Learning

Learning is at the core of all that we do. ISD values meaningful and transferable learning. Through an inquiry-based, student-centered approach, learners at our school deepen their knowledge and develop their skills to construct understanding.

As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, ISD is committed to educating global citizens, from our Kindergarten all the way to the IB Diploma.

Learning at ISD

Our Learning Principles:

Discover the Foundations of Successful Learning with Six Core Principles.

Learners at the Centre

Learners and learning are at the heart of ISD. Learners explore and inquire about the world around them, they take ownership of their learning and apply it to real-life situations. At ISD, we learn in a variety of ways to promote deep understanding, self-awareness, and transferable skills.

Learning Through Collaboration

Learning is a social process. Collaborative learning approaches have clear benefits for achievement as well as a positive impact on behavioral and affective learning outcomes. Teaching at ISD is focussed on effective teamwork and collaboration in order to facilitate the development of social skills.

International Mindedness

As an international community, we at ISD recognize the importance of learning to value ‘other’ and to celebrate difference. To be able to recognize differences in others, one has to be self-aware. International mindedness is developed when students are able to recognize that the perspective of others is an equally complex synthesis of culture, interests, and abilities.

Appropriate Challenge

All learners must be continually challenged at an appropriate level in order to grow beyond their existing capacity. Learners at ISD challenge themselves and take risks in a safe and supportive environment. Learning activities are learner centered and support is differentiated according to need.

Assessment for Learning

To best facilitate learning, learning outcomes should be clear. Formative assessment should be substantial, frequent, and in an authentic context. The knowledge gained should be promptly fed back to the learner and utilized to inform direction and practice in the learning environment.

Making Connections

Making connections is an ability that helps learners to build on their prior experiences to further construct knowledge and make meaning of the world around them. It provides opportunities for deepening the understanding of concepts and skills. It helps build an understanding of the relationships between various disciplines and theories.

Empowering Students

By the time students graduate from ISD, they will:

  • demonstrate developed knowledge and understanding of people and cultures across the world and about issues of global significance,
  • appreciate their culture and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others,
  • treat others fairly and with dignity, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, social status, needs or belief system,
  • set meaningful goals and take intentional actions,
  • understand their strengths and weaknesses in order to support their personal development,
  • understand the importance of balancing different aspects of their lives – intellectual, physical, and emotional – to achieve well-being for themselves and others,
  • engage with authentic, real-world problems, by creatively and flexibly developing innovative ideas, strategies and solutions, and
  • critically formulate factual, topical, conceptual and debatable questions, arguments, and generate testable hypotheses.

Caring, Curious, Creative Changemakers – the ISD Way

What are we doing different?

We define a New Excellence. We provide a sanctuary from traditional academic pressure while equipping students with the “Global Social Capital” they need to lead. We believe that true belonging starts with being Rooted in Debrecen — valuing our language, culture, and community—while becoming Ready for the World through the rigor of the IB framework.

Curious

Curiosity is the starting point of meaningful learning. Students are encouraged to ask questions, explore ideas, make connections, and keep going when challenges arise.

Ask • Explore • Persist

Creative

Creativity is about thinking differently, solving problems, and turning ideas into action. Students learn to imagine new possibilities, collaborate with others, and adapt when needed.

Imagine • Create • Adapt

Caring

At ISD, caring means noticing when others or the world around us need support and choosing to make a positive difference. Students learn empathy, kindness, and responsibility in everyday actions.

Notice • Care • Help

Changemaker

Changemakers see opportunities to improve the world and take action. Students develop confidence, leadership, and the belief that even small actions can create real impact.

Spot • Plan • Act

We move away from “Compliance and Competition” toward “Agency and Impact.”

We are Caring: We prioritize psychological safety. In our “Safe-to-Fail” culture, students are seen and supported, ensuring that wellbeing is the foundation of achievement.
We are Curious: We choose inquiry over memorization. We ask “Why?” to connect local heritage with global perspectives.
We are Creative: We adapt. We don’t just follow a rigid curriculum; we imagine new solutions to complex problems, collaborating across languages and borders.
We are Changemakers: We don’t wait for graduation to make a difference. We spot needs in our local Debrecen community and take action today.

ISD Curriculum

The diverse educational needs of our students are met by a comprehensive, standards-based, international curriculum that aligns with specific learning targets in each curriculum area as well as IB programme requirements in the Kindergarten, Elementary, and Middle/High School sections. This set of knowledge, skills, understandings, and dispositions is built around IB programme guides as well as collaboratively adopted standards frameworks of different national and international curricula, similar to other international schools around the world operating in similar contexts. The ISD curriculum is based on ongoing evaluation of effectiveness.

Assessment

Assessment at ISD is an integral part of the teaching and learning process and it is supported by the concept of how learners construct meaning. Reports are issued twice a year: a mid-year progress report and end-of-year final report.

IB Learner Profile

Nurturing Well-rounded Individuals

Inquirers

We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.

Communicators

We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.

Caring

We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us.

Principled

We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

Knowledgeable

We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

Risk takers

We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.

Open-minded

We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.

Thinkers

We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

Balanced

We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.

Reflective

We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

Explore our Learning Stories

From Practice to Performance: Preparing for the IB Diploma

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The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is globally recognized as one of the most rigorous and competitive pre-university programs in the world. Earning an IB Diploma isn't just about academic excellence;…
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NEASC Board

ISD attained NEASC accreditation!

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In October 2021, ISD chose to seek accreditation with NEASC, despite advice from some who believed it was unnecessarily challenging and that easier alternatives were available. At the time, we…
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Innovation Day rocks ISD

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We celebrated our very first Innovation Day at ISD, where we celebrated creativity, critical thinking, and innovative ideas. It's a day dedicated to recognizing the crucial role of new knowledge…
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Elementary School

Middle School

High School