Today, schools have started adapting a curriculum that focuses on application and synthesis, apart from repetition. This means that education\u00a0is now\u00a0more than just being able to\u00a0recite definitions from a textbook or explain theories succinctly. Students should be able to apply these lessons through collaborative projects and be able to come with their own ideas and theories through what they have observed.<\/p>\n

Schools who are doing this already have done what is called the \u2018understanding by design\u2019 approach, where practical tasks are given more weight than written exams. For universities, their version is following Bloom\u2019s taxonomy. Both actually focus on the same factors in learning,\u00a0which are:<\/p>\n

\n
• Knowledge \u2013 memorize definitions and concepts discussed in class<\/li>\n
• Comprehension \u2013\u00a0summarize\u00a0and discuss the lessons learnt<\/li>\n
• Application \u2013 demonstrate how these concepts work in the real world<\/li>\n
• Analysis \u2013 breakdown what happened in the practical application and record its results<\/li>\n
• Synthesis \u2013 collect component ideas to create a new whole or propose an alternative solution or idea<\/li>\n
• Evaluation \u2013 make conclusions and defend them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  This will make sure that kids are not just good at\u00a0memorizing\u00a0facts, they can also explain how this is applied in the real world and why it works that way. At the same time, they are given a chance to create their own solutions so they can propose a new way to attack an old problem.<\/p>\n

  International schools have been at the forefront of understanding by design<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  The very nature of an international school as a diverse learning landscape meant that they need to provide students with a platform to discuss their\u00a0different\u00a0perspectives and beliefs with one another. Students will develop an\u00a0open mind, which is beginning to become more crucial in today\u2019s world. They need to understand that people from all walks of life bring with them their own unique views and beliefs when discussing key topics that will shape the world. These\u00a0includes politics, religion, and even science. Which is why at a very young age, they should know that they cannot just impose themselves.<\/p>\n

  Additionally, international schools promote the holistic education philosophy. To better understand the benefits of holistic learning and how similar it is to understanding by design, we will look into one of the\u00a0Montessori schools in Singapore, the Global Indian International School (GIIS) and their award-winning holistic teaching methodology called the Nine Gems.<\/p>\n

  Achieving academic excellence through collaborative projects<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  True learning can be shown if a person can understand how the concepts and theories work in the real world. Yes,\u00a0being able to easily\u00a0memorize\u00a0facts is an edge over other students who are having a hard time with defining even a single term word for word. However, repeating definitions is useless if you cannot apply it and come up with your own alternative solutions\u00a0through observation and critical thinking. GIIS does this by allowing the students to work together on a project and through cross-campus dialogues. This gives the students a chance to share their own understanding of the lessons and come up with new ideas\u00a0together.<\/p>\n

  Excellence in sports<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  GIIS does not just focus on the cerebral, they also give importance to a child\u2019s athletic abilities and fitness. Students who have shown talent in sports will get a chance to hone their abilities through top-notch facilities and quality coaching provided by the school. At GIIS, improvement is measured both qualitatively and quantitatively, which mean students can polish their strengths and work on their weaknesses. But most importantly, they are taught they should value sportsmanship.<\/p>\n

  Develop an appreciation for art<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  Films, books, painting, photos, and all kinds of art have societal significance. It is not just a tool for artists to express themselves. But they can also create mirrors of what society was, has become, and is becoming. Which is why an appreciation for the media is important to develop. Additionally, learning art also teaches values such as empathy, sympathy, and an understanding of human emotion.<\/p>\n

  Character development through speech and drama<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  Students should also know how to work well with other people, no matter the difference in world-views, politics, and personality. At GIIS, students will be taught proper communication skills, confidence building, and the importance\u00a0of working in a team. This is why they are promoters of their theatre and music programs, both of which focuses on confidence and self-expression.<\/p>\n

  Creativity in problem-solving<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  One of the goals of holistic education is to produce students who can look at a complex problem and find new angles to solve it. The Comprehensive Creativity Development\u00a0Program\u00a0of GIIS creates programs that will help enhance a student\u2019s penchant for finding innovative ways of problem-solving through a wide range of empirical and theoretical approaches.<\/p>\n

  Leadership development<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  This is where their skills in communication and problem solving are put to the test. Students will be put in situations where they are leaders and, sometimes, they are the followers. The Leadership Lecture Series, the Student Council, and the Entrepreneurship\u00a0program\u00a0give\u00a0students responsibilities that will force them out of their shell and engage with other people. At the same time, it teaches them the importance of becoming a follower, as well.<\/p>\n

  Values and disciplines<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  Being smart is not all that if you are not an empathetic individual. GIIS may want to produce globally competitive students, but they also want to teach them the values of compassion and peace. For this reason, the Global\u00a0Indian\u00a0Mahatma Gandhi Centre for Universal Values aims to teach the students about being socially aware. About kindness, community care, mutual cultural respect, and more.<\/p>\n

  Getting involved in the community<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  This is where discussions of\u00a0society\u2019s\u00a0problems\u00a0are given life. Students will be able to take part in community development initiatives that will teach them social responsibility. This includes going into the community to create programs that will help alleviate their problems\u00a0or to raise awareness for causes like taking care of the environment.<\/p>\n

  Choosing a vocation<\/b><\/strong><\/h2>\n

  We want our kids to play an active role in making the world better. For this reason, we need to help them find which path would bring them meaning and fulfilment. The Global Centre for Education Excellence and the Action, Research, and Consultancy initiative will help the students differentiate their career and their vocation, and how they can do both.<\/p>\n

  Just looking at it now, this educational framework will surely produce students who will put society\u2019s problems at the forefront of their priorities rather than personal gains \u2014 a trait we want for our future leaders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Today, schools have started adapting a curriculum that focuses on application and synthesis, apart from repetition. This means that education\u00a0is now\u00a0more than just being able to\u00a0recite definitions from a textbook or explain theories succinctly. Students should be able to apply these lessons through collaborative projects and be able to come with their own ideas and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[294,42,16],"class_list":["post-6188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-opportunities","tag-approach-to-education","tag-india","tag-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"views":18,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/pexels-photo-289738-1100x735.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6188"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6198,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6188\/revisions\/6198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youthdarpan.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}