The Class of 2021 IB cohort. Curiosity – don’t worry about the cat! As children we often hear ‘curiosity killed the cat’. Don’t try to find out things that don’t concern you. Venturing into the unknown could be dangerous so to be safe, best stick to what you know. Yet we are also told ‘not to die wondering’, that not asking that question or trying that new thing could lead to a life of regret. Which way to go? The International Baccalaureate Programme has curiosity where we find something out, test it, reflect on what we have deeply embedded into every aspect of its philosophy, teaching learnt and then use that new knowledge to start the process again. and learning. Being curious, manifested through the concept of This results in deeper understanding and a thirst to know more. inquiry, is fundamental for growing caring, knowledgeable and compassionate young people who value knowledge, empathy and Curiosity also scaffolds how we teach and grow as learning intercultural understanding as keys to a better, more peaceful world. community. In 2022 we are partaking in our five-year evaluation, We see curiosity reflected directly in the Learner Profile attributes of reflecting on where we are, where we have been and where we want ‘Inquirers’, ‘Knowledgeable’, ‘Risk takers’ and ‘Thinkers’. To move and need to go. The IB’s Programme Standards and Practices and beyond who you are now, you need a sense of wondering that leads the evaluation process itself are anchored by inquiry. To continue to to new realms. thrive as a learning community we need to engage in meaningful, purposeful questioning and reflection. The core components of Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS), Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) also embody We cannot hope to take our understanding forward if we are too curiosity. In CAS, students leave their comfort zones by learning concerned with ‘killing the cat’. The shared curiosity of the College a new skill or developing an existing one. They push themselves Council, leaders, teachers, students, parents and wider community physically and look beyond themselves to investigate how they can will propel us onward, enriching and enlivening the educational serve others. The EE, a 4000-word research essay, is a ‘passion experience of all our students, regardless of age and the pathway project’ where students pursue a topic that intrigues them and they take. explore it in depth. TOK fosters questioning and exploring knowledge itself, pushing the bounds of what we know to how we know and what Ms Cheryl Priest that means in the real world. The inquiry cycle drives each subject, Head of IB Curiosity | News Autumn 2022 | Stanmore7–12 | 17