Geography: Singapore in Surabaya

regional map

Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city after Jakarta - according to the 2010 census 2.7 million people lived in the chartered city limits or kota and the surrounding rural area houses at least 7 million - and the capital of East Java. The city is highly urbanized and suffers from problems such as congestion, pollution and slums. In recent years, wealthier people have been moving from the crowded city center to up-market suburban subdivisions. Find out more about intra-urban migration in Surabaya here by visiting http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/asia/
29surabaya.html?_r=2 (access by making a New York Times password - easy!)

Creativity, Action, Service: reflections of an IB student

Creativity: interpretive dance by Grace 

The IB Diploma is well-known globally as a rigorous and demanding academic programme, however the programme also challenges students outside of the classroom. Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) is a core component of the Diploma that serves as a counter-balance to its academic demands. What can CAS do for students? Liliana Tius Grace, a recent graduate of Cita Hati High School, wrote this summary reflecting on her experiences in CAS over the two years of her Diploma Programme for Garuda Indonesia in flight magazine. 

Completing CAS requirements for the IB Diploma has not been easy - great efforts were needed, hours had to be sacrificed, and commitment was required for each activity - but CAS activities helped me learn a lot about other people, about the environment, and about myself. 

In Creativity I tried new activities and accepted new challenges. I joined a band as singer and bassist, and taught keyboard sessions to young kids. I danced in a hiphop group, dubbed at a radio station, and learned violin. Some of the Creativity  activities surprised me because I never thought I would do things like learn the Korean language or play Hawaiian steel guitar. 

Action: learning to scuba dive

Action activities included learning how to snorkel, dive and swim. I hiked, bowled, and played badminton; I trained myself to run fast and to catch, aim, and throw better. These activities helped me feel healthier, and joining sports nights gave me new friends and helped me become comfortable in new places. 

In CAS Service I was surprised to discover a different side of myself - that I cared for others. I’ve taught science to elementary kids in remote areas, visited hospitals and orphanages, worked with Habitat Indonesia, and helped feed flood victims. At first I did the Service activities just to meet requirements but then I began to get involved more on my own free will. I found myself putting in more and more commitment, and the greater the efforts I made the better I felt. I’m still involved with some of the Service projects now, even after completing my CAS hours. 

Some activities scared me (like in diving when I panicked and sucked sea water into my nose and mouth) but I found out that after each activity I gained confidence and the next challenge always felt slightly easier to take. I found out that it doesn’t really matter how important what you do is, or how big the scale is - what matters is how you do it. Through activities like mangrove conservation I have learned to take care of the environment and to appreciate how important it is for us. I learned to value other people more, and how it’s usually more fun to do things with other people than doing them alone. I learned to appreciate every little thing I have, like books or a nice pillow. It was difficult to commit to all these activities and I had to learn how to plan and organize, and the importance of finishing what I’d started. 

I’m glad to know that while I have benefited from all these CAS activities, other people have benefitted too. It’s not an exaggeration to say that CAS has changed my life, and I can’t help but smile at the thought of that.

Service: Grace and IB students preparing to plant mangrove seedlings (click to enlarge)

Geography: Merapi

Mt Merapi

In Indonesia, many people live on volcanos where thousands of years of eruptions have fertilised the slopes, making the soil some of the richest in the country. Mt Merapi has been dormant for more than four years. Scientists who were monitoring the volcano put Merapi on its highest state of alert - one day later, on October 26, Merapi erupted. On 5 November Merapi unleashed 50 million cubic meters of  a surge of gas, rock and other debris - the largest explosion in a century. More than 300 people were killed. Since Merapi began its latest series of eruptions, more than 300,000 people have been driven from their homes, living in cramped evacuation centres at the foot of the volcano. When the eruptions start dying down, some villagers are tempted to return to their homes on Merapi to check on their animals and posssessions. Visit here for more information.

Cita Hati expat staff go rafting - hoooeee!

Exams: International Curriculum exam timetable

International Curriculum teachers and students: please refer to the timetable at left. The table shows the date and day of each exam, when it starts, its length, the number of candidates, and which staff are invigilating.  Click on the grid to enlarge the text. Students who are unwell and cannot sit an exam must contact the school at the first opportunity. Remember to bring a transparent pencil case and your own pens (blue or black), pencils, ruler and so on. No correcting fluid or highlighters are to be used on your answer scripts. Bring your own water bottle please. Most of all, be sure to arrive 15 minutes before the start of your exams and meet on the third floor. See the Coordinator with questions or comments. Good luck!

Civics: Kartini

Raden Ayu Kartini

Those who do not dare will not win the world.

Kartini (1879-1904) was a pioneer in the area of women's rights for native Indonesians, and a number of schools for women have been established in her name (including one in Surabaya). Kartini was also a nationalist figure, with new ideas who worked on behalf of her people in the national struggle for independence from the Dutch (although she never took up arms against the colonisers). Kartini's birth date (21 April) is celebrated as 'Kartini Day' - an Indonesian national holiday - and the women staff at school wear beautiful clothes in her honour.

