Great minds think alike. Or do they?
We have all heard of and maybe used this phrase before when we share a similar idea with someone. But to quote American artist, Scott Adams:
“Great minds don’t think alike. If they did, the Patent Office would only have about fifty inventions.”
And I fully agree with him. Great minds don’t think alike. No two people have the same way of thinking, which is why bespoke education is so important.
Are you aware that our children are getting a fast-food education?
In the 1700s, the Industrial Revolution needed more manpower to make the dreams of few become reality. And “schools” were developed to educate the masses. They were cheap, fast and convenient—just like the world’s largest fast-food restaurant chain, McDonald’s. Although this worked perfectly back then, the world has moved on. But education seems to have been left behind…
Despite having one of the best education systems in Asia, the classroom instruction in Singapore is highly scripted and uniform across all levels. Teachers focus on covering the curriculum so that students can pass the standardised tests.
Ever heard of the phrase “It’s just all academic at this point”? It is used when theory has not yielded a fruitful solution to a problem. Academics is the two-dimensional representation of 3-D, real-life ideas. It simply makes very little sense to a child who has not experienced life fully through play, interaction, communication, action etc to represent these things on paper.
Academics, in all its theories and uniformity, is just that and nothing more… We are confined to what we are told to learn, not what we are meant to learn. It is not true to life and hands-on, therefore, unhelpful for our children to grow into their unique selves and achieve new heights in the real world.
Do you really want your children to have a fast-food education?
Our Centre Manager and Consultant Educator, Wendy New, shares about Bespoke Education
Bespoke education, inclusive learning, or personalised learning experiences are all the latest fab words in the educational field today. Schools mention its importance, while both parents and teachers might have heard of it.
So, what is bespoke education?
Bespoke means customised and made to individual order. Bespoke education, therefore, means tailoring to each student’s learning needs. We believe that every student has different interests and passions, so we can’t use the same method of delivering information to teach all students.
The one-size-fits-all approach is not preparing children for life in 20 years time, which is why here at Imagine If, we believe in this saying by Stuart Shanker:
“See a child differently, see a different child…”
Despite the multiple “mentions” of bespoke education, in my many years of experience in the educational field, I’ve only met one person who placed her children where her beliefs and money lie. That person is none other than Pika Sen, the Founder of Imagine If – Bespoke Education Experience.
Pika had this amazing idea of having all therapies for neurodiverse children under one roof to create a simulated school environment—like a school with Therapists as Teachers. And that was how she came up with the Excelerate Programme (2002-2017) and Imagine If in 2018.
She is a firm advocate of bespoke education. And because she truly believes in it, she placed her ‘neurotypical’ children in her programme, together with the rest of the children. And 15 years later, her children are productive and wonderful additions to society.
Her son, Arjun, who is only 17 this year, (2021) scored very well in his ‘A’ levels and has a degree course of his choice waiting for him after his national service for which he enlisted early as one of the youngest recruits. Her daughter, Ria, received her diploma in music at age 12 and scored in the top 5% of her cohort for her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) despite not studying in any local school.
So, if you say that you believe in bespoke and inclusive education, would you, like Pika, place your children where your belief lies?
Great minds don’t think alike. If you believe that your child has plenty to offer and that schools are unable to recognise their full potential, change your story today and free your child from the shackles of a cookie-cutter education and place your child where your beliefs lie.
For more information, WhatsApp us at +65 9008 7660 or email us at [email protected].
Read more about Wendy here.