The IB welcomed educators, experts and school leaders from North, Central, and South America, as well as from all over the world, to San Diego.
The sold-out IB Global Conference that took place this week, 16 –19 July, was the first in-person conference after almost two years of disruption due to the global pandemic.
Over 1800 participants from more than 34 countries had the opportunity to engage with education experts, school leaders, IB staff, peers and exhibitors as they discussed the best ways to ensure more students can have access to IB education programmes. The conference theme, ‘Embracing innovation, inspiring action’, stimulated engaging conversations about curriculum, technology and new approaches to teaching and learning.
In his opening remarks, Haif Bannayan, Global Director, Business Development, noted:
"As educators, we are discovering that interdisciplinary and advanced disciplinary competencies are required to cope with the uncertainties of the pandemic and our rapidly changing world. Our education systems are naturally biased towards cognitive skills, while students will need much more than that to prepare for the future."
"As Director General Heinonen recently noted in the International Schools Journal, 'tackling this huge international crisis is not just an academic problem, it is a moral one'. In this age of artificial intelligence, we still must rely on humankind—to create ethically sustainable solutions; to understand what is relevant and valuable to society, and to develop and foster a sense of shared humanity," said Bannayan.
In more than 90 sessions, the constructive discourse from the keynote speakers, topic experts, educators, thought leaders and participants touched on the changing educational landscape, transformation of teaching and learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, curriculum design, assessment and more. Highlights of the event included presentations of community projects and artwork from students worldwide and participants' ability to enhance their networks by interacting and sharing knowledge.
The conference's keynote speakers included Dr Freeman A Hrabowski, President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Jill McManigal, Co-founder of Kids for Peace; and Joe Sanfelippo, Superintendent of Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin. Read more about the conference speakers here.
You can follow social media updates and highlights from the conference under the hashtag #IBGC2022.
Check out highlights from day one of the IB Global Conference, San Diego:
The IB looks forward to welcoming our community to the next IB Global Conference in The Hague, the Netherlands, which will be held at the World Forum, from 6–8 October 2022. Learn from educational experts and share your IB experience with colleagues from Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, as well as from all over the world.
