Much has been written, said and published about the importance of 21st Century teaching and learning, but why must children acquire technology skills, a wider knowledge base, multi-lingual abilities and globally recognised qualifications?
The world has changed and continues to evolve and our young people now need to grasp new competencies if they are to succeed.
Today’s Learners Are Tomorrow’s Leaders
“Children are the future”. So says Julie Grisewood in the Australian Embassy’s recent ‘profile of the month’.
Julie is AISPP’s Community Development Manager and in the privileged position of seeing many of AISPP’s young learners develop and improve their skills, real-world appreciation, use of technology, different languages, etc.
The sad fact is many schools are still too focused on traditional learning techniques, teaching methods and getting students to memorise information, and not enough on equipping young people with the skills that they need to make their own positive contribution to the future of their communities, to global issues and society generally. In short, education now needs to develop the whole child in other ways alongside academic learning. Children now need a good grasp of different languages, critical thinking skills, a depth of thought, a creative mindset and an ability to communicate on different levels, with different people.
A 21st Century Education Develops Mindful, Empathetic, Critical Thinking, Creative And Collaborative Young People
Over the last two decades, there has been a global move toward re-thinking the learning opportunities and competencies that children need to thrive in their lives and careers, as well as to make meaningful contributions to their local and global communities.
A Major Shift In Learning Approaches
As a result of all of this powerful research, national curricula and policies have increasingly reflected learning approaches that focus on the development of the whole person. That is that they encourage valuable skills, language development, morality and character, communication abilities and much more. That’s not to undermine the importance of academic study and learning, it’s more a case of preparing young people for the challenges they now face in life and work.
The challenge for education then is to provide a relevant 21st Century curricula, in a global context, incorporating real-world experiences, whilst developing skills for life. At AISPP we achieve this through the Australian National Curriculum intertwined with the IB Learning Framework (International Baccalaureate).
AISPP, an Australian Co-ed IB International K-12 school (Phnom Penh), is fast becoming one of the Kingdom of Cambodia’s leading education providers. Providing a modern Australian private and independent education, its 21st Century philosophy, state-of-the-art facilities and world-class teaching standards, make it ideally placed to prepare children for the global challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.