Update for schools
Issue 4, 2012
International edition
Developing a global outlook in learners
Schools worldwide are using
Cambridge IGCSE® to bring global
thinking into the classroom, and
make lessons relevant to learners
of all nationalities.
Rotterdam International Secondary School in the
Netherlands has found that taking an international
approach to literature – via our new Cambridge IGCSE
World Literature – is having a positive impact on learning.
Lani du Plessis, English teacher, says the course enables
her students to bring their different cultural experiences
into lessons. When they studied The Kite Runner by Khaled
Hosseini she invited a parent from Nepal into the lesson
to speak about his participation in kite fighting, and hold a
kite-building workshop. She said: “We did not have great
success flying the kites, but the students were really
involved – especially the boys who really seemed to relate
to the novel.”
Rotterdam International Secondary
School,
iona
Learners from Yew Chung Internat
l School, China
Yew Chung International School of Beijing, China, has
over 45 nationalities of students and says Cambridge
IGCSE Global Perspectives supports their co-cultural
education model. The course helps teachers place issues
relating to China within an international framework. A
recent project took the students to a paddy field in rural
China, helping them to understand the Chinese economy
in the context of developing countries and the world.
Cambridge schools are also collaborating on classroom
projects to bring global thinking into lessons, using
technology like Skype to good effect. Cambridge teachers
can contact other Cambridge schools easily via our secure
Teacher Support website at http://teachers.cie.org.uk or
on our LinkedIn page for Cambridge teachers at
http://linkd.in/cambridgeteacher
New resources for Cambridge IGCSE
Global Perspectives
the Netherlands
Another way Cambridge schools are maximising
global learning is by adding Cambridge IGCSE Global
Perspectives to their curriculum. This subject gives learners
the chance to explore global issues while developing
key 21st century skills, such as critical thinking and
communication skills.
Cambridge teachers can download a new Cambridge
IGCSE Global Perspectives Teaching Pack from
our secure Teacher Support website. We have also
produced a Coursework Training DVD for teachers
who are marking coursework for Cambridge IGCSE
Global Perspectives – to get your copy, please email
international@cie.org.uk
Learn more about Cambridge IGCSE World Literature (available for first examination in 2014) and Global Perspectives
at www.cie.org.uk/newquals. Global Perspectives is available at Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International AS Level
and Cambridge Pre-U (includes an extended project to develop advanced research skills).
1
Cambridge IGCSE Update for schools – April 2012
Cambridge IGCSE in
bilingual education –
new resources for
schools
Many schools use Cambridge IGCSE in the context of
a bilingual education programme. If you teach in a
bilingual context, or are considering setting up a
bilingual education programme, you will be interested
to know that we have commissioned two new
practical guides to support you. They are published by
Cambridge University Press (April 2012).
The first – Language Awareness in Teaching:
A Toolkit for Content and Language Teachers by Timothy
Chadwick – is written primarily for subject teachers who
teach through English to students whose first language
is not English. It includes classroom tasks and language
issues that relate directly to Cambridge IGCSE subjects,
and will be a really helpful resource for Cambridge
IGCSE teachers.
The second – Excellence in Bilingual Education:
A Guide for School Principals by Peeter Mehisto –
gives clear advice on how to set up and manage a
bilingual education programme and is based on research
and experience of good practice.
Welcome to Cambridge
Ann Gibson, our Regional Manager, Europe, presents
the official Cambridge International School certificate to
Okan Sezer, General Manager of Işıkkent Eğitim Kampusü in
Turkey, October 2011. The school is integrating Cambridge
IGCSE alongside the Turkish national curriculum as part of
their bilingual education provision. This education model is
increasingly popular in Europe in countries including Bosnia,
Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
Talking to parents about
Cambridge IGCSE?
You can now easily find free materials online to help you
talk to parents and learners about Cambridge IGCSE. Just
go to Marketing Resources – a new secure area of our
public website where Cambridge schools can download
posters, factsheets, a PowerPoint presentation and more.
It is available at www.cie.org.uk/marketingresources
We sent login details to Cambridge International
Schools in mid-March 2012. Login details will be sent to
Cambridge Associate Schools later this year, via Cambridge
Associates. If you need a reminder of your login, contact
us at international@cie.org.uk
Some Cambridge schools ask us for support with
issues relating to bilingual education, and so we have
started a Cambridge bilingual education research
programme to develop our expertise. We identified
the need for both these new guides as part of our
ongoing research.
To learn more about the guides, and order copies,
go to www.cambridge.org/education
To learn more about Cambridge IGCSE in
bilingual education, read the case studies at
www.cie.org.uk/bilingual
2
Cambridge IGCSE Update for schools – April 2012
Cambridge IGCSE
community expands
Cambridge IGCSE continues to be the number one
choice for schools worldwide, with entries for June 2012
revealing strong growth. Worldwide entries are up at least
20 per cent on the June 2011 exam series – that is doubledigit growth for the fifth year in succession.
