Our partners at MUSE, who are building a network of schools that equip young people with the tools needed for a lifetime of curiosity, understand the importance of parents as partners in creating great learning outcomes.
Here the MUSE Global team is meeting the current moment by taking a deeper look into what it means to be adaptable, and why it is so important, particularly as our climate, our systems, and our technology, evolve at an increasingly rapid pace. These questions of adaptability are ones our own team at Natural Pod has been asking through the lens of creating learning experiences and environments that will support students as they learn to live consciously with themselves, one another and the planet.
Adaptability In The Wake Of COVID-19
Social-emotional competencies are often considered ‘soft skills’ in our society’s (albeit rigid) view of a person’s capabilities. But extensive research and various studies have shown us just how powerful these skills are – particularly in times of change and uncertainty.
The MUSE Global team is meeting the current moment by taking a deeper look into what it means to be adaptable, and why it is so important, particularly as our climate, our systems, and our technology, evolve at an increasingly rapid pace.
At MUSE, our educators place a strong emphasis on socio-emotional learning, beginning at age two through our innovative early childhood education model. One of our particular areas of focus is on the skill of adaptability, which allows people to be flexible throughout life’s inevitable changes. This skill is crucial in times of crisis, such as the current situation we are witnessing with COVID-19. And because of our focus on teaching adaptability – it is implicit in each MUSE student, and readily available within their broad socio-emotional toolkit.
We would be remiss to not point out the apparent lack of flexibility in older generations throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The hysteria, the stockpiling – much of this is driven by fear, and an inability to be nimble and calm in the face of adversity. Older adults are truly struggling to adapt – and the result is damaging to our society in many ways.
And yet it is understandable why the vast majority of adults don’t possess the skill of adaptability – it simply wasn’t focused on during their formative educational years, and still isn’t in the vast majority of schools. MUSE Global is aiming to fill this deficiency so that future generations, who will inevitably contend with many, many more crises in their lifetimes, can better handle these challenges through their intrinsic sense of adaptability.
There are countless benefits to strengthening a person’s adaptability muscle. And, by cultivating this strength from a young age, its power extends to all areas of a person’s life, and at all stages.
Some examples:
- Adaptability is tangential to creativity. Devising new ideas and concepts isn’t possible without a person’s latent ability to shift their perspectives thoughtfully and instinctively.
- In that vein, without adaptability, entrepreneurship wouldn’t exist. New business ideas come about by a person’s ability to re-conceptualize products or services, identifying market gaps, and presenting solutions.
- Adaptability ensures the positive, productive flow of communication – in both personal and professional relationships.
- Similarly, adaptability minimizes opportunity for conflict and disagreement, maximizing the ability to find compromise and common ground.
- Rigid behavior and patterns are alleviated through adaptability, which enables an openness to novel concepts, and a willingness to hear and accept other viewpoints and opinions.
- Adaptability fosters resilience. Particularly in the face of crisis, this inner strength is fundamental to our existence and continuity as a species.
So how do we teach adaptability in MUSE Global Schools?
Through our Self-Efficacy Pillar, children are shown how to be open, resourceful, and persistent – this inherent sense of empowerment is something they take with them the rest of their lives. With our Sustainability Pillar, children learn to understand the flexibility that is required as our world continues to be confronted with an all encompassing climate crisis, and are empowered to change the way in which they live and consume, while teaching others to do the same through sustainable practices, advocating for food and social justice, and propagating essential change. This education empowers children to be future leaders in their communities, in the green business sector, or for vocations that don’t yet exist.
With their exposure to our Communication Pillar and Process Communication Model, children are able to navigate difficult interactions with thoughtfulness and ease using our approach to compassionate confrontation – these are invaluable skills as they grow older and communication becomes evermore crucial in relationships, personal and professional. And with respect to our Academics and Passion-Based Learning Pillars, children are able to look at core subjects through the lense of their given interests, enabling them to view topics from a multitude of angles and perspectives. And through MUSE’s established virtual learning modalities, our students and teachers are able to quickly pivot to online lessons with ease and cohesiveness during this indefinite period of social distancing.
The bottom line is this: in the wake of the current public health crisis, people across the globe have been confronted with a new reality that vastly alters the course of their daily lives. Many struggled deeply with this change – and our imperative is to prevent children from experiencing such struggle. We do not know what the future holds – be it next week, next month, or next year – and teaching children to adapt to imminent change is essential for their success and vitality.
MUSE Global’s prerogative is to expand our education model to communities everywhere so that we can prepare students, from as young as age 2, for a future that is unknown. In doing so, we are enabling and mobilizing tomorrow’s leaders to be their most capable, effective, and adaptable selves – and that is precisely what education means to us.
About MUSE
As we continue on through these uncertain times, many of us are faced with the question – what can we do now to ensure a better world for our children and future generations? MUSE equips young people with the tools needed for a lifetime of curiosity. With innovative academics, passion-based learning, and an emphasis on sustainability – students learn to live consciously with themselves, one another and the planet. Learn more about MUSE Global and their school franchise opportunities.
