How do good schools help in the development of children

Traditionally schools have been known as places where children learn content. Content is defined as the things that the national curriculum defines as minimum standards to be learned in a particular grade.

When children reached grades 10 and 12, they were ‘tested’ on their recollection of these standards by way of ‘exams’. Based on these ‘exams’ their path on to a college was decided. 

In the last decade, (and more so over the next decade), these ‘traditional’ ideas have been tested and upended. Schools in Gurgaon need to do far more than help deliver content and instead need to create learning to make children successful in life. Let us examine the things that will make children truly successful. Top Gurgaon schools should ideally weave these essential elements into the curriculum.

Values

With the changing world, there are some traditional values and some new world values that are important to be taught. Traditional values such as empathy and integrity are timeless. These values help build (and preserve) bonds and trust. They are relevant for personal and professional relationships (and success). Values such as creativity and collaboration are relatively new world values which are being given enormous importance. No professional success can be achieved without them. Excellence is a unique timeless value that was as important in the past as it will be in the future. Children (and adults) often mix excellence with competitiveness. Excessive competitiveness makes individuals self centred while the focus on excellence is compatible with all the other values without creating the ‘me versus them’ mindset. 

Ownership of learning

Traditionally schools imposed external discipline through a command and control system of operating. Learners were expected to ‘comply’ and learn. Over the past few years there has been enormous research on ‘why and how’ we learn. This research points to shifting from ‘compliance’ to ‘engagement’ and finally to ‘ownership’. Good schools need to create internal motivation in their students so they develop a burning desire to learn. Once schools can get students to ‘own’ their learning, the battle is won. These students will be self motivated to learn and to excel, in exams and in life. 

Depth of knowledge

The needs of the real world have gone beyond content. After all, the world’s entire content is available on our handphones. Colleges and companies are now looking for young people who can synthesise and apply what they have learnt. With the New Education Policy 2020, question papers are being revised to test depth of knowledge (also defined as a student’s ability to apply knowledge in new and different situations). Real knowledge is the ability to come up with solutions that do not yet exist, and to be able to deal with problems/questions that have more than one right answer. 

Real-world skills

We live in a world where ‘content’ or ‘knowledge’ is insufficient for success in the real world. In this truly, complex world students will require many skills such as ‘active listening, ‘consensus building’, ‘change management, and so on. It is well known that employers hire for skills over knowledge. With the world changing at the speed of light, probably the most important skill of all is the ability to ‘unlearn and learn’. In order to develop this skill in learners, good schools need to change the way they teach. Learning has to be built around doing projects and solving problems. 

Resilience

Unpredictability and change will be the only constants in the world of tomorrow. With global warming and technological revolution, many things as we know them will stand disrupted. Good schools will need to teach their students to go beyond their comfort zones and to become more adaptable. 

It is clear that there is a big gap between the needs of the world and what good schools in Gurgaon are teaching. Parents who have the foresight are demanding a superior learning experience for their children and good schools are delivering it. The best CBSE schools in Gurgaon need to be ahead of their times, for they are teaching children to be successful in the world of the future. 

Also Check: The Importance of discipline in students