Traditional education models focus on developing the child’s mind. 

Spark Schools focus on nurturing and developing children’s hearts, to complement their broader learning. Read on to learn more about the Spark Schools model for heart-centred learning.

Spark Schools is a model for conscious education that focuses on nurturing children’s inner worlds, alongside their outer development. 

Spark Schools help children and young people to reconnect with and unleash their Spark – their true, authentic energy. We want schools to be places where children feel they have permission to know themselves, be themselves and express themselves. It’s great that children can learn facts about the world, engage in sports and the arts, develop their math and writing abilities and participate in all the other aspects of traditional schooling, but this must take place alongside a focus on cultivating children’s inner worlds, supporting their relationship with self and enabling healthy relationships with others, to ensure the next generation can flourish. 

Spark Schools Focus on Teaching Hearts, Not Just Minds

Spark Schools use a unique Heart-Centred Learning framework to enable children to connect with, nurture and unleash their Spark in the classroom. 

By developing children’s connection with their hearts, as well as their minds and bodies, Heart-Centred Learning aims to build children’s inner worlds, creating a healthy self-relationship in order to foster healthy relationships with others. From this place of self-knowing and self-acceptance, children are empowered to embody their Spark with curiosity, creativity and discovery, connecting with their passions and purpose. 

The Three Elements of Heart-Centred Learning

There are three elements for creating a Heart-Centred Learning experience: the environment, the relationships between members of the classroom, and the curriculum that children will learn. All three components are needed for a classroom to be truly heart-centred and to ensure children can connect with and develop their inner world.   

The three elements of Heart-Centred Learning are:

• What we teach (Curriculum)
• How we teach it (Relationships)
• Where we teach it (Environment) 

The environment is the container for heart-centred learning. Creating a safe, nurturing space for children to connect with their inner world and develop healthy relationships with others provides a foundation for all other learning to take place. Heart-centred environments are those which develop children’s capacity to love, respect and appreciate themselves. They are safe, compassionate environments which build children’s inner relationship as the foundation for all other relationships. 

The relationships between teacher-student and student-student are the ‘how’ of Heart-Centred Learning and allowing children’s Sparks to flourish. When children have a healthy self-relationship they can develop healthy relationships with others, and vice-versa. Heart-centred relationships are those which are authentic, modelling conscious awareness and offering two-way respect and a sharing of power. 

The curriculum is the ‘what’ of Heart-Centred Learning, creating a framework for children to develop a healthy mindset, a practical skillset and a strong ‘heartset’. The curriculum develops children’s self-awareness as well as their IQ and emotional awareness. 

Starting with an inside-out approach, children learn about themselves and cultivate their inner world by developing their ‘heartset’, before developing their higher thinking mind, creativity and problem-solving with a healthy mindset. The skillset of Heart-Centred Learning is developed by putting this into practice, building relationships, being of service in the world, collaborating with others and putting their Spark into action through developing their purpose, passions and skills. 

Our current systems of schooling are often far from heart-centred, instead governed by rules and discipline, right and wrong, pass and fail. Knowledge takes precedence over relationships, and quality time is in short supply. Perhaps it’s time for a new approach, one that acknowledges the development of children’s minds, while also honouring their hearts?

We’re launching training for schools and non-formal education settings to embed the principles of Heart-Centred Learning and create conscious classrooms that allow children to flourish. Be the first to hear about our exciting trainings by joining our mailing list here.