’s Middle Childhood Education program is the first in the state of Ohio to offer an undergraduate program authorized by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Organization: the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Certificate in Teaching and Learning.
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program is a curriculum for students in grades 6-10, and focuses on the development of the whole child in the classroom and in the world outside. The International Baccalaureate is a recognized leader in the field of international education. The program defines international education as developing citizens of the world in relationship to culture, language and learning to live together. It also encourages diversity and flexibility in teaching.
Under this recognition, middle childhood educators graduating from Kent State will not only be qualified to serve in Ohio but also in any of the International Baccalaureate “world” schools that exist in more than 128 countries. Kent State is one of three International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programs in the nation, and Kent State also offers an International Baccalaureate certificate for Primary Years (ages 3-12) in Teaching and Learning. Middle Years Program classes are offered at three Kent State campuses: Kent, Geauga and Stark.
“Over the past five years, 10 Kent State middle childhood education faculty members have been trained by IB in content-specific categories areas, along with the overall IB teaching models,” said Robin Dever, Ph.D., Kent State’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program coordinator. “We have built close relationships with surrounding IB schools, such as Litchfield Middle School in Akron, where our students are engaged in field experience opportunities which model IB practices. The faculty is very confident that our teacher candidates will graduate with a broader perspective of their students’ needs once they have completed our undergraduate IB program.”