Local Schools – Global Education
“I want to go abroad after high school,” says Keschia with determination. The 17-year-old is currently in year twelve at Phorms Campus Berlin Mitte. The seed of this idea was planted two years ago during her high school year in Georgia, USA. “I don’t know exactly where I want to go, but I’ve narrowed it down to England, Ireland, Canada, Australia or the US,” she says. Her aim is to study international business or photography.
Keschia is only a few months away from starting a degree. Before a university accepts her, however, she still has to pass her Abitur exams. This qualification entitles students to attend any course at any German university or technical college. For this reason, the secondary school syllabus covers a very wide range of subjects. The goal is to provide a general education that is as comprehensive as possible. Students have to take Abitur exams in five subjects – three written and two oral. Compulsory subjects throughout secondary school are German, mathematics, a foreign language, a subject in science, a subject in the social sciences and sport.
At the Phorms Schools in Berlin and Munich, students take their Abitur exams at the end of year twelve. At the Phorms secondary schools in Berlin, the “qualification phase’ begins in the second half of year eleven. Students can choose which subjects they wish to sit exams in at the end of the course. Keschia is now going through this stage. All of her lessons are in the form of an advanced course. This means that different students in each year group follow special courses of lessons rather than attending every subject in their home class.
+++
“I want to study abroad after my exams”
Keschia is in year twelve at Phorms Campus Berlin Mitte. In 2015 she aims to pass the Abitur as well as the AP exams
THE ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAMME AT PHORMS CAMPUS BERLIN MITTE
Patrick has chosen mathematics as an advanced course. “I’ve been getting better and better at maths since year eight, and I really enjoy the subject,” he says, explaining why he chose this advanced course. Like Keschia, he will leave secondary school in 2015. For each of his two advanced subjects, he has five hours of lessons a week. The rule at Phorms Schools in Berlin is that the first subject must be English and the second subject must be taken in the German language. For his second advanced course, a speciality subject, Patrick was able to choose from German, history, geography, art or political science. In addition to these advanced courses, year twelve students like Patrick are required to take eight to ten basic subjects, each with two, three or four hours of lessons a week. Keschia takes mathematics as a basic course, and the subject is taught entirely in English. Thus, there is nothing unusual about the colourful poster on the classroom wall with the quotation “Number rules the universe” by the famous philosopher Pythagoras, or the fact that Newton’s method is explained in English instead of German. However, there is another reason for this: Keschia and Patrick are getting ready to take the Advancement Placement exams as well as the German Abitur. These form part of an academic programme in the United States and Canada. The Advanced Placement programme, or AP for short, offers collegelevel courses in secondary schools and high schools. Students who pass these courses receive a certificate.
It is not always easy for university applicants to find a place on their desired course of study. The competition is tough, and university application requirements are sometimes very high. Sometimes it is only the small details that decide who is awarded a place at a late stage in the process. Students at Phorms secondary schools in Berlin are able to take exams for AP certificates to set themselves apart from other applicants. Phorms students stand out not only for their bilingual school education, but also because many pass AP exams in addition to the Abitur. “Gaining AP certificates is one way in which applicants can prove that they are up to the academic challenges that lie ahead. Good grades and test results are also evidence of solid preparation for university or college,” says Loris Goldman, manager of student records at the University of Arizona. The head of admissions at Harvard University, famous for its elite status, is also very positive about AP certificates: “One of the best foundations for academic success at Harvard University is having good results in the AP exams.”
High school students with good AP certificates are able to demonstrate to universities that they are determined, motivated and independent. Students at Phorms secondary schools in Berlin can take college-level courses in English literature, calculus, biology, physics, chemistry, Spanish and a creative subject known as studio art. Doing so means that students have one or two additional lessons a week on average. Only English literature can also be taken as an advanced course – as part of English as a more general subject. In May of year twelve, students take written examinations for the relevant subjects. The grade ranges from one to five, where five means “extremely well qualified” and one stands for “no recommendation”.
