China has "the top ten people who moved China", and the United Kingdom on the other side of the ocean has a similar award, the Medal of the Empire of Great Britain. This medal of honor can basically be regarded as a collection of "Britain's Top 100 Outstanding Representatives" + "Top 100 People Who Touched Britain", which is an honorary commendation for those who have made outstanding contributions to all walks of life.
According to British media reports, a student from Latymer Upper School, Nina Andersen, organized a charity project during the epidemic and will receive the British Empire Medal (BEM).
Nina Andersen
Nina visited a local nursing home before the COVID-19 pandemic and inspired the idea of connecting primary and secondary school students with nursing homes. Nina began her project during her first home isolation period, from first carrying the violin alone to the nursing home to play for the elderly, to bringing together schools in London, Edinburgh and Dublin, as well as in more than 20 different countries internationally, with nearly 70,000 students, to carry out this charity project for the nursing home.
Her act of kindness has been reported by various media outlets such as CBBC Newsround, Telegraph and Independent, and she has also been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM). After receiving the honorary award, she became the most popular little star in the local area, and Nina is now working with the Captain Sir Tom Moore to reduce the gap between young and old.
Nina Andersen showcases student work in the project
It is also worth mentioning that Nina also thanked her alma mater, Latymer Upper School, after receiving the medal. She is able to help others through her own strengths, and can have innovative thinking and courage to achieve independent projects, which is inseparable from the "whole person education" of British schools.
What is "Whole Person Education"
You may have heard of "quality education," but you should be unfamiliar with "whole person education." In fact, the United Kingdom has been practicing "whole-person education" for nearly a hundred years. Education in the UK is a "holistic education" or whole-person education that cultivates children's all-round development of morality, intellect, body and beauty.
A student at a private school in the UK
The "whole-person education" in the United Kingdom, in addition to requiring students to maintain excellent academic results, pays more attention to students' personalized development and personal interest cultivation, and taps students' potential through diversified teaching. In particular, British private schools that adhere to the concept of elite education highly advocate "whole-person education". In addition to basic subject education, the teaching focus of private schools often carries out drama, music, art, sports and other activities to cultivate children's interests and strengths, and also pave the way for children's future development.
"Whole Person Education" at Elite Schools
In british private schools, "whole-person education" can be said to be just as important as "academic learning". If you visit the website of a private school in the UK, you will see the school explain its own curriculum of "whole person education" in a special column.
Eton College's curriculum for whole-person education
Whole-person education has always been the DNA of private schools in the UK, and the famous Eton College has a very strong say in this regard:
- Free teaching: Eton College allows students to take the initiative to ask questions to their tutors, allowing students to apply what they have learned in their lives;
Eaton students learn "freely"
- Diverse options: Eton College offers a rich curriculum and more than 60 interest clubs, allowing students to choose freely and discover their own strengths;
Eaton Student Orchestra
- Independence is also about unity: the school's dormitory is a new home for students, eaton let students learn to be "independent and self-reliant", and when encountering unsolvable difficulties, they must also learn to seek help from teachers and classmates;
Eaton students need to learn to help each other
- Sports to shape character: the school often holds sports, competitions and other activities, in the game-like sports, so that students not only exercise physical fitness, but also can enhance mutual respect, unity and cooperation among students;
Physical education classes for Eaton students
- Guarantee future development: ensure that children can learn and improve. When students enter school, they are just little boys who "can't resist on their shoulders and can't lift their hands", and through the whole-person education of the school, they achieve comprehensive growth of psychology, knowledge, physical ability, ideology and social responsibility.
- Social Responsibility: Eaton is a school that focuses on developing students' sense of social responsibility, and is committed to engaging students in a variety of social activities for a long time. The school often organizes volunteer services at local nursing homes and service centres for the disabled, participates in charity events organized by museums/art centers/libraries and charity shops, etc.
Eaton Charity Bazaar
The characteristics of "whole person education"
What is so special about Eaton's whole-person education? Today, we will reveal the "whole person education" of private schools in the UK:
- Art creates the inner nature of the student
全人教育思想的核心内容就是“全人”的培养。 The holistic person can be literally understood as "a well-rounded person", which means that whole-person education should focus more on the inner nature of the person, such as emotion, creativity, imagination, compassion, curiosity, etc., especially on self-realization.
Participating in art activities makes children more disciplined, more focused, and better at arranging learning and life. Harrow School, for example, provides a rich and diverse arts education that fosters children's artistic interest, creativity and confidence through exploration, experimentation, etc.
Private school dance performances
- Physical activity cultivates quality
Sports can not only shape a healthy physique, but also cultivate the quality of children. There are nearly 30 sports to choose from in private schools in the UK, such as badminton, rugby, skiing, rowing, hockey, cricket, tennis, swimming, golf, equestrianism, squash, fencing, judo and so on. Competitions between and outside school are held regularly to keep children healthy and active.
The "whole person education" of British private schools emphasizes the search for understanding between human beings and the true meaning of life, and traditional education focuses on competition and ignores the cultivation of students' interpersonal understanding ability. Whole-person education in the UK encourages self-actualization through physical activity, but also emphasizes interpersonal and teamwork.
Private school sports activities
- Boarding life exercises personality
The famous Eton Colleges are strict, and it is this strict rule that has trained so many elites. For example, in the first three weeks of enrollment, parents are not allowed to visit, and "little young masters" are not allowed to linger on the warmth of their parents, while the school emphasizes the friendship between classmates, teachers and students, and the warmth of the collective. In the spare time, a variety of recreational and sports activities are arranged to the fullest, so that students gradually exercise their ability to be independent and strong will.
Private schools emphasize unity and friendship
- Interdisciplinary education
British private schools promote interdisciplinary teaching, often with a topic spanning multiple disciplines, which is also one of the biggest features of the British classroom. Teachers often choose common topics in daily life, trigger children's interest in learning, and then extend to different disciplines, which can maximize the expansion of children's knowledge, cultivate logical thinking ability, innovative thinking ability, and also allow children to see problems more comprehensively and solve problems higher.
Private school small class sizes
This interdisciplinary approach to education fosters critical thinking that improves children by comparing knowledge concepts between different disciplines. A free and diverse curriculum is not only a feature of British private schools, but also the practice of whole-person education in British private schools. Whole person education emphasizes the interaction, impact and penetration of different disciplines. Through a diverse curriculum, we open up new horizons for students.
Community service is also an important activity of the school's usual leisure activities, such as organizing students to organize donations for children, the elderly or the disabled, and animals.
From the above characteristics, we can see that the "whole-person education" of British private schools is reflected in stimulating the interest in learning from play, mastering the knowledge and application of learning. Through diversified activities, we will tap the potential of children, focus on cultivating children's soft power, and help children establish multiple values, worldviews, and outlooks on life.
If you also want to get your child a whole-person education, or are interested in private school education in the UK and want to learn more. You can contact BBEVA and let us plan the path of studying abroad for our children, so that children can enter the British private school and spread their wings.