In the UK, schools are switching to Cambridge IGCSE in
record numbers. Exam entries for our June 2012 series
have doubled for the second year in a row – a trend set
off by the UK government’s decision to make IGCSE
available to state schools in England from September
2010. More than 750 UK schools offer Cambridge IGCSE,
and the number keeps on rising.
Syllabus updates for
Cambridge schools 2012
Stay ahead of changes to
Cambridge IGCSE syllabuses by
reading our Syllabus Updates for
Cambridge Schools 2012 booklet.
It is available on the Syllabus and
Support Materials CD that we
sent to all Cambridge schools in
March 2012 and on our website
at www.cie.org.uk/teachers
New Cambridge IGCSE
syllabuses for first examination
in 2014 include Italian and World Literature.
Syllabus updates for
Cambridge schools
2012
Cambridge Primary, Cambridge
Secondary 1, Cambridge
Cambridge Internation
IGCSE ®, Cambridge O
al AS and A Level
Level and
Please distribute the
Syllabus updates cover.indd
relevant pages to all
teaching staff concerned
1
28/02/2012 14:31
Cambridge IGCSE helps prepare US students for
college and their career
Cambridge IGCSE is central to a new programme to make
US high schools more globally competitive and more
responsive to students’ individual needs.
To date, schools in four US states are participating in the
Excellence for All programme – a voluntary pilot initiative
developed by the National Center on Education and
the Economy (NCEE). The programme is internationally
benchmarked and designed to prepare students for
success in college and careers.
The schools in the Excellence for All initiative
(formerly known as Board Examination Systems) can
offer programmes and qualifications from University of
Cambridge International Examinations, one of the NCEE’s
certified providers of board examination systems.
Research by NCEE found that countries whose students
typically outperform all others in international companions
of academic achievement use some form of board exam
system, such as Cambridge IGCSE.
“Excellence for All is designed to incorporate the
features of the high school systems used by the
top-performing countries that appear to account
for their superb performance… If the programme
is successful in the pilot schools, NCEE expects
that the system embodied in the programme will
be used throughout the United States.”
Marc Tucker, President, NCEE
3
Cambridge IGCSE Update for schools
A flair for enterprise
Key numbers
Chelsea Finlayson from Pinehurst
School, Auckland, New Zealand, is the
first ever winner of an Outstanding
Cambridge Learner Award for
High Achievement in Cambridge
IGCSE Enterprise. She is pictured
here receiving her award from Ann
Puntis, Chief Executive, University of
Cambridge International Examinations,
in February 2012. Cambridge IGCSE
Enterprise is a new qualification that
gives practical experience of setting up
and running an enterprise. Learn more
at www.cie.org.uk/newquals
Cambridge IGCSE is
taken in over
140
countries
A choice of over
70
subjects
500 000
Cambridge Teachers Conference 2012
Almost
Cambridge IGCSE
entries each year
Join us at this year’s Cambridge Teachers Conference from Monday 17 to Wednesday
19 September 2012 in Cambridge, UK. There will be workshops, keynote speeches
and plenty of opportunity for you to exchange ideas with Cambridge teachers and
principals worldwide. Our theme is ‘Confident learners, confident teachers: new ways
of looking at leadership in schools’.
Worldwide entries
for Cambridge IGCSE
in June 2012 up
We are also offering optional teacher training events on Thursday 20 September.
Learn more about the conference and book your place at www.cie.org.uk/events
Professional development for teachers
Whether you are a new Cambridge IGCSE teacher, or experienced, we offer
a variety of subject-specific courses to help you develop your skills.
Introductory self-study courses start on 4 June 2012
Sign up to these courses if you are new to teaching Cambridge IGCSE. You will
gain an all-round understanding of the syllabus, assessment, standards, resources
and more. You can also set your own pace of study, and exchange ideas with
peers online.
Face-to-face courses
Don’t miss out on Cambridge IGCSE courses in your region. For a list of
forthcoming events, go to www.cie.org.uk/events
How to book
For more details about our events and training courses, and to book, go to
www.cie.org.uk/events
20% on June 2011,
with strong growth in
the UK, China, India
and the UAE
2600
Over
schools worldwide
teach Cambridge
IGCSE
30
Over
language
courses – and
Cambridge IGCSE
Italian just launched
Follow us on Twitter!
Learn more! Getting in touch with Cambridge is easy.
Go to www.cie.org.uk/igcse, email us at international@cie.org.uk or
telephone +44 (0)1223 553554
*9490515405*
For the latest
news and
educational
debate follow us @igcse
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© University of Cambridge International Examinations, April 2012