At the core of every school’s vision is a desire to give the best possible education to its students. Education is a broad term that includes the curriculum, moral values, development goals, and extra-curricular activities. At the Origami Concept School, we strive daily to make learning fun and inclusive for our students while ensuring that their minds are enriched with the right information and skills to make them exemplary citizens of the world.
The most important step towards ensuring that our dreams for our children are realized is curriculum choice. The CBSE and ICSE boards are widely popular in India, but we have chosen the Cambridge curriculum for various reasons. Let us examine why the Cambridge Curriculum is a great choice for our students.
- The Selection Process:
The decision to follow the Cambridge Curriculum came after much thought and debate. We understood the stringent measures the organization, Cambridge International, has implemented. The organization has certain criteria that the school will have to meet, such as having qualified teachers and appropriate facilities and agreeing to follow the Cambridge curriculum and assessment standards.
Schools that offer the Cambridge curriculum must also meet certain requirements for quality assurance and compliance, such as participating in regular inspections and audits. The organization promises the best resources to help the school carry out its plan. This process means that teachers, parents, and students are all involved in the learning process, making it transparent and inclusive. - Student-centered:
While all streams profess to be student-centered, the curriculum is usually redundant and focuses on rote learning to an extent. Furthermore, the students do not learn to apply the knowledge they gain; rather, they learn things for assessments and examinations. For example, a lesson in English grammar would focus on extrinsic instruction and whether students can reproduce what they have learned in the text. However, with the Cambridge Curriculum, the focus is more on the use of vocabulary and on creative writing. This way, students learn to use language correctly, paving the path towards fluent communication and better use of the language. Experiments, real-life situations, and other aspects ensure learning is enjoyable and practical.
The curriculum is student-centered in the following ways:- Subject content: This curriculum covers the key concepts, knowledge, and skills students need to learn in each subject area.
- Inquiry: This curriculum focuses on developing students’ curiosity and critical thinking skills, encouraging them to ask questions, investigate and solve problems.
- Communication: This curriculum emphasizes the development of students’ language skills, including speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
- Global awareness: This curriculum encourages students to explore and understand their place in the world, including their culture and the wider global community.
In this way, the Cambridge curriculum encourages creativity and innovation through its teaching methods, which include project-based learning and experiential activities.
- Choices galore:
The Cambridge Curriculum is a broad and balanced range of subjects, including English, mathematics, science, history, geography, languages, art, and music. At the primary level, learners are given various opportunities to understand and explore verbal, numerical, and scientific themes and topics. The Cambridge Curriculum offers students the choice of subjects at the secondary level. This prepares them for higher education. It also helps them choose various subjects based on their interests. For example, a student can choose Biology, Physics, and Art. They can study Psychology, History, and Computer Science if they so desire. This means that the school and the curriculum do not limit the students’ choices to a few pre-determined combinations of subjects like the other streams of study in India do. In short, the Cambridge curriculum allows schools to tailor their programs to meet the needs and interests of their students while still maintaining high academic standards. - Multi-cultural and multi-lingual approach:
With the world advancing at a never-before pace and countries becoming more open to hiring talent from India, it is the duty of every school, teacher, and parent to ensure that children have the best of all worlds. The Cambridge Curriculum is global, meaning that it considers various cultures, exposing students to events worldwide instead of focusing on a single culture. With many languages offered for study, students can become proficient in French, German, and Spanish early, preparing them better for study or work in European countries. This knowledge of languages also helps them with the development of cognitive abilities.
When exposed to a multicultural context early on, students know right and wrong when traveling to different countries. They can fit in easily in any scenario. It is another exercise in confidence building. Moreover, many Cambridge Curriculum schools are sought-after for the multicultural atmosphere— there are students from different parts of the world studying in these schools. - Focus on understanding and not on rote-learning:
One of the primary reasons behind opting for the Cambridge Curriculum was how it went perfectly with our principles. At the Origami Concept School, we do not believe in creating rote-learning machines out of our students. We encourage them to explore their surroundings, analyze their learning topics, and create memories that last them a lifetime. Merely preparing for an exam and scoring good marks by rewriting everything in the textbook is not the focus of our education. The Cambridge Curriculum emphasizes on understanding and not rote learning methods. Every topic the children learns is planned meticulously. Be it science or mathematics, the students are required to apply their understanding of the theme in everyday situations. This helps them to analyze, criticize and learn from an early age. They do not just study subjects. - Secondary education as a career-launch platform
One of the advantages of choosing the Cambridge Curriculum is that students have many options outside of the obvious Medicine, Engineering, and Commerce streams. With universities bringing out many different streams of study, students from India are often disadvantaged because of the limited scope of subjects at the secondary and higher secondary levels. The Cambridge Curriculum allows students to explore their interests and choose subjects that appeal to them, helping them to shine in their chosen field. With leveled options such as Mathematics and Further Mathematics, learners can choose the levels of difficulty based on whichever stream they plan to pursue. This gives them a considerable head start on their college education as well. - Skills for life
With analysis being an integral part of their learning journey, students become adept at reasoning and voicing their opinions. They also learn how to develop and use their own style while answering questions instead of reproducing previously framed (mostly by the teacher) answers to questions. The students also learn skills that match the sustainable development goals listed by the United Nations Organization. Most schools that follow the Cambridge Curriculum also focus on other aspects, like extra-curricular activities. In most instances, there are many artistic, linguistic, and numerical skills that are incorporated into the curriculum itself, making their learning for life. - Critical thinking and problem-solving
The Cambridge curriculum emphasizes independent learning and critical thinking, which helps students develop skills essential for success in higher education and the workforce. Whether it is reading a passage and identifying its purpose, finding the missing elements in a chemical reaction, or presenting their perspectives on historical events, students are expected to hone their critical thinking skills throughout the course of their education. Problem-solving skills are also an integral part of the Cambridge Curriculum. - International recognition
The Cambridge curriculum is recognized and respected by universities and employers worldwide, making it a valuable credential for students who wish to study or work abroad. Students who complete the program have a competitive advantage when applying for higher education or employment opportunities. International recognition comes with various benefits.
The students do not have to undergo a rigorous process of having their certificates examined and assessed again to qualify for admission to any university worldwide, unlike students who graduate from the State, CBSE or ICSE boards. - Rigorous academic standards:
The learning experience, as we have spoken at length about, is excellent. In addition, there is continuous training for teachers and constant updating of the syllabus so that the standards are always met. Assessments are also a major reason behind this curriculum being ahead of others with regard to quality.
The Cambridge curriculum is known for its high academic standards and emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent learning. This prepares students for success in higher education and in their future careers. Coupled with this being governed by the IGCSE board at Origami Concept School, the academic standards are second to none.
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