Our Curriculum

The NBS curriculum is designed as an interactive, innovative and flexible plan for progress. Optimally balancing the findings of pedagogical research with the experiences of our teachers, it encourages students to first know themselves, then reach out and work with others, and finally address problems in the community and world with a sense of holism, confidence and courage.

It is founded on the following three essential principles that foster and support its intentions, Multiple Intelligences, Collaborative Learning and Interdisciplinary Learning.

Multiple Intelligences
The MI theory is organic to our philosophy. Elucidated by Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University, it recognises that each child contributes uniquely, and that in addition to the linguistic and logico-mathematical ways, there are many alternative ways in which children learn - kinesthetic, musical, visual-spatial, naturalistic, inter-personal and intra-personal. The MI approach helps children to understand their own learnings and enables educators to become aware of the subtle differences that determine how each child may learn the same thing from a different area of strength.

Collaborative Learning
Once children learn to appreciate their own strengths and differences, collaborative learning methods help them put their knowledge and skills together to work towards common goals. They go beyond merely sitting together at group tables to imbibing a genuine sense of joint responsiblity and accountability - all for one and one for all!!! The team spirit thus evoked teaches them the valuable lesson that in order to be true winners in life, it is far more important to have faith in and draw strength from one's peers than try to defeat them.

Interdisciplinary study
Once children learn to work together it becomes easy for them to use their combined strengths to actually address and resolve issues of real world significance. They become better able to make things happen. Interdisciplinary study enables them to bring together perspectives from different disciplines and thereby tackle problems that have no easy answers - for example, global warming or the saving of endangered species. Practised through thematic methods and team teaching, it encourages children to transcend narrow disciplinary boundaries and develop a holistic, all-round approach.