Pilot learning hub launching Term 1, 2026
Our pilot will operate as an educational learning hub while we continue to grow our programmes, community partnerships, and long-term vision.
Our physical environment reflects how children learn best.
Silent Learning & Focus Space
A calm, quiet room designed for:
- Independent learning
- Reading and writing
- Deep concentration
- Reflection and consolidation
This space supports focus, self-regulation, and cognitive stamina.
Collaborative Thinking & Dialogue Space
A dynamic room for:
- Socratic discussions
- Critical thinking
- Idea exploration
- Group problem-solving
This is where thinking becomes visible, language is sharpened, and ideas are challenged and refined.
Curious Minds is ideal for families seeking:
- A rigorous alternative to traditional schooling
- A balance between structure and flexibility
- Learning grounded in evidence, not trends
- Small-group, high-quality teaching
- An environment that values thinking, not compliance
We work particularly well with learners who:
- Ask big questions
- Think deeply
- Need clarity and challenge
- Thrive in intellectually respectful environments
The Pilot Hub - Launching Term One 2026
Curious Minds will launch a pilot Hybrid Learning Hub in the Canterbury/Christchurch City/Selwyn District areas in Term 1, 2026
The pilot will:
- Operate in a small, carefully designed learning environment
- Prioritise quality over scale
- Allow families to experience the Curious Minds model in action
- Inform future growth and refinement
Examples of discussion topics
Examples of discussion topics
The initial topics to be introduced:
Social Science, Science, and Technology. As students engage in these topics, they will have access to strong scaffolding in Literacy and Inquiry. As we develop, we will seek experts in New Zealand and worldwide who can help children share their work, gain confidence, and enjoy quality.
Meaningful, structured discussions are at the heart of what we are building at Curious Minds. Particularly for 11-15-year-olds. Many children who have slower processing speed but rich ideas and language benefit enormously from well-designed dialogue spaces where thinking is not rushed, interruptions are minimised, and listening is explicitly taught and valued.
Examples of discussion topics.
The topics we explore are deliberately real, intellectually rich, and relevant to young people, while being carefully scaffolded to support depth, safety, and respectful disagreement.
Examples might include:
- Moral & ethical questions
- Is it ever right to break a rule?
- Should fairness always mean equality?
- Do intentions matter more than outcomes? - Social & political thinking (age appropriate)
- Who should decide what is "right" for society?
- Is freedom more important than safety?
- Should children have a voice in decisions that affect them? - Philosophy & identity
- What makes someone a good person?
- Can people change their core beliefs?
- How do we know if something is true? - Current issues (handled thoughtfully)
- Media influence, technology and AI
-Environmental responsibility
- Power, authority, and responsibility
These discussions are always grounded in evidence, reasoning, and reflection rather than debate-for-the-sake-of-winning.
Limits and boundaries:
We do not avoid complexity or controversial ideas - in fact, learning how to engage with them thoughtfully is a core aim. That said, there are clear boundaries.
- Topics are explored with parental consent and students' curiosity (intellectually, not emotionally or ideologically). This is not as easy as you think, and, of course, emotions must underlie our human interactions, so we don't squash them but rather direct them toward openness to other ideas, understood as possibilities with varying perspectives. We also help students to feel 'okay' without having definitive answers. No personal attacks, persuasion, or correct answers.
- Students are taught how to listen, paraphrase and process before responding
- Time is built in for thinking, note-taking, verbal note-taking and reflection (which supports slower processors).
On Disagreement and Conflict. I wholeheartedly agree that our society desperately needs people who can disagree well.
At Curious Minds, we explicitly teach children how to: - Hold an idea without clinging to it
- Listen to perspectives they disagree with
- Change their mind without losing confidence
- Speak with precision, respect, and calm conviction
This kind of environment can be deeply affirming - it allows them to be heard and to strengthen their listening and processing skills alongside peers who think differently and the same.