IB Symposium
From Monday, 25 November to Thursday, 28 November, our Year 12 International Baccalaureate students took part in the annual IB Symposium, Complex Conversations: Navigating Difference Through Dialogue.
Over the week, students participated in the Ultimate Dialogue Adventure speaking with peers worldwide about important topics such as hate speech, fake news and the need for inclusive communities. Students also listened to a talk and participated in a workshop by Dr Helen Young on the specific challenges of hate speech and radicalisation in video-gaming and popular culture. Following Dr Young, students listened to Dr Tom Ford give an absorbing talk on Barron Field, Australia’s first judge and poet. Dr Ford then guided the students in a literary analysis of the comical and sinister poem The Kangaroo.
The symposium highlighted the culmination of two major projects: the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibitions and the Collaborative Science Projects, which were showcased in Buckley Hall on Thursday, 28 November.
About the TOK Exhibition
Students presented three objects connecting to one of 35 prompts, such as “Why do we seek knowledge?” or “Are some things unknowable?” This exhibition explored how TOK concepts manifest in the world around us, offering a fascinating glimpse into their critical thinking and creativity.
About the Collaborative Science Project
Working in interdisciplinary teams, students tackled real-world issues through the lens of the scientific method. This year’s theme, Myth-Busting, challenges misconceptions about science, encouraging students to question widely held beliefs with evidence-based insights.
Associate Professor John Bradley presented his thought-provoking keynote lecture, Can my Country hear English? Drawing on over 46 years of experience working with Indigenous communities in the southwest Gulf of Carpentaria, he offered profound insights into language and culture. His book, Singing Saltwater Country, is his account of three decades living with the Yanyuwa people and will be studied by the pioneer cohort of Language and Culture students in 2025.
It was an inspiring and thought-provoking event, well done to all the students who participated and thank you to everyone who attended.
