Getting the result vs How you get the result
I've been through both the International Baccalaureate (I.B.) program as well as the Advanced Placement (A.P.) program because I went to two different high schools. The coordinators of each program described the difference between the two programs as "caring about the result" vs "caring about the process to get to the result".
Initially I went through the I.B. program because that was the program offered at my first high school. The philosophy behind the program made sense. If you are taught the proper way to get to the end result, then you will always know how to get to the end result. So what they did was make you grind out 100 questions a day (in all the STEM classes) so that it nutures a 'studying' habit in you for life. Notice how I say 'studying' instead of 'learning'? This is because their intentions and pure and good but their execution needs rethinking. Just getting students to solve problem after problem may help you instill a good work ethic in your students, but it misses the point of why you are doing it. Just doing 100 questions a day becomes a drain on students and they sacrifice their social life (human interaction not just partying) just for a higher number on their courses. Now I'm not saying that grades are not important. I'm saying that at that stage in a student's life, they should be 'out' exploring what interests them so that they know what they want to do for the rest of their life. Don't put so much pressure on students to get 99% on every test. That comes at a cost. You can't get 99% and have a rich and dynamic life. You have to sacrifice something in order to put the time into that. What I would gun for would be a 89-92% average but also be involved in sports clubs and other activities. Not just to 'boost' your university application, but to also give yourself an outlet and create fun memories.
In light of the tone of this post, you should realize that I appreciate the A.P. program more. The reason is because their philosophy is on getting the result and not so much how you got there. I respect this more because there are so many different ways to achieve the same result. I know there is an English saying that goes, "there is more than one way to skin a cat", so why not let students try different ways? As I've read different books on the psychology of the mind and influential business books and autobiographies of the world's most successful people, I find that, there is not only a single way of achieving success. You can do it in so many different ways. People usually don't care how you achieved your success, only that you did. This is not to say they don't care if you commit crimes to "achieve success". This is to say that there are many different ways to achieve your goal. Therefore, why force someone to go sit in a classroom to absorb information when they can just sit at home and read the textbook and gain the same (if not more) information?
Just something to ask yourself and think about.
