Transcript The IB Program - Truth About IB

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The IB Program
International Baccalaureate
Constitutional Issues
The IB program violates the establishment clause of
the First Amendment.
The IB program violates the equal protection clause
of the Fourteenth Amendment.
For more than fifty years court rulings have
overturned the teaching of values in public
schools because of their religious nature.
• Further study of the IB may be pursued here:
http://truthaboutib.com/home.html
The IB Mission Statement
“The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring,
knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a
better and more peaceful world through intercultural
understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments
and international organizations to develop challenging
programmes of international education and rigorous
assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to
become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who
understand that other people, with their differences, can
also be right.”
Note the stunning banality of the last statement.
IB Strategy
“The IB has seen tremendous planned growth in the past five
years, delivering successful performance through a strong
focus on quality, access and infrastructure.
The new strategy builds upon our successes and ensures that
the IB has a clear direction for the next five years. At its heart
lies our ambition to establish the IB as a global leader in
international education.
To achieve this, the IB Board of Governors has endorsed the
vision together with a set of strategic goals and strategic
objectives.”
Throughout the description of the IB program there is the
use of religious terminology, e.g. values, vision, ethics, and
beliefs.
IB Goals
“The IB seeks to proactively engage like-minded donors,
schools, universities, non-governmental organizations, and
ministries to develop specialized educational programmes that
promote concept-based, student-centered, and
internationally-minded education…
Note the paradox of claiming that the program is at once
student-centered and also internationally-minded.
The IB is committed to sustaining quality and building a world
class infrastructure to respond to our schools’ needs, but is also
conscious of the need to respond to the reality that the
organization operates in a less than fair world.”
In the view of the IB program the fundamental sin abroad in
the world is its unfairness.
IB Believer Profile LP 1
“The IB learner profile is the IB mission statement translated
into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century.
The attributes of the profile express the values inherent to the
IB continuum of international education: these are values that
should infuse all elements of the Primary Years Programme
(PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma
Programme and, therefore, the culture and ethos of all IB
World Schools.”
There is here an advocacy of the teaching of IB values at
all levels of the educational system…..primary, middle, and
secondary. The values of IB program are deliberately
aimed at changing the culture and ethos of all participating
schools, administrators, teachers, parents, and students.
IB Believer Profile LP 1
“The learner profile provides a long-term vision of
education.
It is a set of ideals that can inspire,
motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers
uniting them in a common purpose.”
The website of the IB program repeatedly uses far reaching
religious terminology to which a continuous appeal is
made: ‘long term vision, ideals, beliefs, uniting, and
common purpose.’
IB Believer Profile LP 1
“With the development of a continuum of international
education, it is intended that teachers, students and parents will
be able to draw confidently on a recognizable common
educational framework, a consistent structure of aims and
values and an overarching concept of how to develop
international-mindedness.
The IB learner profile will be at the heart of this common
framework, as a clear and concise statement of the aims
and values of the IB, and an embodiment of what the IB
means by “international-mindedness.”
The IB believer profile serves the purpose of a religious
creed or confessional statement. The purpose of the
program is not to identify or study internationalmindedness, but to produce it in program participants in
whom it was previously absent. There is a certain
missionary zeal in this objective.
Aims: IB Believer Profile LP1
“IB programmes promote the education of the whole person,
emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social
growth through all domains of knowledge.”
Note that the purpose of the program is inwardly directed
at the student and teaches that there are multiple ‘domains
of knowledge’ when in fact there is only one ‘domain of
knowledge.’
“By focusing on the dynamic combination of knowledge,
skills, independent critical and creative thought and
international-mindedness, the IB espouses the principle of
educating the whole person for a life of active, responsible
citizenship.”
The IB believer is evaluated in a manner consistent with a
sort of 1970s Gestalt Psychology and would be found
inadequate or wanting if he or she embraced any other
values.
