Learning Outside of the Classroom (The Glen, Winter 2024)

As we usher in a new year, we reflect on the state of the world and how we are preparing our young people to lead it. There is political unrest across the world, a burgeoning climate crisis, the automation of many industries, and a continued mental health shadow from COVID-19. However, our young people today are more tolerant than previous generations. They are socially aware and active; they can multi-task and find wildly creative solutions to complex problems. In short, the world is changing, but our young people, when given a strong educational start, are developing the necessary skills to thrive in this landscape.

According to the World Economic Forum, “By 2025, some 85 million jobs may be lost to the emerging division of labour among humans, machines, and algorithms…though 97 million more jobs may emerge that are better adapted to the new dynamic”. It is evident that our society is shifting, and the skills that students need to remain competitive in the job market have changed in the last decade. While sound foundational knowledge remains essential for success and adaptability in the future, there remains, a “wide-ranging consensus that no single skill set or area of expertise is likely to be able to sustain a long-term career in the future, the core soft skills of the 21st century - including not just creativity and flexibility but also complex problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration - will be crucial for enabling people to become better able to adapt to the changing needs of the job market” (World Economic Forum). As our world and the economy shift, our children may not be facing a future where they will stay in the same job for their entire career. However, with the right skill set, they will be able to adapt and land on strong footing regardless.

Developing the “soft skills” is of critical importance to us at Bayview Glen. From our core values of compassion, respect, integrity, equity, balance, and responsibility to our emphasis on experiential learning opportunities, global dialogues and travel, and participation in teams and clubs — our students are introduced to these soft skills from an early age and become adept at employing them to find solutions, excel as part of a team, plan events in collaboration with others, and achieve their goals.

In this section, you will read about how our students are Learning Outside of the Classroom. You can see firsthand how our students are exposed to opportunities that equip them with critical skills such as collaboration, creative problem-solving, self-awareness, and communication and interpersonal skills. Though the world is changing at a rapid pace, we are confident that our students are poised with the soft skills they need to adapt and remain lifelong learners and leaders.

Fiona Fenili, Head of Upper School

Note:

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation

The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does