International Baccalaureate Program

ATTITUDES

While recognizing the importance of knowledge, concepts and skills, these alone do not make an internationally minded person. It is vital that there is also a focus on the development of personal attitudes towards people, the environment, and learning-- attitudes that contribute to the well being of the individual and of the group. The PYP attitudes are explicitly part of class discussions during the school day.

The website, http://pyplibrary.wikispaces.com has many suggestions for books that embody one or more of the attitudes. The IB attitudes make a good springboard for discussion of these books.

Here is a description of the twelve attitudes that we hope will become “habits of mind” for Handley students.

Appreciation—appreciating the wonder and beauty of the world and its people

Commitment—being committed to learning; persevering and showing self-discipline and responsibility

Confidence—feeling confident in their ability as learners; having the courage to take risks; applying what they have learned; making appropriate decisions and choices

Cooperation—cooperating, collaborating, and leading or following as the situation demands

Creativity—being creative and imaginative in their thinking and in their approach to problems and dilemmas

Curiosity—being curious about the nature of learning, about the world, its people and cultures

Empathy—imagining themselves in another’s situation in order to understand his/her reasoning and emotions so as to be open-minded and reflective about the perspectives of others
Enthusiasm—enjoying learning and willingly putting the effort into the process
Independence—thinking and acting independently; making their own judgments based on reasoned argument; being able to defend their judgments

Integrity—being honest and demonstrating a considered sense of fairness

Respect—respecting themselves, others and the world around them

Tolerance—being sensitive about differences and diversity in the world and being responsive to the needs of others