Kosta Lekanides : Secondary: Oxford University Press

We as teachers have a choice: either spoon-feed our students or stir their imaginations. I am very much of the latter approach.

Kosta Lekanides is an IB author and workshop leader, with over 17 years’ teaching experience in Australia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

Kosta studied English, Greek, History and Politics at the University of Sydney, Australia, before embarking on a career in international education. Specializing in the teaching of History and Theory of Knowledge, Kosta has also acted as IB Diploma Coordinator, Theory of Knowledge Coordinator and Extended Essay Coordinator. He is currently Assistant Head Teacher, Head of IB Programmes and TOK Coordinator at Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) in Dubai.

It was the Theory of Knowledge course with its focus on critical thinking that truly drew Kosta to the IB way of educating, followed closely by the open-ended, exploratory approach fostered by the Extended Essay, which he considers to be the “greatest preparatory pathway” of all pre-university programmes of study. Having taught a range of educational curricula (British, Japanese and Australian) he openly admits to being “totally IB” in his way of thinking. Kosta is committed to engendering critical debates in class and instilling a sense of awe in students about the process of learning; in fact, he is often found carrying a wooden spoon around school, which he uses as a metaphor for education: “We as teachers have a choice when teaching: either spoon-feed our students or stir their imaginations. I am very much of the latter approach”.

Kosta has delivered a range of workshops for IBICUS, focusing on Theory of Knowledge, International Mindedness and the Extended Essay, and he recently led a Special Session at the 2017 IB Asia Pacific Global Conference on restoring a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness to classroom education.

Kosta co-authored Oxford University Press's celebrated Theory of Knowledge Skills and Practice resource, and has recently developed an Extended Essay Course Companion to support the new syllabus, for first assessment in 2018. He is also the Chairperson for the UAE IB Diploma Coordinators' Group and is currently involved in the development of the UAE Association of IB Schools.

Passionate about CAS, Kosta has worked with local educational institutions in Nepal, overseen community service activities and organised educational trips to India alongside supporting numerous home-grown initiatives.

How do we encourage students to ask questions, rather than await answers?

Kosta Lekanides: A Sense of Wonder

Watch Kosta Lekanides lead a Special Session at the 2017 IB Asia Pacific Global Conference on restoring a sense of wonder and inquisitiveness to classroom education.