IB Believer LP 2
“The values and attitudes of the school community that
underpin the culture and ethos of a school are significant in
shaping the future of its young people. In a school that has a
commitment to the values inherent in the IB learner profile,
these values will be readily apparent in classroom and
assessment practices, the daily life, management and
leadership of the school.
The IB believes that the learner profile will provide a shared
vision that will encourage dialogue and collaboration among
teachers and administrators about how to create the best
environment for learning.”
The values, attitudes, culture, ethos, and shared vision of
the IB program are accompanied by a certain teleology of a
reshaped or shaped future of fairness and social justice.
IB Believer LP 2
“The learner profile provides a tool for whole-school reflection
and analysis.
Individual teachers, faculty groups, school administrators and
school governors should ask themselves
To what extent do our philosophy, our school structures and
systems, our curriculum and units of work enable students and
the adults who implement the programmes, to develop into
the learner described in the profile?”
There are strong religious aspects of self examination in
the IB program. The expressed goal is to shape the
learner, not to expand his knowledge. How is this different
from the Apostle Paul saying, “Let a man examine
himself….and work out his own salvation with fear and
trembling?”
IB Believer LP 4
“Successful implementation of the IB learner profile in a school
will result in a learning environment in which the aims and
values of the IB programmes are strongly evident and
embraced by all members of the community.”
Note that the program aims and values are directed at all
participants: administrators, parents, teachers, and
students.
“This is the challenge for both IB World Schools and the IB. We
all must strive to put into practice what we believe.”
The religious aspects of the IB program are entirely
transparent. It simply is not credible to suggest that the IB
program is anything other than a faith/belief system.
IB Believer LP5
“The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally
minded people who, recognizing their common humanity
and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a
better and more peaceful world.”
While the common humanity of all mankind may be
established merely by observation it does not follow that
they participate in a ‘shared guardianship of the planet.’ It
is ordinarily the case that the assignment of universal
responsibility militates against specific accountability.
Moreover, it is not an established fact that any individual or
group of individuals have it within their power to ‘create a
better and more peaceful world.’ To allege that they do is
to assign to one, to some, or to all a certain redemptive
power (which is yet another religious notion). Nor is there
any evidence of salvic powers resident in IB values.
Specifics:
IB Believers strive to be:
Inquirers LP 5
“They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the
skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and
show independence in learning. They actively enjoy
learning and this love of learning will be sustained
throughout their lives.”
For the IB believer truly critical thinking ought to
require a systematic examination of all values and
beliefs including the transcendental values of the
IB program. This examination however, is not
present.
Knowledgeable LP 5
“They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local
and global significance.”
“In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop
understanding across a broad and balanced range of
disciplines.”
The principle focus of the IB believer is required to be
‘global.’ Local issues not having ‘global significance’ are
not explored or require less attention. The IB believer is
also perceived as one who investigates concepts, ideas
and issues rather than the objective universe. The IB
believer is directed more to the study of opinions than to
the study of what is or what was.
Thinkers LP 5
“They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and
creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and
make reasoned, ethical decisions.”
We have been told by Courts for more than fifty years that
ethical decisions are inherently religious and should not be
taught in public schools because they violate the
establishment clause. The IB program is saturated with as
much religious belief as Judaism or Christianity. Why the
IB program is acceptable and Judaism and Christianity are
not acceptable in public schools is not clear. Moreover it is
highly unlikely that any public school teacher is qualified
to teach any course in ethical decision making since the
study of deontology at both the collegiate and postgraduate level is quite rare.
Communicators LP 5
“They understand and express ideas and information
confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a
variety of modes of communication.”
BHO evidently did not get this memo and never mastered
the language of ‘Austrian.’ Those who advocate the idea of
multiple languages are often those least qualified to do so.
“They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with
others.”
Many historical examples may be adduced of individuals
making break through discoveries largely on their own.
The emphasis here is that the IB believer should strive to
work with others rather than on his own.
Principled LP 5
“They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong
sense of
fairness, justice and respect for the dignity
of individuals, groups and communities.
