The Peterson lectures
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2009 Carol Bellamy 2008 His Highness the Aga Khan 2007 Daniel Ritchie 2006 Martha C Piper 2005 William A McComish |
Alec was a Scotsman who read at Oxford and quickly gained a reputation in Britain as an educator who wanted to reform the A-level system. His work with Mountbatten in Malaysia during World War II gave him a zest for promoting world peace and in-roads into diplomatic and political circles on an international scale. He was for many years (until 1977) chairman of the editorial board of the prestigious periodical Comparative Education. A highly respected and broadly travelled educator, he had the international and academic stature to promote the IB Diploma Programme around the world while at the same time being a charismatic visionary with his feet on the ground—a rare combination. He played a particular role in shaping the theory of knowledge course, then at the core of the IB Diploma Programme and now influencing all aspects of the curriculum, from the primary years through the middle years to the Diploma Programme. His students admired him. He was bright, caring, civilized and very persistent. In 1987, a year before his death, Peterson published Schools Across Frontiers, his account of the creation of the United World Colleges and the International Baccalaureate, and his final tribute to these two organizations whose history was so intertwined with his own. When he died in 1988, Alec Peterson had supported the IB for a quarter of a century as an educator, an internationalist and a pacifist. |
The Peterson lectures were inaugurated in 1989 to commemorate the commitment of
Over the years the themes woven among these lectures, whether from a western or eastern perspective,
engage our thinking in areas Peterson held very dear: teacher training; the relationship between
teacher and reality; curriculum and the interrelatedness of disciplines; teaching for understanding;
awareness of and respect for plurality; and the teaching of values without indoctrination. The authors
address the need for universal education across national and political boundaries while recognizing
that the essence of national identity rests in education, that standards need to be raised according to
individual competence and that students do not learn the same way throughout the world. We read
about students as listeners, as learners, as critical thinkers, being prepared to practice democracy in
order to create peace and harmony among cultures. The importance of providing recognition and
funding are presented as keys to the success and influence of the IB, and we are challenged to serve
the world more widely.
The IB and thousands of IB students owe Alec Peterson an immense debt of gratitude. These
lectures, by eminent authorities in education and other related spheres, are a fitting tribute to him.
Their relevance does not deteriorate with time; on the contrary their messages remain very pertinent
today. All of these lectures share with Alec Peterson's work a search for common practical ideas and a
respect for different conceptions of the world. We hope you will enjoy reading them.
Monique Seefried
President
IB Board of Governors