When it comes to educating our children, “curriculum” is normally the first question that comes to people’s mind. We try to figure out between NIOS or CBSE or ICSE or IGCSE or … let the child learn from life.
Often LIFE CURRICULUM is not so clear and many fall back to conventional academic curriculum. Here is an attempt to look at learning from life’s perspective and not examination point of view.
CAT for Life – Cat as a slang means “expert” and we want to “be CATs of our own life”. To do that we would need:
- Competency – the basic skills we need to live our life. Remember most of these competencies once learned or mastered do not need further work (just like you do not need to learn reading or swimming again).
- Abilities are the inherent intelligences or abilities that either we’re born with or we develop.
- Talent & Interest – is what is either in us or what they call GANAS in Spanish – kind of passion, desire or whatever direction my compass points to. Talents is what ticks inside us and Interests are things outside gives us kicks
COMPETENCY or BASIC SKILLS is the C of the CAT’s curriculum
Competencies or Basic skills are what all of us kind of need in life. It’s not that these are non-negotiables or must haves, rather good-to-have.
Co-Create your own list with your children.
35 ABILITIES is the A of the CAT’s curriculum
These abilities are not to make it compulsory for any learner rather they are the possibilities – one can choose from and explore. Some of the abilities we have, some we can develop.
We normally share these skills lists with families at the Aarohi community and as each learner decides what they want to develop, when, how and how much is satisfactory to them.
Caution: When we read these abilities, we want all of them in our children. 
Beware, this can be dangerous.
What is important is that the learners and we are aware of the various abilities and we can consciously choose to work on some at a particular time.
Do realise that each learner is capable of developing any of the abilities at any time of our life.
A note – These abilities are based on Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence (MI) and Higher Order Thinking skills (HOTs).
TALENTS and INTEREST is the T of the CAT’s curriculum
The world is our curriculum
You can choose any interest to develop
You can be talented in any field, any content
You can explore many interests or deep dive into one interest
You can create your own professional journey
Because everything in the world is worth exploring, learning and developing as one’s profession.