PARENT, STUDENT & SCHOOL SERVICES

Recently The Learning Curve has worked with students and teacher-leaders at the following schools:

“I chose Thea to manage my son’s school placement because she was recommended by my son's current teacher. She was always responsive to any questions I had, kept me informed, understood what I was trying to do, and let me know what the next step was.  My son was accepted by all three schools. I am so appreciative of her efforts and professional competence.”                                

 Ashley Poon, parent of Island School student

The Extended Essay

“As an experienced examiner herself, Thea has an acute understanding of what an examiner looks for, which was particularly helpful as she encouraged and guided my exploration of an unconventional topic for my EE in English Literature and for which I received the maximum possible grade of an “A”.

Cynthia, Brown University student

Doing well in the Extended Essay is one of the best ways to make your application stand out from the crowd and draw the attention of the schools you apply to. Yet, approaching a task of this magnitude (the EE is a research essay of up to 4,000 words) and importance (it is a mandatory component of the IB Diploma and failing it results in automatic failure of the whole IBDP) is not a simple undertaking.   

• How do I choose an appropriate subject, topic and research question?

• How do I ensure that my Extended Essay supports my university applications?

• How can I create a plan and keep myself organised in the process?

• Where do I find reliable sources?

• How do I demonstrate skills of analysis, evaluation and synthesis in my essay?

• How do I cite and reference properly, and make sure I don’t plagiarise the ideas of others while still referencing relevant research and literature?

• How do I make sense of feedback on my essay?

• What are examiners looking for when they assess the Extended Essay?

• What is the purpose of the reflection sessions and how I ensure I score highly on the RPPF?

These are just some of the many questions students have at the start of the EE process. 

The Learning Curve provides expert support for students in the EE process by ensuring that students not only complete the essay successfully but develop key transferable research and academic writing skills in the process that will ensure their success in higher education and beyond.

Students are encouraged to seek support in the EE before they select their EE subject and topic for best outcomes. Wherever you are in the process and whatever it is that need help with, The Learning Curve can help. Some of the common needs that students have include:

• Choosing a suitable subject and topic

• Carrying out and writing a literature review

• Qualitative and quantitative research and analysis skills

• Academic honesty skills including citing and referencing accurately

• Creating, and sticking to, a timeline for completion

• Structuring and formatting the EE

• Academic English including the differences between descriptive and analytical writing

• Adhering to IB guidelines for the presentation of the EE

• Writing the three written reflections for the EE/RPPF

• Reducing and managing EE-induced stress!

If you think you would benefit from expert guidance in your EE process, contact The Learning Curve for a free, no obligation discovery call.

Theory of Knowledge

“Thea’s continuous patience, unwavering commitment and wealth of experience helped me achieve top scores in TOK and enabled me to obtain all three IB core points. TOK classes with Ms Bleyberg have inspired me to take electives in philosophy, alongside my major at UPenn next fall.” 

Sabrina, Wharton School student

Theory of Knowledge is a course about critical thinking and inquiring into the process of knowing, rather than about learning a specific body of knowledge. The overall aim of TOK is to encourage students to formulate answers to the question, “How do we know?” in a variety of contexts, and to see the value of that question. This allows students to develop an enduring fascination with the richness of knowledge.

Since students have no prior experience of TOK before starting the IB Diploma, they can often benefit from guidance in the following areas:

• Tutoring in specific parts of the course they find challenging

• Linking TOK to their learning experiences as IB students

• Making sense of the fundamentals of the course including its aims and how to succeed in the assessments – the TOK Internal Assessment and the TOK essay

• Researching, planning and writing the TOK essay 

• Understanding how to make the most of their learning experiences in TOK in their university applications

Having taught the course to hundreds of students over the last 12 years, I seek to connect students own experiences as producers and consumers of knowledge with the learning objectives of the course in a way that gives it powerful resonance beyond its role in the Diploma. Starting from August 2020, the TOK course content and assessment is changing significantly.

Academic Mentoring

“Thea mentored me in the final months before and during my exams to ensure that I had a study schedule and was staying on track with my deadlines and revision. It is a credit to her that I met my conditional offer to study at my first-choice university in the UK.”

Liane, University of Bath graduate

The IBDP is rigorous programme and students often experience struggles in staying organized, meeting deadlines and managing stress. I work with students to offer support in the following areas:

• Transitioning to the International Baccalaureate MYP or DP, which is unique in its international-mindedness and inquiry-based pedagogy, from another curriculum

• Academic goal-setting and progress tracking:

  • This can be targeted at one goal area such as English language development but might also be a comprehensive service which takes a holistic approach to all academic and extra-curricular achievement

• Soft skills development such as:

  • Self-management skills such organization, time-management, planning etc.

  • Written and spoken communication skills such as conversational skills, presentation skills, adopting appropriate registers in speech and writing 

  • Social skills (working cooperatively in groups, resolving conflict, accepting responsibility, appropriate behaviour etc.) 

• Affective skills development including:

  • Building resilience and a growth mindset

  • Dealing with difficult emotions including anxiety

  • Developing intrinsic motivation

“Your experience in the Core components and your willingness to continue to act as a sounding board in our planning and implementation of new policies and practices is invaluable in giving us confidence that we are on the right track to making substantive improvements.”

María Regina Velázquez Graue, DP Coordinator at John F. Kennedy - The American School of Querétaro, México

 Get in touch to learn more about my services or to book a free consultation!