The Five Competencies - Wellington College Education Human Flourishing

The ability to make good learning choices in a variety of real-life situations where outcomes are uncertain and where routine solutions are unlikely to work.

Adaptive problem solvers vary their behaviours and understanding to address new and complex challenges, problems and situations. They do this by applying what they have learned in one context to another, drawing on higher-order thinking and decision-making skills. Proficiency in adaptive problem-solving means being able to make good choices in a variety of real-life situations where outcomes are uncertain and where routine solutions are unlikely to work. Adaptive problem solving is a central component of Education for human flourishing, equipping the next generation to design, build and lead societies, economies and organisations for the future.

Enables individuals to recognise ethical or moral issues, reason through them, make judgments, decide ethically and act responsibly.

Ethics equips us to evaluate and respond to the claims that others make on us. An ethical perspective combats prejudice against people who are different to ourselves and balances our needs with the rights of other species and the planet. Ethical reasoning enables altruistic choices and instils our lives with purpose. Ethics combines intellectual humility; the ability to balance diverse viewpoints, perspectives, and contexts; and an orientation toward the common good and shared humanity. It shapes our values and guides our decision-making. It is Education for human flourishing’s foundation stone.

The ability to understand, appreciate and synthesise diverse perspectives through critical and creative thinking, guided by empathy, curiosity, tolerance and respect for others.

Understanding the world is the first of three linked competencies that address the loss of meaning reported around the world. Its premise is that a deeper understanding of the cultural forces that are shaping and dividing us could help re-establish our moorings and restore our bearings.

Lene Rachel Andersen distinguishes between four competing and unreconciled belief systems. The indigenous view emphasises tribe, myth, order and the integration of human beings into the natural world. The pre-modern view subordinates the individual to religious and community norms. The modern view balances the needs of individuals and society: within a framework built on science, democracy and nation states, it provides the institutions that continue to shape our world. And the post-modern view exposes the arbitrariness and hidden structures of those institutions – but offers no replacements. In a hyper-connected global society, she concludes, the answer cannot be to ignore or confront other belief systems but to synthesise them. The task is daunting. It is to find an epistemology for the 21st Century, around which people of all beliefs can rally (Andersen Rachel, 2019[19]).

The ability to create, observe, analyse, understand, experience and value beauty in nature and the arts, across cultures.

Competency in appreciating the world (aesthetic perception) builds meaning in a different way. Gardner defines aesthetic perception in terms of appreciating the beauty of experiences. To count as beautiful, “an experience must be interesting enough to behold, have a form that is memorable and invite revisiting”. Looking at a picture, listening to a story, taking a shower or enjoying the walk home could all be examples. Aesthetic perception involves interrogating one’s responses to an experience and attending to its meaning for one’s ideals, emotions, and actions. How does this particular experience challenge how I frame the world? Am I prepared to change how I frame the world? Aesthetic perception is a significant dimension of Education for human flourishing. Through aesthetic perception we appreciate the sublime: what is mysterious, awe-inspiring and transcendent. It unlocks insight into life and self. It elicits compassion toward others and sheds light on different worldviews. And to this extent it complements the competencies of ethical reasoning and interpreting the world.

Encompasses the belief that purpose, intent and activity are inherently valuable in enabling the individual to express personal goals and talents in ways that contribute to others.

Acting in the world is the ability to shape and influence the world through purposeful action. While understanding and appreciating the world involve finding meaning in our experiences and surroundings, acting in the world means translating that meaning into impact. It extends beyond paid employment to encompass creative, social and civic contributions that reflect personal purpose and intent.

For young people, this may involve participation in the arts, sport, volunteering, service, design, innovation or other meaningful pursuits. These activities draw on creativity, curiosity and play, helping individuals develop a sense of agency and accomplishment while contributing to something beyond themselves.

Within the Education for Human Flourishing framework, acting in the world is supported by four complementary competencies: adaptive problem-solving, ethical competence, understanding the world and appreciating the world. Together they rest upon a strong educational foundation of core literacies, social and emotional skills, and student wellbeing. Rather than adding to the curriculum, these competencies emerge through it, equipping young people to pursue happiness, meaningful relationships, purpose and achievement throughout their lives.

The Five competencies of human flourishing

Adaptive problem-solving

Ethical competency

Understanding the world

Appreciating the world

Acting in the world