‘Whole child’ education develops head, heart and hands of future community-minded leaders
Students should learn facts and figures – and how to help others – says Richard Vanderpyl, head of Christian Alliance International School
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CAIS students are encouraged to serve and lead as part of their holistic development
Schools worldwide are increasingly adopting a holistic approach to education, which puts the focus on the “whole child”, rather than simply textbooks, examinations and academic achievements. This involves developing each individual student’s needs, not only intellectually and vocationally, but also emotionally, physically and spiritually.
“A good description of whole child education is ‘head, heart and hands’,” Richard Vanderpyl, head of school at Hong Kong’s Christian Alliance International School (CAIS), says on his return to EdTalk, South China Morning Post’s recurring video series of interviews in which experts discuss pertinent issues surrounding teaching.
“The curriculum has to be more than just facts and figures to fill the mind and sharpen the intellect. It is also about shaping the heart and equipping the hands. If their heart is shaped by kindness and a willingness to look out for the needs of others, then you have a sharp mind, a really soft heart [and] the serving hands – where they say, ‘From what I’ve learned, from how I feel, what can I do [for others]?’ … rather than ‘What can I get out of this school?’.”
Whole child education is one the missions of CAIS, a non-profit through-train school in Lai Chi Kok, Butterfly Valley, in Kowloon. It offers the Alberta curriculum and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme to more than 1,600 children representing more than 30 nationalities, aged five to 17, across its preparatory, lower and upper primary, and secondary school sections.
“It is a core part of our DNA as a Christian school that our students have their eyes not just on themselves but on others,” Vanderpyl says. “We help our students to look outside of themselves to the needs of those around them. That is what we believe will make a very good society.”
CAIS connects its curriculum with its service culture in a range of ways, for example its preparatory school’s annual “Beach Clean-Up Day”, which helps to teach the children about the importance of protecting the environment and doing something good for society.
Pupils at its primary school section also host an annual “Market Day”, where they can learn about what it involves to run a successful business while raising money for charities.
CAIS also places a strong focus on helping its students to develop their leadership qualities and integrating these skills with the school’s service- and community-minded ethos.
“To be a leader is to be willing to serve,” Vanderpyl says. “If we want to be the best school for Hong Kong, for the world and for Christ, then our students need to be willing to serve and lead. We have compulsory leadership courses in the [secondary] school. We also have more than 40 student-led clubs where students are running and organising activities with teachers’ guidance.”
The peer tutoring club, for example, helps children who are struggling in a subject to seek help from fellow students, which enables both parties to deepen their understanding of the topics being discussed.
Secondary school students are also encouraged to embrace leadership opportunities within the school, such as becoming student ambassadors, who now host school tours for visitors. They can also sign up to become captains for one of the four houses within CAIS’ secondary school section and inspire other students to become more involved with the local community.
Commitment to both service and leadership are two of the criteria for CAIS’ scholarships – covering between 25 per cent and 50 per cent of the annual tuition fees – which are awarded annually to newly enrolled students from Grades 7 to 11.
“Our scholarships are not just given to those with the brightest minds or the best sporting abilities – those are all important, of course,” Vanderpyl says.
“It all goes back to the concept of whole child education. We want to bring in students who have a heart to serve others and want to attend CAIS because it is a school that will allow them to grow as a leader and become equipped to serve others. That is the type of student that we want to enrol.”