New to IB History! Need help from experts!

[soong]

Hello. I'm a rising Junior, and I want to ask you few questions:

1) Will the World History SL IA topic be given by the IB HQ or the teacher or our choice?

2) How do you exactly study history? Just plain memorization? Or any other techniques that you can recommend me? (I go by plain memorization, but that's time consuming.)

3) What should I do to make sure I can get A on History and 6 or 7 on the IB exam?

Thanks in advance.

Edited July 31, 2011 by soong

[Arrowhead]

1) You choose your own Internal Assessment (IA) topic, neither the IB nor your teacher chooses it for you. Students are generally encouraged to pick a topic for their IA that they are interested in and would want to research and study and write a paper on. Mine, for example, was on Gandhi's two movements of Civil Disobedience and Non Cooperation and whether these movements followed his principles of non-violence or were inherently violent from the beginning. As you study the subject, you will find areas that interest you and should fashion a research question within that topic that you like.

2) Memorisation is the key to a 7 in History. But different people use different techniques to memorise all the literature, because of the breadth of details you have to be thorough in is quite extensive. I used to make timelines for all the big events and memorise those timelines. But yes, memorisation is very time consuming and tedious, but they is no shortcut out of it if you want a 7. I can honestly say that of all my subjects, I spent the most time on History during the IB, it would take up generally 7-8 hours a week without fail.

3) I don't quite understand what you're saying? How do you get an "A on Bio"? Do you mean Biology when you say Bio, and some grade in an EE in Biology, what exactly do you mean? To get a 6 or 7 in the exam there is no substitute for hard work and sheer memorisation.

[soong]

1) You choose your own Internal Assessment (IA) topic, neither the IB nor your teacher chooses it for you. Students are generally encouraged to pick a topic for their IA that they are interested in and would want to research and study and write a paper on. Mine, for example, was on Gandhi's two movements of Civil Disobedience and Non Cooperation and whether these movements followed his principles of non-violence or were inherently violent from the beginning. As you study the subject, you will find areas that interest you and should fashion a research question within that topic that you like.

2) Memorisation is the key to a 7 in History. But different people use different techniques to memorise all the literature, because of the breadth of details you have to be thorough in is quite extensive. I used to make timelines for all the big events and memorise those timelines. But yes, memorisation is very time consuming and tedious, but they is no shortcut out of it if you want a 7. I can honestly say that of all my subjects, I spent the most time on History during the IB, it would take up generally 7-8 hours a week without fail.

3) I don't quite understand what you're saying? How do you get an "A on Bio"? Do you mean Biology when you say Bio, and some grade in an EE in Biology, what exactly do you mean? To get a 6 or 7 in the exam there is no substitute for hard work and sheer memorisation.

Ooops, I was copying and pasting the same thread that I posted on Biology section. Biology and History are two of the topics that I love, but fear the most, lol.

1) Thanks for your reply. For writing an IA topic, does that mean that one could get a head start, if s/he thinks that the topic will definitely be approved by the teacher at the moment?

2) Yes, I've used memorization quite a lot in my Sophomore Japanese History class. I usually spend about 4 hours two days before the big test, and 8 hours the day before (but constantly taking notes from the textbook everyday.) I guess I'll use the same techniques.

3) I was wondering if anyone's grade actually dropped, due to the fact that IB is a challenging course. I have some doubts that my techniques will not be sufficient enough for IB.

[feba]

1) You choose your own Internal Assessment (IA) topic, neither the IB nor your teacher chooses it for you. Students are generally encouraged to pick a topic for their IA that they are interested in and would want to research and study and write a paper on. Mine, for example, was on Gandhi's two movements of Civil Disobedience and Non Cooperation and whether these movements followed his principles of non-violence or were inherently violent from the beginning. As you study the subject, you will find areas that interest you and should fashion a research question within that topic that you like.

2) Memorisation is the key to a 7 in History. But different people use different techniques to memorise all the literature, because of the breadth of details you have to be thorough in is quite extensive. I used to make timelines for all the big events and memorise those timelines. But yes, memorisation is very time consuming and tedious, but they is no shortcut out of it if you want a 7. I can honestly say that of all my subjects, I spent the most time on History during the IB, it would take up generally 7-8 hours a week without fail.

3) I don't quite understand what you're saying? How do you get an "A on Bio"? Do you mean Biology when you say Bio, and some grade in an EE in Biology, what exactly do you mean? To get a 6 or 7 in the exam there is no substitute for hard work and sheer memorisation.

Ooops, I was copying and pasting the same thread that I posted on Biology section. Biology and History are two of the topics that I love, but fear the most, lol.

1) Thanks for your reply. For writing an IA topic, does that mean that one could get a head start, if s/he thinks that the topic will definitely be approved by the teacher at the moment?

2) Yes, I've used memorization quite a lot in my Sophomore Japanese History class. I usually spend about 4 hours two days before the big test, and 8 hours the day before (but constantly taking notes from the textbook everyday.) I guess I'll use the same techniques.

3) I was wondering if anyone's grade actually dropped, due to the fact that IB is a challenging course. I have some doubts that my techniques will not be sufficient enough for IB.

I'm taking History HL...

1. What you should do is investigate if there are sufficient sources and make a rough plan of what you intend to do in each section of the IA, but you should wait until your question gets approved before starting to write, as maybe you might have to narrow it down or give it a different focus, etc. At least that's what I think.
   
2. Memorisation is good but what you should really try is to find the logic in every event in history. Try to establish some causes an effects and make sure that you are an expert in a couple of topics, so you can choose them in your Paper 2 for example (although that doesn't mean you are ignoring other topics). For me it works to make PPTs about what I study and explain it to others, helps me to get all ideas in place and really understand what was happening and most important, "why it happened and what effects did it have for others and for itself".
   
3. Your grades might drop at first depending on the difficulty each subjects has for you, but being in IB will help you to develop your own techniques, organise yourself and set some objectives to get your Diploma.
   

Good luck!

Edited August 25, 2011 by feba

[ShootingStars]

If your a memoriser, that will help in IB history. But also try plain reading. I tend to memorize, but with history I just read through notes, trying to absorb them. If you can get history in your head as a story, it will be easier in the exam. I guess I'm trying to say, understanding is vital. You cant just memorize your way through, you have to understand it all.

Also, try to establish links and connections throughout the course. Do as much reading as you can, to find other opinions and comments. Its not about retelling the story, but analyzing. That is the key to IB History.

[FlipFlop]

I agree with ShootingStars.

Memorising works for many people, but in History it's easier to remember everything as a story (thus, in chronological order). If you are memorising though, always make sure you understand. Without understanding, it's not possible to manipulate what you have memorised to form an argument. After all, as said before, analysing is what IB History is all about.