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Guest post by Geoff Taylor, Cluster Academic Manager, SEA at the British Council
Modern education can seem increasingly confusing to parents. For example, in Malaysia there has been an explosion in the number of international schools to complement local and vernacular schools. This means parents have more choice than ever in deciding what type of school they want their children to attend and what type of curriculum they want them to follow. Furthermore, within the classroom itself things are changing. It can seem that a child having the ‘right’ answer in class isn’t as valuable as it once was. Many teachers now tend to focus on ‘how’ the answer was achieved, or the effort that the students put in to find the answer.
In previous times the quality of education was measured by results in reading, writing and arithmetic. Now we expect more from schools. While we still want children to perform well in reading and mathematics, we also expect them to develop new skills, such as critical thinking. We hope our children will be guided on how to make good choices, and develop perseverance, and resilience. These new expectations are reflected in changes to school curricula globally, as well as in Malaysia.
So, what are these new skills and how are they relevant to children? There are generally thought to be six areas that a good education system will develop, in addition to the traditional focus on literacy and mathematics:
1. Leadership and personal development
In addition to intellectual development, personal growth including, physical development, social development and emotional development is now a focus for many schools. Developing skills in this area means teaching children about making good choices, persevering and being resilient. These are important skills for life.
2. Critical thinking and problem solving
Having good critical thinking skills is the ability to think clearly and logically to find solutions and to use rational argument to support your ideas. Developing critical thinking skills takes time and develops with age. However, excellent critical thinking skills are more important than ever in today’s world.
3. Collaboration and communication
Good communication and working well with others are key skills for life, school and later in the workplace. Many teachers believe that having collaborative and communicative activities in the classroom is important to help prepare learners for the future.
4. Creativity and imagination
Creative thinking is the ability to come up with something new. Creative thinkers are not just artists but anyone who can solve problems with a different perspective. Typical characteristics of people who are creative thinkers include: flexibility, open-mindedness, happy to take risks, easily adaptable.
5. Digital literacy
Digital literacy refers to a person’s ability to find, evaluate and compose clear information through writing and other mediums on various digital platforms. In the digital age, understanding what credible, reliable information is and, as importantly, what is not, is also an important life skill.
6. Citizenship
Developing citizenship is important to help people become helpful and active members of their communities. Helping children learn about the world around them, caring and respecting for others is a big part of modern school curricula.
Children don’t automatically know how to apply these skills in their learning or socially, they do need specific instruction to develop in these areas. This instruction can come from schools, parents, or others. It can take time to master, and progress is not always obvious. Just because a student doesn’t demonstrate a particular skill however, that doesn’t mean we should give up. These skills can be taught and developed in the same way as any other content or skill. Even very young children can learn to manage time or give reasoning if they are shown how. Teachers that are successful at developing core skills in their learners create a kind and respectful classroom space, in which mistakes are valued as opportunities to learn, curiosity is encouraged, and independence is facilitated.
To find out how the British Council helps with the development of these skills, while improving children’s level of English, visit our website or book a free consultation with our friendly consultant.
