Parents want their children to have every opportunity to make a better life for themselves. To do that, families need to invest in developing the skills that are most important for success.
But how do you know your student is gaining the most important skills? Skills like mathematics or social studies are certainly important for your student’s knowledge, but what else do they need to stand out on their college applications and resumes?
Our team at Brainworks has identified four important skills for your student’s success—the ones that will help them thrive both academically and socially. That way, you can feel confident that your student is getting the exact skills they need to succeed.
1. English
English is the most widely spoken language in the world. 1.35 billion people speak it as their first or second language, and it is the official language of 67 countries.
It’s also the language of international business and commerce, meaning most jobs require proficiency in English. Learning English will launch your child into success in post-secondary education. For example, many of the top colleges and universities like Harvard, Yale, and Cambridge are in English-speaking countries. Most research and scientific papers are written in English, meaning your child will most likely conduct research for English-speaking schools, scientific journals, or research facilities depending on their career field.
Today, everybody wants to become a global citizen, and becoming a global citizen means being able to communicate around the world, no matter the culture or country. Bilingual children who comprehend English are more likely to thrive outside of their home country and in their chosen career field.
How Brainworks-Total Teaches English
Students at Brainworks begin learning English in early childhood. Using some of the latest language-learning software, they will being to learn the building blocks of the English language and will have the opportunity to interact with native speakers. English learning continues in Secondary 1-3, IGCSE subjects, and A-level diploma subjects. To round out their language experience, Brainworks students also have the opportunity to learn other widely-spoken languages like German and Chinese.
2. Critical Thinking
We are at a period in education where we understand that learning is more than memorizing facts and recalling them for tests and exams. Today, learning must be more than simply retaining knowledge. Critical thinking is a method of understanding and retaining knowledge that helps students:
- Improve decision-making skills.
- Enhance their ability to solve problems.
- Refine their research skills.
- Optimize their creative thinking.
- Stimulate their curiosity of the world around them.
As career fields continue to change, it’s important for your child to deepen critical thinking skills through inquiry and scrutiny. When primary school students graduate in 15 years, they will have job options that don’t exist today. Critical thinking prepares them to learn new skills quickly and have an advantage in an environment where many jobs are being automated or done by artificial intelligence. The only way to prepare them is to help them think critically, so they can use their knowledge to face unknown challenges.
How Brainworks Teaches Critical Thinking
At Brainworks-Total, critical thinking is part of our TOTAL approach to learning and our motivation to teach students how to learn. Teaching critical thinking begins in primary school and builds on itself throughout the child’s educational career as students engage in more team-based research projects.
3. Interpersonal Relationship Skills
Interpersonal skills are important on many levels. In school, this is the ability to make friends and become more self-confident. But collaboration is also an essential component in the workplace, especially in jobs like development, marketing, and research. Students should develop interpersonal skills at various levels of their education in order to further develop their critical thinking skills, research skills, and communication skills. For example, at college levels, students are expected to work independently on various research projects. In this sort of research, students must engage respectfully with people from different backgrounds, listen actively, solve problems, and collaborate on solutions. Without interpersonal and communication skills, students cannot thrive in international universities.
Communication Skills
Communication skills work hand-in-hand with a student’s interpersonal skills. Beyond understanding verbal and nonverbal cues, students at Brainworks learn valuable communication skills from the Play Way education system of early education. These skills are built upon in their later school years. Through this method, they learn conflict resolution, active listening, problem solving, and social-emotional learning skills.
How Brainworks Teaches Interpersonal Skills
Brainworks engages in the Play Way education system beginning in early childhood, which requires children to interact with one another at a young age, learn verbal and non-verbal cues, and boost their creativity in an active environment. In primary and secondary education, team-based physical activity is an important aspect of our TOTAL approach to learning.
4. STEAM
How Brainworks Teaches STEAM
Many jobs today cannot be performed without STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). STEAM is an integral part of almost every single job today, whether it is a medical practitioner, a food delivery system person, or an online purchase company. STEAM is interdisciplinary, meaning STEAM students use a variety of skills to work together and create a solution. It is important to develop science skills, mathematical skills, application skills, communication skills, technological skills, and engineering skills in order to address the multiple facets of a societal, environmental, or social problem.
At Brainworks, we implement STEAM learning at every education level. With so many resources at their disposal beginning in early childhood education, they’ll gain experience working with complicated equipment used in various industries. They will be able to better understand new systems and technologies. Because the school has an in-house research department for STEAM, we have over 720 research projects for students to engage with. Other than that, we use discovery, inspired science, and integrated science. We offer an unlimited number of STEAM projects available in the school, which is why our students are not afraid of any technology that is brought in front of them.
Where Your Student Can Develop These Important Skills
Brainworks believes in lifelong learning. Unlike other careers, the area of learning is enormous and expanding on a daily basis. And the skills needed to develop students are also getting more complex.
At Brainworks, we will plant the seeds of lifelong learning in the life of your child. Your first step is to visit us! Come see how we learn differently and set your child up for success, so you can feel proud of who your child is becoming.
References:
- 10 impactful ways to boost interpersonal skills in students. Hindustan Times. (2022, December 23).
- 8 Benefits of STEAM Education. 8 benefits of STEAM education. (n.d.).
- Brubaker, A. (2023, June 7). How to build people skills: Interpersonal skills for students – Connections Academy®. How to Build People Skills: Interpersonal Skills for Students – Connections Academy®.
- The importance of the English language: 10 reasons to learn English. BSC (EN). (2023a, April 3).
- Interpersonal skills and today’s job market. Harvard Graduate School of Education. (n.d.).
- Lathan, J., & Bio, R. F. (2022, July 25). Why steam is so important to 21st century education. University of San Diego Online Degrees.
- Quinn, C. (2023, February 7). English as a Second language: Why you should learn. PELA.
- Singh, Ms. M. (2022, June 13). The importance of critical thinking in education – rahul education. Rahul Education.
