Arkki, the National Creative Extra-Curriculum of Finland, prepares children for the creative digital economy by equipping them with 21st century skills (6Cs- Creativity, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication and Computational Thinking). Arkki’s hands-on project-based curriculum focusses on developing Higher Order Thinking (HOT)and key digital skills, to allow our children to create, innovate and work with and not for machines, in the future.
In its field, Arkki is globally one of a kind: no other institute in the world offers as wide a curriculum in creative education for children and youths.
Arkki’s offers 3 distinct creative education curriculum.
1) The long term Arkki creativity and 21st century skills development program that covers students from ages 4 to 19,
2) Goal directed workshops and theme courses, and
3) Design thinking and innovation mindset workshops for organizations.
ARKKI’S EDUCATIONAL GOALS
Arkki’s mission is to nurture and equip a new generation of children and youths with creative mindsets and core 21st century skills needed for them to become innovation leaders and job creators in a technology disrupted future.
WHY ARE CREATIVITY AND 21ST CENTURY SKILLS CRUCIAL?
According to studies by the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and the University of Oxford, 65% of children in primary school today will end up with jobs that don’t exist. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) estimated in 2018 that 70% of existing jobs in Thailand are at risk of being automated. New technologies are disrupting industries and displacing the human workforce daily, creating an uncertain future.
The world is changing at light speed. However, traditional education systems have been slow to adapt, teaching knowledge and skills for the past 100 years, that are increasingly obsolete. Securing our children’s future therefore requires us to provide them with the skills and qualities to resolve complex issues and unknown challenges.
WHAT DO CHILDREN LEARN
DESIGN THINKING
A human-centered approach to creative problem solving that entrepreneurs, startups, and technology giants use for innovation based work. Arkki believes that it is important for children to master design thinking through repeated guided practice and integrate its creative problem solving philosophy into their everyday activities. All Arkki classes and projects guide children in design thinking, teaching them how to think, and not what to think.
THE MAKER WAY
Each Arkki class is a makerspace experience where hands-on learning, both individually and in groups, is emphasized. Children are taught how to envision their ideas, build prototypes and test them. At Arkki, either we succeed or we learn! Children learn to persevere and quickly understand that prototypes that do not work are simply a step towards improvement and the environment is kept positive and motivating in an open and social environment.
INTEGRATING ARTS INTO STEM
Arkki classes allow children to apply what they learn at school in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) not in silo, but in an integrative manner through Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. This allows ideas to be grounded in solving human needs and to be considerate to factors such as cultures, religions, and the environment. Children are taught that in order to understand complex problems, they need to gather information through multiple sources and people, utilizing an inquiry based approach that develops their ability to observe, empathize and communicate.
21ST-CENTURY SKILLS & QUALITIES
Arkki emphasizes the development of the 5Cs – Complex problem solving, Creativity, Critical thinking, Communication, and Collaboration, in a Multi-Cultural setting. Through opportunities provided by the classes, projects, and experiences, children are mentored to cultivate perseverance, focus, adaptability, leadership, curiosity, and initiative. Great importance is given to the development of their social and cultural awareness and emotional intelligence., so that they can work collaboratively in groups