By Flora Lepage, Year 11
Learning. A word that has one definition and can yet be interpreted in hundreds of different ways. A word that can be both positive and negative depending on the person’s experience. Learning is what shapes us early in our lives and we continue to learn each day of our lives even once our main educational programs are completed. For hundreds of years, it has been believed that there is either a right or wrong way of teaching. This mentality is not only false, but can also be very harmful for the different students that undergo a traditional and age-old manner of learning and teaching. The awareness of different learning styles has only come to attention recently and is truly a topic that affects a large majority of students, knowingly or unknowingly. This is why it is crucial for schools to be able to create a curriculum that is adapted to teaching students different manners of learning and how to be able to use this in their everyday lives. By doing this, schools do not only teach students the material in a more effective manner, but also teach students to open their minds and use their knowledge in a non-academic environment.
It is for this reason that our school is the founder of the new Universal Learning Program. This program has been ongoing for around two to three years, this year’s Year 11s being the third class to officially graduate from this program. The Universal Learning Program is a school curriculum that is led parallel to the ongoing curriculum of each school year and it ranges from primary students to Year 11 high school students. The program has a goal of challenging students to use their knowledge of each subject taught and use it in projects that link certain subjects to scenarios in the world outside of school. Each year receives a different project where the students have to make a connection between one or several of the Universal Questions and the subject assigned. The student is given complete freedom as to how they want to approach the project and what questions they want to choose. The pedagogy behind the entire program is that students are encouraged into a deeper understanding of concepts while developing their character, passion, mastery, and collaboration.
By doing this from such a young age, students are forced to learn how to think of different solutions by themselves, instead of being told one answer that is considered correct. Learning to keep an open mind when linking our academic world to the world that we are living in is crucial and will stay with us students at every obstacle or scenario that we may encounter later in life. Psychologists have proven that learning to have an open mind from a young age allows children to remain calm when faced with a new situation and helps to create a healthy relationship with these unknown situations.
Associating the knowledge that is taught in school solely with grades and tests might ultimately set students up for failure, both in their academic lives, but also in their personal and professional lives. It is therefore extremely important for schools to teach students from an early age to learn in their own manner, in order to deepen their understanding while also expanding their knowledge about the world and themselves, something the ULP programme addresses.
