By Shaun Fuchs, founder and CEO of Centennial Schools
Johannesburg - As the world adapts, so too does the skill set required to thrive in it. And as job roles constantly evolve, cross-disciplinary expertise is even more valued. The question we should be asking ourselves as educators, parents, guardians and the education sector at large, is if South Africa’s current school curriculum is evolving at the pace required for our students to exit school with work-ready skills?
Although the conventional curriculum is undergoing changes, it’s progressing at a sluggish rate, and there is a pressing need for more frequent updates and greater adaptability.
At Centennial Schools, we have reviewed the most relevant trends and adapted our approach to suit a dynamic and constantly evolving world. We have implemented new teaching methods that focus on learning, and added subjects that will empower and equip the most tech-savvy generation of our time.
By paying close attention to educational trends, and implementing them into curricula with greater speed and agility, we will make great strides in equipping South Africa’s youth with the skills and knowledge they need to be globally competitive and employable.
Five key trends you should be integrating into your curriculum:
Entrepreneurial education
Entrepreneurial education is a major engine for economic growth and job creation in South Africa. The deeper skills of entrepreneurship should run as a thread throughout a child’s school education and must also be applied practically so that students learn all the aspects of business.
Global Collaborative Learning
While we teach to the standardised CAPS curriculum, we have included aspects of Global Collaborative Learning which connects students from around the world to collaborative projects, fostering better cultural understanding and access to diverse perspectives. Students can work on projects virtually with other students from around the world at any given moment. Technological advances have enabled interconnectedness of information and people with the touch of a button.
Green and sustainable education
In keeping with a future-focused approach to education, schools must consider green and sustainable education. By integrating environmental awareness and sustainable practices across subjects, you prepare students for a more environmentally conscious future. In addition, the focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) for business means that students who are aware and up to date with environmental issues are at a greater advantage in the business world.
Coding and computational thinking
Coding and computational thinking improves our students’ problem-solving strategies and in turn enhances their critical thinking. Our students for example use Adobe Suite which focuses on creative and digital innovation. Coding as a subject develops their natural ability to construct, hypothesise, explore, experiment, evaluate and draw conclusions.
Personalised learning
Over and above subject changes we need to adopt personalised learning. This moulds education to the needs of individual students. It includes individualised learning plans for students, allowing each student to learn at a pace that best suits their abilities, and so they engage with content that is most beneficial to them.
This also means that we don’t have to limit students based on their age cohorts. If a child is 16 it doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be in Grade 10. Some children are way ahead of their peers, and a personalised learning plan means they can grow at a pace suited to them. Emotional maturity needs to be considered, but middle school is where we can be creative and drive an extended, reinvented curriculum.
At Centennial Schools we have implemented these trends and have seen great success in student performance.
We cannot ignore the changes happening in our society, and we need to make sure our curriculum reflects this reality.