Visual Art: The Thinker

The Thinker is one of the most well-known sculptures in the world. It was made of bronze and marble by Auguste Rodin in 1902. It's an imposing size (2m high) and is located in the Musee Rodin in Paris.  The Thinker has been cast in multiple versions; there are about 20 large cast Thinkers in museums around the world. The figure is trying to resolve some difficult internal dilemma and the statue has come to represent intellectual activity. Other observers disagree - they emphasise the figure's rough physicality and the emotional tension emanating from it. Look at the rather difficult way The Thinker is sitting - his wrist is bent right back, his elbow rests on the opposite knee and he's hunched forwards; now try sitting in this position - not comfortable at all! Also, he is naked, perched on the very edge of a cold, hard piece of rock. Brrr!

CAS: Service

IBDP11 student Rut and a young friend share a moment during Connecting Project 2010.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 872,000 IB students at 3,070 schools in 139 countries.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

Widely recognized as the finest education a student can receive in the final two years of schooling, the Diploma Programme (IBDP) for students aged 16 to 19 is a challenging and balanced two-year curriculum leading to final examinations and a qualification that is welcomed by leading universities around the world.

The Diploma Programme encourages international-mindedness and a positive attitude to learning; it helps students in Year 11 and Year 12 develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. The focus is on a positive attitude to learning - our students are encouraged to ask challenging questions, to critically reflect, to develop research skills, and to learn how to learn.

Cita Hati Christian Senior School was the first school in East Java to offer the IB Diploma Programme, it has successfully completed the IB Five Year Review quality control process, and is an authorized IB World School.

The curriculum for the IB Diploma Programme

The Diploma Programme Curriculum contains six subject groups (illustrated by a hexagon) together with a central core made up of three separate parts.

Students study six subjects selected from the subject groups. Normally three subjects are studied at Higher Level (240 hours of study), and the remaining three subjects are studied at Standard Level (150 hours of study); this enables students to explore some subjects in greater depth and some more broadly over the two year period.

Students must choose one subject from each of Group 1 to Group 5, thus ensuring breadth of experience in languages, social studies, the experimental sciences and mathematics. The sixth subject may be an arts subject chosen from Group 6, or the student may choose another subject from Group 1 to Group 5.

In exceptional circumstances, application may be made for candidates to study for a 'Non-Regular' Diploma, and choose three Sciences - Physics, Chemistry, and Biology- from Group 4, in which case they will not choose any subject from Group 3 or Group 6.

In special circumstances, students may be permitted to study for IB Certificates alone, without enrolling in the full Diploma.

The IBDP subjects currently taught at Cita Hati are:-

Group 1: Language A1 = Indonesian (HL/SL), English (HL/SL); Group 2: Second Language = English (HL/SL), Indonesian (HL/SL/B); Group 3: Individuals and Societies = Business and Management (HL/SL), Psychology (HL/SL), Information Technology in a Global Society (HL/SL), Environmental Systems and Societies (SL); Group 4: Experimental Sciences = Biology (HL/SL), Chemistry (HL/SL), Physics (HL/SL), Environmental Systems and Societies (SL); Group 5: Mathematics and Computer Science = Mathematics (HL/SL); Group 6: The Arts = Visual Arts (HL/SL), Theatre (HL/SL)

In addition the programme has three core requirements that further broaden the educational experience and challenge students to apply their knowledge and understanding. All three parts of the core - Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge and Creativity, Action, Service - are compulsory and are central to the philosophy of the Diploma Programme.

Extended Essay (EE) offers the opportunity to investigate a topic of individual interest and acquaints students with the independent research and writing skills expected at university. 

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is an interdisciplinary course that critically examining different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical).

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) balances out the academic requirements of the Diploma Programme. Participation in Cita Hati School’s CAS programme encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work thereby fostering their awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic arena by participating in real tasks beyond the classroom. 

Assessment

Students take written examinations at the end of the programme which are marked by external IB examiners; students also complete assessment tasks in the school which are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners.

The Diploma is awarded to students who gain at least 24 points (subject to certain minimum levels of performance across the programme) and complete the creativity, action and service requirement. The highest total that a Diploma Programme student can be awarded is 45 points.

Further information

The IBDP is a popular choice for Year 11 and Year 12 students at Cita Hati, with numbers in the Programme doubling each year.

If you’d like to find out more about the IBDP at Cita Hati Christian Senior School contact the International Curriculum Coordinator at ib_coordinator@bchati.sch.id; for information about International Baccalaureate programmes visit the IB website at http://www.ibo.org/ .

Exams: how to revise, avoid stress and do well

Cita Hati Vision

International Baccalaureate Mission

Satish Kumar

Satish Kumar

If I go as a Hindu, I will meet a Muslim or a Christian.  If I go as a socialist, I’ll meet a capitalist. If I go as a brown man, I’ll meet a black man or a white man. But if I go as a human being, I’ll meet only human beings.                     