They take responsibility for their own actions and the
consequences that accompany them.”
The principled IB believer is one who must see
fairness, justice, and respect as transcendental
values and one who must accept the notion of
social justice. In reality, when a man prepares to
do an injustice to another man through use of the
powers of the state he is deeply embarrassed by
the temerity of the act and merely calls the deed
‘social justice.’
Open-minded LP 5
“They understand and appreciate their own
cultures and personal histories, and are open to
the perspectives, values and traditions of other
individuals and communities.
They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a
range of points of view, and are willing to grow
from the experience.”
The IB believer is engaged in an exploration of
many opinions, but chiefly his own, while an
empiricist is engaged in an exploration of truths
about what is or was.
Caring LP 5
“They show empathy, compassion and respect
towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a
personal commitment to service, and act to make a
positive difference to the lives of others and to the
environment.”
The IB believer’s empathy, compassion and
respect is redemptive of the planet. There also
does seem in this view to be redemptive power
resident in the intentions of the IB believer.
Risk-takers LP 5
“They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty
with courage and forethought, and have the
independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and
strategies.
They are brave and articulate in defending their
beliefs.”
The profile of the IB believer anticipates a person
capable of both apologetics and polemics for the
advance of this ideology. Both of these disciplines
are inherent in every belief, religious or faith
system. This type of advocacy appears to be
more central to the program than the mastery of
specific fields of study.
Balanced LP5
“They understand the importance of intellectual,
physical and emotional balance to achieve personal
well-being for themselves and others.”
This portion of the IB believer profile sounds very
much like Gestalt Psychology of the 1970s, which
was rationalism applied to the field of psychology.
In the presentation of the IB program, the
believers are inwardly focused on themselves and
on the idea that the whole person is greater than
the sum of his parts. The goal envisioned here of
academic pursuits is personal well being rather
than the accumulation of knowledge…..a dubious
notion at best.
Reflective LP5
“They give thoughtful consideration to their own
learning and experience. They are able to
assess and understand their strengths and
limitations in order to support their learning and
personal development.”
The principle difficulty or limitations of the
IB believer is the uncertainty of knowledge.
Theory of Knowledge Course
“The theory of knowledge course is designed to
encourage each student to reflect on the nature of
knowledge by critically examining different ways of
knowing (perception, emotion, language and
reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific,
artistic, mathematical and historical).”
These statements are nonsense. None of the
listed ‘ways of knowing’ is a way of knowing and
knowledge itself is undifferentiated.
Theory of Knowledge Course
In the end there is only one kind of knowledge:
knowledge of that which is so. Knowledge of that
which is not so may be called a belief, hope,
desire, anticipation, assumption, presumption, or
error, etc., but it may not be called knowledge.
Whereas the IB believer is taught to define a
considered opinion as knowledge, the empiricist
regards knowledge as an accurate assessment of
what is or what was, and is not interested in what
ought to be. He may have an opinion of what ought to
be, but would never consider his opinion to be
‘knowledge.’
Theory of Knowledge Course
“The interdisciplinary Theory of Knowledge course is
designed to develop a coherent approach to learning that
transcends and unifies the academic areas and
encourages appreciation of other cultural
perspectives.”
“The theory of knowledge course is in part intended to
encourage students to reflect on the huge cultural shifts
worldwide around the digital revolution and the information
economy. The extent and impact of the changes vary greatly in
different parts of the world, but everywhere their implications for
knowledge are profound.”
All fields of academic study are united, but not by the
rationalist epistemology of the theory of knowledge
course. All fields of academic study are united by the
objective universe. It is impossible to know anything that
is not so.
Theory of Knowledge Course
“Theory of knowledge encourages critical thinking about knowledge
itself and aims to help young people make sense of that they encounter. Its
core content focuses on questions such as the following:
What counts as knowledge?
How does it grow?
What are its limits?
Who owns knowledge?
What is the value of knowledge?
