Academy of Understanding
PEOPLE SKILLS FOR GLOBAL CITIZENS

Ever since we started in 2009, the Academy of Understanding developed a wide range of practical, inspiring and effective instruments, interventions and challenges to develop and strenghten people skills for 21st century gobal citizens.  Since 2019, we offer them as an honours course for university students. It is taught in the Netherlands at a growing number of universities, including the UAS of Amsterdam. It’s been applauded by both students and teachers ever since. And it’s now available to universities in the rest of the world…

Download info here

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Four Mode Perspective©

A key element in the course is the Four Mode Perspective©. Students become aware of the universal principle that there are four fundamental desires that lead to four specific ways of thinking, acting and communicating. Applying all four increases their possibilities and personal effectiveness and greatly helps understanding human behaviour and developing the ability to tune into people’s frequencies at any moment.

 

The eight 2,5 hour lessons, that usually take place every two weeks, are highly interactive. Experiencing and exchanging are key. Every class has a digital meeting place too, only accessible to the students and their teacher(s). Here, students receive two practical (and fun!) challenges to carry out between the live classes. The assignments test a variety of 21st-century skills: critical thinking, self-reflection and self-regulation, collaboration, compassionate behaviour, problem-solving skills and socio-cultural intelligence.

 

By the end of the course, students will have developed skills to master the four mode perspective in thinking, acting, communicating and collaborating and thereby broadening their spectrum of possibilities. In addition, they have developed a strong awareness of what it takes to live and act as compassionate and responsible 21st-century adult human beings.

 

A five-day course for teachers

To be able to give the honours course to students, teachers can follow a five-day course provided by the Academy of Understanding. The course takes place at your own university or at another venue, should you prefer so. Additional video tutorials serve as reminders and refreshers for later use. Participating teachers receive all necessary materials for a first group of students. Much can be reused later-on. Personal study material handed out to students can be ordered from the Academy of Understanding.

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