21st CENTURY LEARNING
Working in partnership with the Leacock Foundation, the Get Ahead Primary Schools and College are making important changes to the academic curriculum to better equip graduates for life after graduation.
The STEAM integration project is derived from the practice of STEM: a curriculum strategy which educates students in four specific disciplines – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. By moving from STEM to STEAM, the Arts disciplines are in the centre of the paradigm to drive and encourage innovation and creative thinking.
Get Ahead’s focus has shifted from “business as usual” teaching to preparing our youth for life after school, by strengthening the quality of teaching and learning in STEAM (Science, Technology, English/Entrepreneurship/Engineering, Arts and Maths). For us, it is of vital importance for our students to be active participants in their learning. They are able to make real life connections between content and the work place because they are proficient in 21st century skills, namely, communication, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
As we enter the fourth industrial revolution (4iR), it is our duty to equip our students with the skills necessary to be fully functional citizens, who will have a positive impact on the economy.
Get Ahead’s invigorating 4iR Classroom is powered by the innovative Gamma education platform and includes tablets and drones as well as AI, robotics and app-making kits.
Behind this 4iR Classroom lies a new methodology, a new way of connecting with students that speak directly to the 21st century student. The 4IR Classroom, supported by the 4iR teaching pedagogy, inspires students by having digitised tools available at their fingertips so that they observe in real time the design process from conceptualisation to operation.
Confidence in 21st century skills will allow our students to take calculated risks and be resilient when they get into the workplace. It is important for us to actively teach the soft skills required for our students to be successful in life after school. The added knowledge they will be equipped with in the 4iR Classroom, along with the soft skills, will change the trajectory of their futures significantly.
