Silvermine Academy: Educating for the Essential Skills

In this new age of technology – characterised by an unprecedented speed of innovation, the integration of digital, physical, and biological systems, and the exponential increase in the amount of data being generated, collected, and analysed – what value can smaller schools provide compared to online schools and digital learning spaces?

Introduction

Like many small independent schools in South Africa, Silvermine Academy (SMA) is confronted by the buzz-phrase of our time: The Fourth Industrial Revolution. We live in an era of tremendous technological advancement that is reshaping the way we live and work, and it’s easy for us to feel that our competencies and business models are being challenged by these developments.

This leads us to ask ourselves, how exactly we are preparing our students for the world of work and learning and what precisely is the value of face-to-face schooling? The school environment has always represented much more than simply a place where children are introduced to learning content. It is a place of safety, community, and citizenship. In this new digital landscape, educational spaces are crucial to give our students the tools to thrive.

Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, and an influential member of the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (PC4IR), explains that the skills that humanity learned a long time ago are much more difficult to automate than skills acquired more recently.

Although much of his writing and his work is around the technical skills required for the future, he often refers back to these ‘soft skills’ as fundamental in acquiring the new ‘hard skills’. These hard-to-automate soft skills are part of the reason people still have jobs in the face of increasing automation – and also why schools remain relevant.

The next generation of workers may have competencies that give them mastery of many technical skills, but these competencies will still need to be applied by insightful, visionary and flexible thinkers who are skilled at collaboration and communication. As some skills become less of a priority, schools will be able to prioritise these essential skills.

Pupils at Silvermine Academy

What are soft skills?

Soft skills, or ‘essential skills’ as we might now call them, are personal qualities, attitudes, and behaviours that are essential for success in day-to-day life, both personal and professional. Soft skills include emotional intelligence, teamwork, leadership, communication, adaptability, and critical thinking.

Such skills are required for people-oriented jobs that need human-to-human interaction – often, jobs of care. Facing up to automation and artificial intelligence will require a generation of global citizens who can collaborate effectively with others, think creatively, and adapt to new challenges.

Unlike hard skills, which are technical in nature and can often be automated, soft skills are unique to human beings and are becoming increasingly valued as the world of work changes. At SMA, we place soft skills at the centre of our daily practices.

How can small schools lead the change?

Small schools have unique advantages in determining how all schools can go about developing soft skills in students. Small schools are often close-knit communities and provide a supportive environment that is conducive to personal and professional growth. Additionally, they are agile and have the flexibility to adapt their curricula and teaching methods to meet the needs of their students more quickly.

Silvermine Academy has always been adept at equipping students with these skills; in our previous article about empathy at school, we explained how we came to value empathy in all aspects of our school during the toughest times of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns.

It’s also easier for the stakeholders of a small school – students, parents and neighbours – to make their needs and recommendations heard. During our student-led strategy sessions at the start of this year, we came to understand how much our students value clear boundaries and consequences. Combining their feedback with our own research about how best to prepare them for their role as global citizens in this changing landscape yielded some stunning results.

The most immediate consequence was the development of our theme for the year: FUNdamentals. This theme encapsulates all the components of our approach to instilling a combination of self-awareness, intentional practice, and ongoing learning in our students.

Schoolgrounds of Silvermine Academy

Structural integrity

At Silvermine Academy, we emphasise the importance of consistent boundaries and structure. Clear boundaries that are set to nurture essential skills can help teenagers to feel physically and emotionally safe. They can also assist teenagers in developing responsibility and accountability, both of which are fundamental for self-awareness and collaboration.

Henry Cloud explains:

Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership. Knowing what I am to own and take responsibility for gives me freedom.

One example of this at Silvermine Academy is our uniform policy in 2023. At the request of students in our strategy session, the uniform policy came up as the third most important item after co-curricular activities and campus facilities. Our students were involved in the development of the rules and consequences of the uniform policy at every step. Within one week, there was a marked improvement in the way students carried themselves and an improvement in their overall self-esteem.

One new student stated in their application essay: “I love the school’s uniform. I love how smart it is.” This prospective student had noticed the value our students placed on their uniform and realised that they would like to emulate that pride.

I believe that this demonstrates how the application of clear policies and consequences act as a starting point for students to develop an awareness of their own personal boundaries and desires. Furthermore, the process of including students in the development of policy teaches accountability and democratic citizenship.

Maintaining the boundaries at school helps to maintain feelings of belonging and safety, but it does require consequences when a boundary is crossed. At SMA we make use of reflective discipline practices rather than punishment.

Reflective discipline is a teaching and classroom management approach that uses reflective thinking to help students understand the consequences of their behaviour and make positive changes. This approach, which is particularly effective at the high school level, seeks to create supportive and respectful learning environment, where students are encouraged to think critically about the effects of their actions and take responsibility for their behaviour. For this approach to be effective, the teaching team should prioritise consistency.

If every incident with a student is addressed in a consistently firm but kind manner, students begin to practise introspection regarding their actions. Introspection or self-awareness is fundamental to the other essential skills, and continuous communication helps students to verbalise and inspect their emotions.

Silvermine Academy's pupil survey

Building bridges

Once the foundations of citizenship and safety are established, it becomes possible to build bridges to the real world. Life beyond school can be intimidating for even the most confident students. We have a two-pronged approach to help our students build bridges to the world beyond school.

For the first prong, we focus on community interaction and local citizenship. Every year, the school takes up three student-led pledges to make an impact in our community. In 2021, we initiated a schoolwide competition for a new school logo. A Grade 10 student, Jasper Gregory, submitted a bound book detailing his motivation for what became our current logo, an endangered African Eagle Owl.

Since the owl logo was approved, we have pledged to donate an amount, per branded item sold, to the owl conservation effort in our area. We take immense pride in this story, as it demonstrates practically the active participation of students in critical thinking and success. Schools – and perhaps smaller schools in particular – are integral parts of local communities.

They can lead change and innovation by taking an interest in the physical, social and emotional well-being of their communities. The young people in our care often don’t know what it takes to create meaningful impacts in their communities – it is up to us to demonstrate and educate them about being change-makers.

For the second prong, we have partnered with an amazing organisation, EDUvelopment, with an online platform that provides assessment, individualised career guidance, and skills development. It is a tool that brings the world of work into the classroom and helps students develop an informed sense of their possibilities. It also allows us to integrate essential life skills such as financial literacy, time management, and goal setting into every subject.

These skills are fundamental for success in both personal and professional life. Developing common ground between various subjects has also allowed our teachers to engage in cross-curricular teaching and has deepened our project-based approaches.

Classroom at Silvermine Academy

Conclusion

A major impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on education is the value placed on soft skills. Small schools have an advantage in developing these essential skills because of their close-knit communities and their adaptability.

One of our most fundamental tools for nurturing essential skills is the provision of consistent boundaries and structure. By emphasising essential skills, small schools can prepare their students to become global citizens who can adapt and thrive in the changing landscape of the 21st century.

We believe that by involving students in the processes of community-building and citizenship at our school, we can educate the next generation of change-makers in South Africa. A firm grip on the essential skills and an education rooted in a South African curriculum should produce active, productive and innovative citizens.