“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” – Henry Ford
Analytical thinking, communication, teamwork, and collaboration form some of the most important 21st-century skills that are considered to be as relevant as academic know-how in the modern world. Yes, superficially, these skills may sound very simple, almost intuitive, but the fact is that they play a very crucial role in our everyday lives and must be hence groomed well. And for children, the significance is even greater.
Kids are the human version of the fabled curious cat! They love poking at new objects (and often get themselves in trouble over this), come up with the silliest of questions, and are always on the lookout to learn new things. Be it solving a puzzle or figuring out how to get around the child-safety door; if you see, they use analytical thinking every single day. At Excelsior American School, one of the most reputed IGCSE schools in Gurgaon, we firmly believe that it is this natural analytical ability of kids which must be encouraged and groomed from a nascent stage, and schools play a critical role in this process.
We, being the mentors and guides of young minds, understand how the kind of pedagogy and teaching methodologies followed at a school can impact the growth, learning, and skills development in its students. We have seen that knowledge absorption is far better when the concepts are taught through experiential learning and hands-on exercises instead of merely through books. And it is this ideology that forms the core of the Cambridge-based IGCSE curriculum, which replaces rote learning with deep-seated understanding and focuses on bringing innovation and creativity to everything.
So, on that note, let us have a look today at what exactly analytical ability is, what happens when it is boosted well in children, and how a Cambridge-based curriculum can actually help in bolstering curiosity and analytical thinking in kids.
What is analytical thinking?
Critical thinking or analytical thinking is the ability to look at situations and problems logically and come up with solutions. In short, analytical thinking helps you solve that tricky sudoku, and at the same time, enables you to figure out what is the best route to reach the park!
Analytical thinking uses other essential skills like communication, finding patterns and connections between different things, and understanding perspectives, which is thus a necessary skill for children.
What are the benefits of honing analytical skills?
Children with advanced analytical or critical thinking remain curious throughout their lives and always look for new learning opportunities. When kids are encouraged and provided with the right opportunities to hone their critical thinking skills from an early age, they grow up to become keen problem solvers. It is these individuals who go on to become valuable assets for their employer organizations later on and have well-rounded personalities.
As such, some of the key benefits that children experience upon honing their analytical skills include:
- It helps improves their creative skills in all domains of work and life.
- It enhances problem-solving abilities to work around even the most challenging problems.
- It increases focus and other cognitive processes like communication, planning and execution, logical thinking, etc.
- It forms the basis of independent thinking in children where they ask the right questions and find solutions all by themselves.
How the IGCSE curriculum helps in bolstering analytical thinking abilities in kids?
- The curriculum is strictly student-centric
A student or learner-centric framework is one of the most attractive features of the Cambridge IGCSE board. Everything, from subjects to pedagogy to assessments, is built, keeping students in the center. There are over 70 industry-relevant subjects in 30 languages. And children have all the freedom to choose as per their liking. One of the biggest advantages of such a structure is the scope to cater to unique and personal learning needs. When children learn what they love, they are less stressed academically, and as a result, work on improving their life skills.
- The emphasis is on experiential learning
The Cambridge-based curriculum focuses more on providing life lessons to the learners instead of book-based knowledge. For example, instead of simply teaching about gravitation, the emphasis is laid on providing the kids with real-life examples of gravitation at play. At Excelsior American School, one of the top IGCSE schools in Gurgaon, we have state-of-the-art science, math, and computer labs, which help us do justice to the needs of the curriculum and inculcate the practice of learning by doing in our pupils.
We believe that when children get to see the everyday applications of complex topics, they naturally feel intrigued to ask questions and analyze results. This inquiry-based learning is the basis for honing critical thinking.
- Students get early exposure to a mixed global community
True to our name, we, at Excelsior American School, are not merely an international school following a Cambridge-based curriculum but also provide our students with an excellent opportunity to meet and study with students from different parts of the world. We firmly believe that early exposure to a global community instills in children a feeling of compassion and mutual respect, which are skills that are extremely important in today’s world. The project-based learning modules in the Cambridge-based curriculum encourage children to collaborate with others, and as a result, they learn about how to co-exist in peace. And a crucial part of developing analytical skills in children is to make them understand different perspectives. The IGCSE curriculum is full of learning modules that augment this skill.
- Innovative and meticulous assessments
Cambridge-based testing modules are unique in a lot of ways. Assessments are well-spaced but regular, allowing students to test their knowledge in parts instead of everything at once. Also, most tests assess students on how well they understand the concepts instead of absolute figures. This kind of methodology thus promotes the development of analytical thinking skills in children.
In a world where open book tests are gaining more popularity, clarity of concepts and problem-solving abilities gives an edge to our students over their peers.
Summing up
Lifelong learning is the one thing that sets apart a successful person from a person who truly lives life! And this journey starts even before a child can construct a whole sentence! At Excelsior American School, recognized among the leading IGCSE schools in Gurgaon, we believe that while learning a new skill or reskilling is a part of a lifelong learning journey, what matters the most is learning and relearning the essential life skills. This is why, at our school, we pay undivided attention to skills development in children while ensuring they get a holistic learning experience. And our Cambridge-based curriculum has been a big-time aid in helping us turn our dream of imparting value-based holistic education to the youth of the nation into reality.