What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?”
The theory of Knowledge Course appears to teach the uncertainty of
knowledge without providing a clear statement of the actual processes
of knowledge.
The ownership of knowledge question (does there exist a property
right in knowledge?) is almost an entire discipline by itself, and is
routinely hotly debated and is far more advanced than is appropriate
for High School students.
Theory of Knowledge Course
“Theory of Knowledge activities and discussions aim to help
students discover and express their views on knowledge
issues. The course encourages students to share ideas with
others and to listen and learn from what others think. In this
process students' thinking and their understanding of
knowledge as a human construction are shaped, enriched
and deepened.
Connections may be made between knowledge encountered in
different Diploma Programme subjects, in Creativity, Action and
Service experience or in extended essay research;
distinctions between different kinds of knowledge may be
clarified.”
In the IB belief system knowledge is an interpreted and
differentiated human construction and bears no apparent
necessary connection with the objective universe.
Theory of Knowledge Course
“The theory of knowledge course requirement is central to the
educational philosophy of the Diploma Programme.
It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to:
reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and on areas of
knowledge and consider the role and nature of knowledge in
their own culture, in the cultures of others and in the wider
world.”
The astonishing statement is made here which suggests
that knowledge is culturally conditioned….an absurd
notion that is a throw back to the dark ages.
Theory of Knowledge Course
“In addition, it prompts students to: be aware of themselves as
thinkers, encouraging them to become more acquainted with
the complexity of knowledge as they recognize the need to
act responsibly in an increasingly interconnected but
uncertain world.”
“As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of
knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, Theory of
knowledge course is composed almost entirely of questions.
The most central of these is ‘How do we know?’”
It is invariably rationalists who take the view of the
extraordinary complexity of knowledge, with a plethora of
ways of knowing and differing kinds of knowledge. For the
empiricist knowledge is comparatively straightforward. The
complexity for the rationalist comes always in defining
exactly how he knows things in advance of grappling with
any evidence or any facts.
Theory of Knowledge Course
“It is a stated aim of Theory of Knowledge that students
should become aware of the interpretative nature of
knowledge, including personal ideological biases,
regardless of whether, ultimately, these biases are
retained, revised or rejected.
Theory of Knowledge also has an important role to play in
providing coherence for the student as it transcends and links
academic subject areas, thus demonstrating the ways in which
they can apply their knowledge with greater awareness and
credibility.”
The idea of multiple kinds of knowledge unattached to the
objective universe which include biases and
interpretations all of which are culturally conditioned
render knowledge uncertain at best and practically
useless. The only unifying aspect of knowledge as
presented are the values/beliefs of the IB program.
Epistemology?
What we have shown to be the case so far is that the IB
program is only one kind of epistemology. It is a rationalist
epistemology which believes in international mindedness which
accepts the unfairness of the world and is committed to the
teleology that ‘social justice’ precipitates a better and more
peaceful world. It is instruction in a certain faith and belief
system in which salvic power resides in the values and actions
of the believers.
No credible study of epistemology is complete without a look at
both major competing epistemologies. What is offered next is
a very short course in real epistemology.
A Short Course in Real
Epistemology
‘Epistemology’ means words about knowledge
It comes from two Greek words:
επιστημι + λογοι
knowledge + words
It is the discipline which explores the idea of
how we know the things which we know. This
is an academic discipline not a general sharing
of random opinions and predispositions.
Two Epistemologies
There are only two basic epistemologies.
1. Rationalism a priori
2. Empiricism a posteriori
before the facts
after the facts
All other views are some variation of one of
these two epistemologies.
Rationalism
This is the view that knowledge that we have is anterior to
observation, experience, and experiment.
The Rationalist does not find knowledge in the
objective universe, but by an inward examination of
himself. He claims to know things prior to observation,
experience, and experimentation.
This view prevailed throughout most of history until the
Enlightenment.
The Rationalist finds the source of all authority and all
knowledge within himself. The Theory of Knowledge
Course teaches a rationalist epistemology.
