notes. Follow up anything that you don't understand, as soon as possible.

Method 3 of 5: Staying committed

1. 
   1
   Pick subjects you are the most enthusiastic about. These are the subjects you are going to be studying intensively for two years. You're going to write essays, read about, do loads of research and homework on those subjects. Trust me, you don't want to do a Business Management IB course if you wanted to take Theatre Arts instead. You are more likely to be admitted into college with a 5 or 6 in Theatre Arts than a 2 or 3 in Business Management.
2. 

   
   2
   Learn the IB objectives for each subject. Because of the need to standardise the curriculum across different languages and cultures, they aren't going to test you on anything else. Ever. For example, in Biology, there's not much point learning the names of all the amino acids when you only have to be able to draw a generalised structure (unless you love biology, in which case, more power to you).
3. 
   3
   Learn the command terms for each subject. Not knowing command terms will lose you marks you could have gotten otherwise.
4. 
   4
   Do all your homework. Homework assignments constitute a high percentage of your final IB grade, and you could find yourself overwhelmed by the final exams if you're not diligent. This applies even further if you are doing HL (higher level) science or math.