Patrick would like to study abroad after his Abitur exams. He is passionate about sailing, so he wants to visit Australia or New Zealand. The future university student is especially keen to pursue a degree in engineering or mechanical engineering. In this sense, AP certificates in mathematics and physics should be very useful. “No matter what subject you get these certificates in, they prove that you have understood the course content in English. This means there is no need for an additional language certificate to demonstrate your proficiency in English,” he says.
If Patrick passes the AP certificates, this will also help for his core degree subject. These extra qualifications are particularly welcome for courses such as engineering, biochemistry and other STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Some establishments also award credits for a good AP certificate. Each university or college can decide what grade students should achieve. However, students can gain an AP certificate in English literature as well as STEM subjects.
+++
“The AP proves that you have understood the course content in English”
Patrick attends Phorms Campus Berlin Mitte, where he is in year twelve. He is currently preparing to sit exams for both the Abitur and the AP
Until recently, Jonas was also a familiar face in classrooms at Phorms Campus Berlin Mitte. He completed his Abitur in 2013, achieving an average grade of 1.4. He also took an AP exam in English literature. “When they offered me the option of taking the exam, I saw it as a challenge. It let me test myself and see what I had learned over the last six years,” he says. Jonas was also interested in taking a different exam to the Abitur. “The AP exam itself was definitely different to the Abitur when it came to German. Although it didn’t cover more material, there were three texts instead of one long text like in the Abitur, so the answers had to be much more concise,” the young student explains.
For Phorms students who tackle the additional material for the AP, rewarding themselves can be another source of motivation. “Given the challenge of acquiring knowledge in two languages, Phorms students have to work very hard at school, and they invest a lot of their time in their education. My advice to students is to see the AP certificate as a reward for this dedication and hard work,” says AP coordinator Sean Jackson. He coordinates everything to do with the AP certificates at the Phorms secondary schools in Berlin. He also teaches sport and English. As a native of California, Mr Jackson understands what American universities expect from students. He studied for a bachelor’s degree in critical theory and English literature at the University of California in Berkeley and Irvine before completing a master’s in secondary education from New Jersey College. “Universities around the world regard AP certificates as proof of knowledge, talent and determination. Only students like those from Phorms with an excellent grasp of the English language can manage to prepare for the AP exams and to pass them,” says Sean Jackson.
During his school years, Jonas travelled to Scotland, London and Chicago to improve his English and to pursue his hobby of choral singing. Today, he studies at the renowned Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin.
“I might go abroad on an exchange programme or for an extended internship,” says Jonas. In this way, he intends to make use of his bilingual skills at university.
+++
“The AP let me test what I had learned over the last six years”
Jonas studies political science at the Otto Suhr Institute. He gained his Abitur and AP certificates at Phorms Campus Berlin Mitte
THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE AT PHORMS CAMPUS MUNICH
Phorms students experience a diverse school community. This includes working with people from different cultural, religious and social backgrounds. As a result, students learn to be more openminded and tolerant.
“We all come from different countries, and we have different opinions about many things and a different sense of humour,” says Fiona. The 17-year-old is a member of year eleven at Phorms Campus Munich. For six years, the Munich-born student lived in Australia, where she learned to speak English. She and five classmates are using their bilingual skills to gain the International Baccalaureate (IB diploma) in 2016 in addition to the Bavarian Abitur.
“I’m not sure what I want to study after school, but when I do decide, I don’t want bad exam results to spoil my plans. I think it’s a sign of determination if you study for the IB and the Abitur at the same time,” says Fiona. Since August 2014, students in years eleven and twelve at Phorms Campus Munich have been able to prepare for the IB at the same time as the Bavarian Abitur.
The IB programme has existed since 1968. The special qualification was developed by the International Baccalaureate Organisation. Students around the world take final exams at the same time and under the same conditions. Preparation for the IB diploma begins when secondary school students make the transition to the upper school. Students take three higher-level (HL) courses and three standard-level (SL) courses, which happen to be the same as the Abitur courses taught at Phorms Campus Munich. Students here are required to follow HL courses in German, English and history, and SL courses in biology, mathematics and geography. Additional subjects will be added in the years ahead to create six groups of subject options.