In 1962 Satish Kumar made a "peace walk" to the capitals of four of the nuclear-armed countries - Washington, London, Paris and Moscow. Travelling over 11,000 km by foot with no money, Kumar would stay with anyone who offered him food or shelter. He now lives a very simple life. When told he was being unreasonable, he said: Look at what realists have done for us. They have led us to war and climate change, poverty on an unimaginable scale, and wholesale ecological destruction. Half of humanity goes to bed hungry because of all the realistic leaders in the world. I tell people who call me 'unrealistic' to show me what their realism has done. Realism is an outdated, overplayed and wholly exaggerated concept.

Exams: prepare intelligently!

Peanuts by Charles Schulz

IBDP Five Year Review for Cita Hati

The Five Year Review is a mandatory quality assurance procedure overseen by a panel of 14 experienced IB practitioners in the Asia Pacific region. It involves collecting evidence from teachers, parents, students and school management to assure the IB that Cita Hati is meeting performance standards in terms of philosophy, organization, curriculum and provisions for students. The Review is a comprehensive and time-consuming investigation. Earlier this semester we were informed by IBAP that Cita Hati had met Review requirements as an IB world school.  Cita Hati was commended for the thoroughness of the Review, its ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, its active community service programme, the proposals for improvement identified in the Review, the range and number of subjects offered to students, and the consistent application of the IB Learner Profile in the school. IBAP identified the following items for further development over the next five years: renewed emphasis on the IB Mission and values, further development of IBDP subject resource bases, extending the status and use of the library, addressing the intrusion of enrichment activities on scheduled class times, and the advertising of the curriculum to all sections of the school community. In closing, the IB Review Panel stated “overall, the Panel has concluded that the self-study submitted is of a very good quality. Throughout the presentation, the school ratings for both Standards and Practices have been relatively accurate, the identification of strengths has been realistic and the proposals for improvement have been well thought out and achievable. The Panel congratulates the school on their approach to this process".

Cita Hati blogosphere: Biology

Check out Mr Jaren's Biology blog:- 
http://biologych.blogspot.com/




Nine divisions of the animal kingdom: 1. Porifera, the sponges

Bring on the learning revolution!

In this funny, poignant follow-up to his fabled 2006 talk, Ken Robinson makes the case for a radical shift from standardized schools to personalized learning - creating conditions where kids' natural talents can flourish. Go here to listen to this talk. 

What should I study for IBDP11 and IBDP12 exams?

IBDP11

IBDP12

What should I study for IGCSE9 and PreIB10 exams?

IGCSE9

PREIB10

IGCSE at Cita Hati

We have opened our first International General Certificate of Secondary Education classes. 67 students joined the programme. The IGCSE is popular because classes are taught in English and students gain internationally recognised Cambridge qualifications at the end of Year 10; also, many universities consider IGCSE English as proof of proficiency for admissions purposes. 11 teachers are currently completing online training in IGCSE subjects. 

IBDP at Cita Hati

IBDP student numbers at Cita Hati are set to increase over the next few years. More students will mean more options, increased resourcing, and smaller classes should benefit from an injection of youthful energy; core classes will be larger and more Cita Hati teachers will need to be trained in IB subjects. We will need to demonstrate flexibility through Non-regular Diplomas and Certificates in conjunction with a Cita Hati HS Diploma.

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

From TEDTalk: Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines). Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. Listen to this talk.

Cita Hati IBDP results, May 2010

Nine of our twelve IBDP12 students were awarded IB Bilingual Diplomas (that's around the average Diploma pass rate worldwide) and three students received IB certificates. The good news: performance in HL subjects had improved significantly, there was less moderation of IA work (indicating that teachers were more conversant with criteria), and Predicted Grades were very accurate. The not-so-good news: bonus points were a little down on last year. A feature of the May 2010 exam session was the excellent joint Visual Arts exhibition with Sekolah Ciputra, in which Cita Hati students excelled. 

Congratulations to the IBDP Class of 2010, and congrats also to the teachers below whose classes achieved results above world averages in their subjects:-

Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids

Child prodigy Adora Svitak says the world needs "childish" thinking: bold ideas, wild creativity and especially optimism. Kids' big dreams deserve high expectations, she says, starting with grownups' willingness to learn from children as much as to teach. This is the TEDTalk presented to staff at the professional development session. Go here to listen. 

ManageBac

IBDP students at Cita Hati are now using an online management tool to submit work, communicate with teachers, and access key documents; ManageBac also enables teachers and parents to monitor student work and check requirements are being met. ManageBac will reduce our carbon footprint and cut delivery expenses by transmitting IB assessments electronically. IB students: check ManageBac regularly to stay updated in your subject areas. See Mr John if you have problems logging in. Results for November school IB exams will be released through ManageBac - refer to your IB registration number to see how you've scored. Next year we'll link ManageBac to Turnitin.

New teachers in IBDP at Cita Hati

Announcing a new IB Diploma subject at Cita Hati

Environmental Systems and Societies is a transdisciplinary Standard Level subject (it meets International Baccalaureate Diploma requirements as either a Group 3 Individuals and Societies subject or a Group 4 Experimental Sciences subject). Environmental Systems and Societies is a valuable addition given current concern over the state of the natural world, and gels well with this year’s school focus on Respect for the planet. Eight Cita Hati students are taking Environmental Systems and Societies this year; their instructor (Jos) has just attended an International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems and Societies  workshop in Hong Kong.