In an age where Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence is becoming the new norm, how do we prepare our learners to thrive in this world? What will the future look like in a decade from now? What are we preparing our learners for?

In an era of unprecedented change particularly stemming from the rapid technological progress, what can we do to ensure that learners have a competitive edge while maintaining core human values? The Five Areas of Development is a holistic approach to learning that strives to break down the silos in education and ensure the development of a learner in all areas, rather than merely cerebral. Through this process, we hope to inspire our learners to amplify the use of emerging new intelligence to augment human intelligence rather than replacing them.

Students may struggle in areas such as how to regulate emotions, stay physically fit and maintain a work-life balance, due to the lack of emphasis on these areas.  

The Royal Academy, a Bhutanese residential school that largely teaches economically vulnerable students, has developed a holistic curriculum focusing on 5 Areas of Development. Each area is given equal weighting and the interconnection between all areas is emphasised.

Cerebral development (the academic area) teaches communication, comprehension, critical thinking and curiosity to enhance academic learning.

Physical development focuses on health, fitness and sports.

Social development supports students to get involved in their communities, work towards common goals and understand themselves and others.

Spiritual development is focused on core values, awareness and practice, rather than on a particular religion.

Emotional development encourages learners to pay attention to their emotions in order to identify, understand and express them positively and productively.

The structure of the school day guides holistic development. The day begins with student-led group physical exercise followed by reflective mindful practice. Students then participate in six learning experiences, one of which is another physical activity. Learners are able to flow between the learning experiences based on preference for teaching style should they wish to do so. Based on the individual passions of the students, teachers will provide feedback to the development coordinators to ensure the curriculum covers all areas of interest.

The goal is to help all students realise their potential. There is a strong focus on assessing students against themselves, not each other. Teachers also focus on their own development in order to support this holistic environment, becoming co-learners in the model.

Over the last couple of years, the innovation has been adopted by the Vasant Valley School and Pallavan Learning Centre, New Delhi. 

A brief overview of how the innovation looks in practice can be found here

A short video from the innovator, Mr Arun Kapur, can be viewed here