Empiricism
Empiricism arose at the time of the Enlightenment 1500-1750
AD and constitutes the foundation of Western Civilization. The
founding fathers embraced empiricism (see Federalist #6)
The Empiricist claims that apart from observation,
experience, and experimentation he knows nothing.
The empiricist is focused outward on every aspect of the
universe as it is or was, and is disinterested in his own
emotional, physical and intellectual state.
The Empiricist finds the source of all authority, knowledge, and
moral obligation in the objective universe (most empiricists take
a deontological as opposed to an utilitarian approach). Both
the atheist empiricist and the theist empiricist acknowledge that
the objective universe bears moral content. The atheist finds
moral content in natural laws of universal humanity, and the
theist finds moral content in the whole of the universe put there
by its Author.
Empirical Tools of Knowledge
Observation,
Experience, and
Experimentation
Two Types of Reasoning Resident within Man:
Inductive Reasoning: an inference of a generalized conclusion
from particular instances
Deductive Reasoning: a conclusion based on at least two
premises
Before we may assert that we know anything our theory
produced by observation and induction must be confirmed
and sustained by as many of the tools of knowledge as
possible. If one fact, observation, experience, or
experiment is unexplained by our theory, we must generate
a new theory that explains all of the evidence. The
empirical tools of knowledge are largely evidentiary.
Knowledge is a Process not Punctiliar
Induction
Deduction
Experimentation
Observation
Induction
Deduction
Induction
Deduction
Experience
Knowledge is not absolute but a matter of high probability
Conclusions
The IB program teaches a rationalist epistemology (philosophy)
called existentialism which is the view that…in an accidental
and disorganized universe of dubious or uncertain knowledge
men create their own values as they wrestle with the exigencies
of their own being, and that the values which are chosen are all
equally valid and of moral indifference.
It is not merely unwise to preach this deeply religious
philosophy to teenagers in public schools, it is a violation of the
Constitution as well.
The empiricist, in contrast to this, finds the source of all values in
the objective universe. (Natural Law) These values which are
thought to reside in natural law are under continuous review
and debate. The field of derivative moral obligation is the field
of deontology.
More Conclusions
IN FAIRNESS: The IB program does not teach a pure
existentialism or a pure moral relativism. There are
transcendental values taught by the IB program and they
include the ideas that the world is deeply unfair, that all persons
should seek ‘international mindedness,’ ‘fairness’ and ‘social
justice,’ and that the individual can create world peace and heal
the planet (a teleology of redemption).
If we were to reach for a single description of this philosophy
we might call it existential progressivism because of its
teleological aspect.
The fact that knowledge of the empiricist is not absolute but a
matter of high probability does not mean that we live in an
uncertain universe or that we create our own values as a
coping mechanism.
The suggestion that men may redeem the planet under any
circumstances is absurd and can only be made by a total
disregard of historical facts.
Academic Excellence
The IB program does not establish why the instruction
in its epistemology and ideology is necessary to a
challenging advanced academic program.
The Administrators and Educators of School systems
have apparently accepted the IB program largely
because they have not had the motivation, initiative, or
the academic firepower to produce an advanced
academic program of their own.
Instead, they accepted the pre-packaging of the IB
program along with its toxic epistemology and
ideology.
True Purpose?
Why does the Globalist IB program focus on teaching
a rationalist epistemology?
Answer: All forms of statism, despotism, or
tyranny depend on rationalist epistemology
because it vests authority in man rather
than in the natural laws of an objective
universe.
Sustained periods of dominant empiricism militate
against and destroy statist societies, and initiate
periods of liberty.
Constitutional Issues
The IB program violates the establishment clause of the First
Amendment.
The IB program violates the equal protection clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment.
For more than fifty years court rulings have overturned the
teaching of values in public schools because of their
religious nature.
Further study of the IB may be pursued here:
http://truthaboutib.com/home.html
Why is the IB Program allowed?