For students in top-tier education programmes, flipped learning, academic research, oral and poster presentations, participation in knowledge building and knowledge sharing communities, student-led analytics and big data inquiry are just some of the concepts, approaches and deliverables that are part and parcel of school life. Some students find it a challenge to keep up with, or maintain, the intense pace of learning. Others grapple with insufficient scaffolding. The ensuing stress and anxiety may create or augment disorganization of the student’s brain and study environment. Periods of sub-optimal learning create gaps in learning and functioning.
Students who are not selected to participate in top-tier education programmes also face challenges. Parents worry that their children may not acquire essential workplace skills such as critical thinking and effective communication. The students themselves are often plagued with feelings of inadequacy and fail to see that they have it within themselves to dream and achieve beyond prescribed boundaries which they have come to accept as their reality. Paradoxically, some of these students have multiple strengths and talents but are unable to ace standardized tests and other assessments to access rich educational experiences within the formal school system.