Competencies
Students are equipped with crucial competencies that span academic and Whole Self domains. These competencies are not developed in isolation, but are intertwined with meaningful content across various disciplines.
ACADEMIC COMPETENCIES
Students develop skills across various domains: managing information, thinking critically, solving problems, innovating, communicating, and contributing. These are integrated across subjects, including Spanish, Creative Expression, STEM, Math, and Humanities.
WHOLE SELF COMPETENCIES
Aligned with UNICEF’s core capacities, students learn to “Be with Awareness,” “Feel with Compassion,” “Think with Wisdom,” and “Do with Purpose.” These nurture their personal growth and well-being.
Similarly, we have a set of competencies that guide our expectations and the professional development of our educators. Just like our students, our educators take an active role in their development, continuously enhancing their skills.
GUIDE COMPETENCIES
Our educators, called Guides, are trained in competencies across various domains: building student-centered communities, inspired planning, dynamic instruction, and Whole Self skills. They model the growth we expect from students.
By intertwining these competencies with meaningful content, we prepare well-rounded individuals ready to face future challenges in both academic and personal spheres.
Academic Competencies
Students are equipped with crucial academic competencies that prepare them for success in an ever-changing world, spanning six domains:
- Managing information
- Thinking critically
- Solving problems
- Innovating
- Communicating
- Contributing
INTEGRATED LEARNING APPROACH
At Millennium, our academic competencies are intertwined with meaningful content across all subjects, including Spanish, Creative Expression, STEM, Math, and Humanities.
HOLISTIC SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Each element of the learning process is designed to foster development of our competencies, in and out of the classroom. Classroom activities, projects, discussions, and assessments all play a role in developing students’ skills. This integrated approach ensures students become well-rounded and capable individuals, ready to face the challenges of the future.
We prioritize skill development utilizing subject-area knowledge to exemplify and drive skill development. Given the easy access to information today, focusing on skills across disciplines allows students to gain a more comprehensive education that prepares them for real-world scenarios and lifelong learning. This method allows for a deeper understanding of how different areas of study connect and apply to practical situations, enhancing both engagement and retention of knowledge.
Case Study
“HOW ARE WE CONNECTED?”
In this 7th and 8th grade course, students explore life sciences, focusing on evolution, heredity, and genetics. The approach combines theoretical knowledge with practical applications to enhance understanding and engagement.
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
Students begin by integrating insights from multiple museum visits, learning about visual storytelling in interactive exhibits. This foundational knowledge prepares them for their culmination projects: designing exhibits that tell compelling stories about evolution and heredity. The project emphasizes innovation in communicating complex scientific concepts effectively.
COMPETENCIES
In this Quest, students focused on the following competencies:
- Sense Our Interconnection: I practice gratitude and awe, knowing I am part of something bigger than myself (Domain: Be with Awareness)
- Justify with Evidence: I support my ideas, choices, and approaches with appropriate reasoning and evidence. (Domain: Think Critically)
- Make Models: I use physical or abstract models to understand or solve an issue. (Domain: Solve Problems)
- Seek Inspiration: I explore, seeking inspiration in the past, present, and emerging world. (Domain: Innovate)
These transdisciplinary competencies demonstrate to students how core skills are exercised across disciplines.
HANDS-ON LEARNING
In class, students engage in a natural selection simulation that demonstrates how content links to multiple competencies:
- Students use everyday utensils (forks, spoons, and knives) to scoop Cheerios, simulating natural selection.
- Less successful “species” are eliminated each round, illustrating survival and adaptation concepts.
This hands-on approach encourages critical thinking about how some species are better equipped to thrive.
CRITICAL REFLECTION & ANALYSIS
Following the activity, students engage in discussion and written reflection. They analyze their results and justify their ideas based on collected data, further developing critical thinking skills. They then reflect on their progress centered on the competencies they are developing.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY BENEFITS
This approach offers several advantages:
- Deepens understanding of interconnectedness in living organisms
- Builds both academic and personal skills
- Demonstrates real-world applications of scientific inquiry
By connecting meaningful content to vital skills, students experience how scientific concepts might apply in their future lives, bridging the gap between classroom learning and practical application.
