And this is why Nord Anglia Education found MIT so fascinating, and why we took the time to create such a unique collaboration with the leader in STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths). At Nord Anglia, we believe that knowledge is important. However, unlike many educationalists who think that the pursuit of knowledge is the sole purpose of education, we also believe that students need to develop the skills that are going to help them be successful in a changing world where new problems continually arise and jobs have not yet been created. In other words, Mens et Manus is a state of mind that we try to imbue in our students—how to think of an idea, and then go forth and execute it.
Through the hands-on application of concepts, students are able to develop skills such as resilience, creativity, innovation, flexibility and collaboration. These and other skills must go alongside the acquisition of knowledge, also known as the development of the mind. It is these two complementary actions, which ultimately form part of a well-rounded education.