The IB is offered in parallel to the Abitur, and the content of the IB curriculum is taught as part of the regular Abitur courses wherever possible. In cases where the IB syllabus is different to that of the Bavarian secondary school system, IB students have to take additional lessons. For example, all year eleven students have four English lessons a week. IB students are given an additional lesson every week so that they can prepare properly for the IB exams. And they have to attend more lessons for other IB subjects, too. These extra lessons are well integrated as part of the year eleven timetable, but they do represent a significant workload for students pursuing the IB.
At Phorms Campus Munich, Natalie Giacone is responsible for English lessons towards the IB diploma. She also coordinates everything related to the IB. In order to meet the demands of this programme, the content of lessons had to be restructured and teachers were given extra training. “We took part in different workshops that lasted for three or four days at various locations around Europe. Here we met other IB teachers and discussed the teaching syllabus as well as the final exams for the IB, or “assessments” as they are known. As a result, we could plan the structure and content of lessons so that the Abitur curriculum matches that of the IB,” Natalie Giacone explains.
One of these assessments is known as “Written Task 1”. In this assignment, students have to demonstrate their understanding of the course content, applying it to various types of communication. For example, IB students may have to write a critical journalistic article on a topic covered in class, or come up with a letter that could have been written by a character from a novel.
“I want to write about gender stereotypes,” says Fiona. One of the things that inspired her was the famous YouTube video “It’s your fault”, which the teacher showed to the class. In this video, two Indian women sarcastically explain how the image of women in Indian society is responsible for the large number of sexual assaults on women by men in the country. The sentence “It’s your fault” is often heard by victims. It is not always easy to sit and watch the exaggerated irony of the video, which provided very thought-provoking material for the students and led to a lively discussion on the topic. Critically discussing issues and defending opinions with good rhetoric – that is precisely what this subject is about.
To illustrate how women and men are portrayed in the media, English teacher Natalie Giacone also plays a recent song by Maroon 5 called “Animals”. Here there is an exaggerated portrayal of men as violent “animals” who molest and stalk women. Many students know the song, which can be heard on the radio all the time. They are presented with the lyrics, and the task is to analyse and interpret these words. “This video really says a lot about the position of women in the media and about violence,” says Fiona. Her classmate Olivia agrees.
“I like the sarcastic tone in many advertising campaigns,” the 16-year-old adds. Another video appears on the whiteboard. It is TV presenter John Oliver, making fun of beauty competitions and being sarcastic about the industry on his show “Last Week Tonight”. Using humour, he makes the point that such contests can perpetuate negative gender stereotypes in society. It gets loud in classroom as the students eagerly debate the position of women in society.
“There are still very few women in high positions. For example, all American presidents so far have been men, and not a single woman has stood for office,” says Olivia, who has decided to devote her written project to this topic.
In total, students have to submit two written tasks. In the first, they are required to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, taking on a new role and learning to write different types of text. The second task offers the class essaywriting practice. IB English lessons also require students to deliver several presentations. “We give a few presentations of this kind. The best is taken as a component of our final IB exam,” Fiona explains.
+++
Students taking the IB diploma are assessed in higher-level (HL) and standard-level (SL) subjects. The grade scale ranges from one to seven, where seven means “excellent” and four is the minimum requirement for a pass in each subject. The marks awarded for each subject are determined by internal and external assessments. Internal subject assessments make up 30% of the final grade; they take place over the two years and consist of oral exams, essays and coursework projects. There are also external assessments in the form of final exams in May, at the end of the second year. Additionally, students must attend classes in the theory of knowledge. This course aims to encourage a critical attitude towards learning material and any experiences gained both inside and outside the classroom. “In the last series of lessons, we talked about sensory perception and optical illusions – how they are seen by the brain and which matter most to us. We study the philosophy of life, and I find that really interesting,” says Fiona.
