Regardless of where you live in the world, your school system will deliver the national curriculum, which has been constantly amended over several centuries to provide a system of academic learning that is geared to equipping young people to succeed in a modern society.
It’s More About the Journey, not the Destination
This is the modern view of academic education, and the actual learning experience is so much better with a hands-on approach, which is called student-centred learning, whereby the learner decides on the learning content. Project-based learning empowers the learner, as the team have to decide how to overcome obstacles, and some educators believe that project-based learning gives the learner a real-life environment, when many different skills are used and therefore developed.
The British Curriculum
Extensively used around the world, the UK curriculum is very comprehensive, which is one of the reasons most international schools adopt this approach, and if you live in a non-English-speaking country, for example, English is a critical component at a very young age. If you enrol your son or daughter into the best international school in Bangkok at the age of 5, then they can learn and grow within a 12-year formal education program that ticks all the boxes from a parent and student perspective.
Technology
It is the responsibility of every school to provide up to date course that cover technology, and all students should be able to ‘self-learn’ at an early age. Basic computing should begin at Year 1, and over the first 6 years, the students would become proficient with IT applications, indeed, digital presentations would be an integral part of project work. Some learning institutions are more focused on IT than others, so do make sure that your child gets to sit in front a computer at least one hour per day, and with the elimination of cursive writing just around the corner, it is imperative that the students grow up with state-of-the-art technology.
Mindfulness
This is very often overlooked, which can leave the children lacking in social skills, and more and more schools are introducing short meditation sessions, at the start and end of the day. Children of a young age can benefit greatly from learning how to bring about a calm disposition, and emotional intelligence is an integral part of a well-balanced person. If you live in Thailand, which is mainly a Buddhist nation, then some form of mindfulness would be integrated into the learning program, and once a child develops mindfulness, he or she has a better understanding of emotions and the perspectives of others.
Critical Thinking
If, for example, a school teaches in a very traditional style – students sit in rows and the teacher instructs – this is not an ideal environment in which to develop critical thinking, as the children are not encouraged to enquire. Project-based learning, on the other hand, empowers the students to exchange ideas and opinions, and one aim of the school would be to develop a lifelong love of learning within all the children.
