Understanding the What, Why and How of Jungle Academy.
The only constant is change. Life is a journey, not a destination. Everything evolves, and Jungle Academy is no different. As we continue to observe our children and receive feedback from parents, we make a concerted effort to create educational offerings that are both relevant (responds to challenges) and meaningful (contributes to a positive world).
Yes, "enabling exceptional education in a changing world" is still as important as ever. We want to Inspire young minds, give them the tools to Inquire and the environment to Imagine new possibilities, so that they will eventually positively Impact the world. As months have passed however, we have been called to refine our vision, mission and strategy.
If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.
Distilling the original approach into a broader vision we have landed simply with Activated Young Adults. That is what we want for our students. It's as simple as that. For them to step onto the world stage, any stage, with confidence, compassion and a can-do attitude. The vision is that they will have benefitted from living in an environment that is relatively more peaceful than that of cities, allowing them to explore possibilities with a clear and sharpened mind. At the same time, they are aware of, have learned about and practised the many tools of our modern world, from Canva to Bitcoin, to AI, so that they may step forward as a modern and forward-thinking global citizen.
Reinvention is critical because “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.” So, figuring out what will prepare our children for the future is the goal of many teachers and institutions, and a plethora of approaches are already available. Each paradigm is well thought-out by teams of experts, and has its inherent benefits and some flaws. After researching many options, we believe the 7Cs (formerly the 4Cs) aligns with the what, why and how of Jungle Academy.
The 4 Cs are 21st century skills designed to prepare young people for citizenship and the workforce in a global society. The 4 Cs are : collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking.
This paradigm of 21st century skills have now evolved to include 3 additions : computer literacy (digital skills), cross-cultural understanding (culture and ethical citizenship and community) and careers (character, change-making, life skills). It is not difficult to see how the 7 Cs apply in the future world that our children will step into. We will be sharing in subsequent blogs exactly how we deliver these 7 Cs at Jungle Academy.
So, our long-term vision of Activated Young Adults is the Why and our C-Suite covers the What in terms of strategy...
The next question is How exactly will we do this? What is the mission? Our mission is to deliver our strategy Bravely, in a Balanced way and by Bridging divides. These values underpin all that we do.
Brave : We are not here to blindly follow any approach. Instead, we aim to pioneer what can be done differently for a better result. We explore (with parents) different learning approaches and do not veer from new advancements simply because of them being, well, new and unfamiliar.
Balanced : At the same time, we don’t believe in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We honor the work that has been completed before us, even if the overall systems may need fine-tuning. By approaching each idea with compassion, we stay focused on our ultimate vision : Activated Young Adults. Yes, skills are critical, and so too is knowledge and academic rigor (See blogs on Why Progress Monitoring Matters and Why jungle kids need exams). We dedicate a lot of time on emotional and behavioral aspects too.
Bridging : Today we live in a very polarized world, with conflicts in many arenas. People argue seemingly about everything, and particularly about those things that are closest to their heart. In such a complex world, education needs to include tools to help children navigate these complexities and nurture an ability to work with a myriad of people, especially when their views are different from ours. To encourage a bridging and collaborative mindset, students engage frequently in a host of community events requiring them to lead, follow and collaborate.
So there you have it. The ABC approach to education at Jungle Academy. Stay posted to learn more about each letter in subsequent posts (Blogs, Facebook, Instagram). Or if you’re in the area, come visit us, or join one of our open house days. (See Events)