+++
“It's a sign of determination if you study for the IB and the Abitur at the same time”
Fiona is preparing to sit exams for both the Abitur and the IB. She attends year eleven at Phorms Campus Munich
Students are also required to conduct their own independent research. At the end of this, they submit an extended essay of about 4,000 words. Participation in theatre productions, sporting activities or public services encourages young people to share their energy and special talents with others. This reinforces their social awareness, compassion and ability to work with others. Over the two years, students must demonstrate around 150 hours of CAS – creativity, action and service.
“I liked the CAS programme most of all because it was different to academic teaching, and it provided a contrast,” says Laura. The 18-year-old comes from the Netherlands, but she was born in the United States. In addition to dual citizenship, Laura has a very high level of English. She began attending Heidelberg International School (HIS) in 2010 and left school in May 2014 with the IB. “For my service hours, I spent three weeks in Namibia, where I set up a school book club for children. It was a very intense experience that opened my eyes to many things,” she says. For the creativity part, students might learn a musical instrument, for example, while for the action component, they might take up a new sport or improve in a certain discipline.
In September 2014, Laura began studying law and business at Leiden, the prestigious (and also the oldest) university in the Netherlands. “To get my place on the law course, it was important that I could prove proficiency in different languages, both spoken and written,” she says.
For this reason, she chose to take German, English and history as HL courses. “My parents also wanted me to have a multicultural and international life. That’s why they enrolled me at the HIS, which made it possible for me to complete the IB,” she explains.
Fiona hopes to take the IB exams for similar reasons. “I want to study abroad. If I’m fluent in two languages, and the school allows me to gain two qualifications, it’s definitely worth the extra effort. And there’s no need to obtain any other language certificates,” she explains.
Laura has a tip for students taking exams: “You should avoid all forms social media so that you don’t get distracted. And the best time to start revising is after the Christmas holidays.” Laura worked out a timetable for all the material she had to learn in each subject. This gave her a precise overview. The assistant dean of admissions at Harvard University, Dr Marlyn McGrath Lewis, says that her institution believes the IB is very good preparation for university: “We have seen a correlation between success in the IB programme and success at Harvard University. We are very pleased when we see the IB diploma programme on applications.” The IB not only proves that students have a mastery of the English language, but also promotes equal opportunities in the application process. The programme also prepares young people for the independent academic work that takes place at university or college.
+++
“Don't get distracted - avoid things like Facebook”
Laura completed the IB at the Heidelberg International School and is now studying law and business at the famous University of Leiden
“Young people are at the centre of what we do. At every age, we aim to give them what they need for a self-determined, responsible and fulfilled life,” says Peter Kemmer, head of Phorms Campus Munich. Helping students to gain the best possible education and opportunities for further study is a goal of every school. Secondary school students at Phorms in Berlin are able to gain AP certificates in addition to the Abitur. This allows them to put their bilingual skills to the test and to stand out from rival candidates when applying for a university place. At Phorms Campus Munich, Fiona and around 25 classmates will become the first class to gain the Abitur in 2016. Six of these students also want to take the IB exams. Those with the IB will be able to attend the world’s top universities. Some colleges and universities even allow students with good IB exam results to begin at an advanced stage or exempt them from some courses.
At Phorms Campus Hamburg, the oldest students in 2014/15 are in year eight. When the school begins to teach the upper secondary level, it will also offer an international programme in addition to the German Abitur. It is still running checks to determine whether it will offer the AP programme or the IB diploma. At the Phorms secondary school in Frankfurt, the oldest students in 2014/15 are in year nine. At the Phorms secondary schools in Berlin, AP certificates are offered in parallel with the Abitur. First and foremost, however, these schools want to give their students a bilingual and well-rounded education while promoting openness, tolerance, understanding and an interest in other people. The combination of the Abitur and an international programme makes this possible and is a unique offer in the German education system.
