Future Readiness: The Need for a Competency-based Curriculum

The shift from print to digital is a profound transition in terms of how humans learn. This has made a huge impact on today’s formal education, supporting its mission of preparing students for 21st-century requirements. 

Schooling is the best way to prepare a child for the challenges of the real world. In the 21st century, it is imperative that schools use a curriculum that caters to the development of various new-age skills, such as IT fluency, critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration. After all, the key to success is adequate preparation.

NextCurriculum: Shaping Gen-Next

Next Education’s robust curriculum solution, NextCurriculum, equips students with 21st-century skills. It engages every kind of learner by integrating textbook learning with fascinating audiovisuals, simulations, hands-on activities and much more.

Benefits of NextCurriculum

Personalised learning: One-on-one tutoring is one of the best examples of personalised learning, but then it comes at a high cost. Digital learning offers benefits similar to that of tutoring while freeing up time for teachers to act on individual and small group needs.

Features

• Learning activities that diagnose individual learning gaps
• Relevant and regularly updated content and competency-based learning
• Age-appropriate progression with an interdisciplinary approach 
• Quality learning products that support multiple intelligences

Promotes participation: NextCurriculum facilitates participatory and interactive pedagogic practices where knowledge is constructed and not just disseminated. The curriculum is replete with opportunities for students to initiate discussions and debates on text-related topics, to actively participate in their learning process and also collaborate with their peers.

Features

• Arouses student curiosity and promotes deep learning
• Encourages dialogue between  students
• Helps develop communication skills
• Provides teacher feedback instantaneously 

Promotes skill development: In today’s world, having domain knowledge is not enough to make one competent for the challenges of the job sector. One needs to develop various skills to execute projects effectively. NextCurriculum develops important skills in students while teaching various subjects, that inculcate subject-specific competencies, and also make them emotionally and cognitively competent to deal with the everyday challenges of life.

• Problem-solving skills
• Social media skills
• Time management
• Communication and collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Leadership
• Adaptability
• Creativity
• Information management

Developing the seven pillars of learning 

• Learning to ask essential and meaningful questions
• Learning to embrace mistakes and improve 
• Becoming supportive peers
• Being open to transformation
• Valuing collaboration and team spirit
• Staying curious for lifelong learning
• Connecting with the world

Robotics: An important part of the curriculum

Technology is changing the way people do things in every part of the world.  Understanding and mastering technology requires in-depth knowledge of science and tech-based machinery. Thus, robotics is becoming an increasingly indispensable part of the curriculum. NextLabs which is part of NextCurriculum is an experiential learning solution comprising maths, English, science and robotics. I would like to specially mention that Next Education’s  RoboticsLab is highly beneficial to the students, not only for the present but also for the foreseeable hi-tech future. It promotes the following:

• Creative thinking: Not many fields of knowledge incorporate STEM learning and creativity simultaneously.
• Engagement: Hands-on learning activities enhance concentration and attention levels.
• Preparedness: Advanced technologies, such as AI-based robots prepare the present generation of students for technological changes than ever before.
• Programming skills: As artificial intelligence is becoming more prevalent in homes, schools and offices, basic programming knowledge will help everyone understand how bots work.
• Perseverance: Creating and programming bots are challenging. However, working their way through such roadblocks help students develop a ‘never give up’ attitude. It imparts determination, which is crucial for any technological or scientific undertaking.
• Teamwork: Robotics incorporates a range of skills, and thus promotes a learning environment for people with different talents. If properly harnessed, it promotes a culture of teamwork.
• Introduces the fun element: Learning with robots is fun, and as user experience designers continue to improve how it feels to interact with robots, it will only become more so.

With these latest innovative pedagogies, it is easier to give children a 360-degree approach to learning and help them be life-ready.