From the teacher's point of view, the details of the three projects are very different. For example, AP mathematics is calculus and statistics, while A-level and IB mathematics include functions, complex numbers, analytic geometry and so on.

One difference: the flexibility of course selection.

First, make a metaphor to guide readers to get started quickly. Three courses, just like our meal choice. There are two ways to order food on the restaurant menu: one is to order food, which is what you like. The second is the set meal, so there must be something you like and something you don't like.

The AP course belongs to the former, at least, you can take an AP exam; What's more, you can go to 10 AP, and you can choose. As for AP courses, China students often choose mathematics, physics, chemistry and so on. After all, AP English literature or AP American history has high language requirements;

IB belongs to the latter. It's a set meal, but you can't be picky about food. You can't just eat spicy or sweet food, so students must accept both arts and sciences.

What about A-LEVEL Cambridge courses from Britain are somewhere in between, and it can choose freely, but it can't just choose one course, at least three courses should be chosen. In China, students often choose mathematics, science and business.

Knowing this, readers might as well try to answer a common public puzzle: "Is IB's curriculum more biased towards children with better liberal arts?" It seems so. This can't be said that parents' cognition is wrong, but their cognition is not in place. Let's imagine: under the condition of free choice of subjects, China students will of course choose their own mathematics and physics.

In addition, from the perspective of running a school (especially the international classes in public schools), it is not because there are some problems in AP or A-level, but the risk of offering liberal arts such as AP English literature or AP American history is far greater than AP mathematics and physics, because most students do not have mature English language ability.

Back to the question of whether IB's courses are liberal arts, the answer is of courseno. The reason for this confusion is that the landing of AP and A-Level in China must be combined with the actual situation of domestic students, so grounding gas provides science-based courses.

But IB is a set meal, so students can't just choose what they are good at. If all three are sports competitions, then the excellent seeds of IB must be all-round, while the top students of AP or A-Level are the champions of one or several projects. So the flexibility of course selection is one of the differences.

The second difference: the process of cultivating students is different.

On the surface, IB, AP and A-LEVEL are composed of disciplines, such as mathematics, science, language and sociology. , but IB focuses on concept learning, while the latter two focus on fact learning.

What do you mean? For example, for example, we are also teaching buoyancy changes in physics class. The knowledge-based learning mode will discuss what buoyancy is, the factors affecting buoyancy, how to measure buoyancy and so on. These are all knowledge points, which will appear in the test paper in the future.

But on this basis, IB will rise to the conceptual level, such as how "buoyancy" and "change" exist in personal life? What does it have to do with students' personal life? This involves concepts, not knowledge points or fact learning. This way of learning forces students to go out of the framework of the subject itself and transcend the knowledge points of the subject itself. This is the difference of specific subjects in the teaching process, which belongs to the micro-level difference.

As a curriculum system, that is, the macro level, the three are also different. The biggest highlight of IBDP (high school IB) is that there is a TOK (knowledge theory) course, and the simple translation is "knowledge theory".

This course is more like a philosophy course. Students will discuss and discuss the most fundamental question of learning together: What is knowledge? How to judge that you have learned knowledge? How do you use your knowledge? It is not set by any subject, but transcends any subject, but is related to students' learning as a person's learning itself. This kind of study will make a 17-year-old boy think: learning is everywhere, except at school. What is learning like in daily life?

In the last year of senior three, to write an original research paper of 3000 words, students need to be the creators of knowledge, not the absorbers of knowledge. This is another big difference between IB and AP and A-LEVEL in the teaching process, which belongs to the macro level.

The third difference: the training goal is different from the result.

Since there are obvious differences in the teaching process, the ultimate goal is naturally different.

If the teaching of public schools in China is to help students remember answers through sea tactics, practice makes perfect, then AP and A-LEVEL help students learn to find answers through inquiry learning; IBDP not only trains students to find answers through inquiry learning, but also trains students to ask their own questions through reflection on learning and knowledge itself.

Metaphor: A mechanic can only change car tires. If the door or light is broken and can't be solved, then he belongs to the mechanic who memorizes the answer. The other can repair any damaged car skillfully, so he is a worker who has learned to find the answer. "Broken car" is a question thrown at him by others, and "repair" is the process for him to find the answer.

The third person not only knows the car frame like the back of his hand, but also thinks, "How can I build a car that can repair itself?" Then this is a talent who can ask questions. This question belongs to him, so the process of finding the answer becomes his private affair. Such people have their own perspective, not looking for answers for others, but looking for answers for themselves. The motivation for learning comes from the heart (such as curiosity)-isn't this the "innovative talent" we want to cultivate?

The final result of education: memorizing answers, completing tasks by memory VS learning to find answers, solving other people's problems VS learning to ask their own questions and create new knowledge-this is another essential difference between IB, AP, A-LEVEL and public education in China.

After hearing what I said, it seems that IB has the largest gold content, and it does. However, high gold content is a double-edged sword, where to start? High gold content means that he is difficult, and the difficulty meeting requires high difficulty for two types of people:

1. One is of course a student. For example, it takes students a year to write an English paper of 3000 words or more. This kind of "original paper" which may embarrass graduate students in China is a great challenge for students.

2. High requirements for teachers: Once the IB course is offered, all the teachers and resources involved in the package must be prepared. From the perspective of running a school, the resources invested by the school are very large.

3. On the other hand, AP can be set as long as I find a teacher, so from the investment of school funds and resources, of course, AP is the most difficult and IB is the highest.