Education

3 min read

What is 360º learning and why is it important?

"Educating the mind without educating the heart, is no education at all” This quote by Aristotle  poetically sums up the concept and importance of a holistic education. Learning does not stop at school and textbooks - 360º learning and development is a vital supplement to formal education, becoming more and more so in our age of Industry 4.0.

360º learning, also known as holistic learning, is meant to equip you with a breadth of skills to face the future, whether it be in work, entrepreneurship, or in other areas of life. Focusing on multi-dimensional skill sets, which include digital, cognitive, interpersonal, and self-leadership skills, the goal of 360º learning is to raise the level at which you can adapt to and thrive in our changing world of work! For example, it used to be the norm that you will work in the field that you study at university: students of Economics or Accounting enter the Financial sector or that students of Biochemistry enter the Pharmaceuticals industry. However, technology and our more globalised and connected world has enabled both industries and jobs to become multi-disciplinary nowadays, requiring ever more diverse sets of skills. Our understanding of technology does not limit itself to pure data or computing, but also in understanding and applying it to our real world, with communication and human-centric solutions.

This is where 360º learning grows in significance. No longer is it safe to assume that all the foundational skills and knowledge that we learn in formal institutions, be it schools and universities, are sufficient to cover the pace and breadth of development that different industries are going through. Cognitive skills, such as design-thinking and adaptability, can enhance problem-solving abilities in our workplaces that now expect internal innovation and agile solutions for more expectant customers. Whereas communication and self-leadership can strengthen an individual’s ability to self-motivate, plan, and influence others in our workplace that requires ever more constant collaboration and change-making.

360º learning involves experiential workshops and talks to engage, simulate, and stimulate these multidimensional skills. These are valuable skills that are not acquired in ‘one go’ and can be developed early on from as early as children in their ‘pre-teens’. As these skills are acquired and developed, they stay with you for a lifetime. In a way, it is not surprising that we have brought back the importance to these multidimensional skills, just as Ancient Greeks and Romans considered rhetoric and logic as fundamental disciplines, alongside the study of Mathematics and Philosophy.