Life is an integral affair. Everything is connected. When we eat, we are sinking our teeth into biology, chemistry, Physics, economics, sociology, literature…. When we learn, these are all separate ‘subjects’ in school and college. Therein lies the gap between life and organised learning. Through that gap we lose many young, fired minds who can’t make sense of all (“What’s the point?”).
‘From the near to the far’ he said. The great seer, Sri Aurobindo, saw the way to a learner’s mind. Don’t teach them about acid composition in the classroom and leave it at that, tell them about the chemistry of Pani Puri (golgappa, fuchka!). Take them to the kitchen and tell them of the chemical and biological processes there—add lemon to milk, observe sprouts, add yeast to flour… Then take them to the classroom and lab - from the near to the far. “The point” becomes clear at once! “But I’m not interested in the chemistry and biology of lime and milk, I want to play by the beach!” Now, what do you do? The science teacher is bound to be unhappy! The project gives the learner or a group of learners an opportunity to select a topic of their interest and work on it. It may allow the learner to select a topic of their choice, as in the above case ‘the beach’ as the theme or topic and then plan that out. It gives the path of working through a theme of the learner’s interest to develop skills, qualities and gain knowledge. This helps ‘the mind to be consulted in its own growth’. The degree of freedom here gives an edge as compared to a rigid curriculum. The element of coercion vanishes, giving space for sensible discipline. |
Perhaps the most interesting thing here is in understanding that indeed ‘nothing can be taught!’ Wow! What do we need teachers for? We don’t! That’s precisely it! There’s no formal ‘teaching’ happening through the project. There is however, the immense scope for learning. That is where its strength lies. The learners select their goal after deliberation, they select their themes, with some guidance and help they do their research, gather information, compile, experiment, infer, share, present and reflect. It's a 'do-it-yourself' job where there is a natural desire to learn and grow charts the course, rather than an external imposition. The facilitator has a minimum role to play, she/he is there at the background to support and guide as and when needed. This is a learning oriented activity, not a teaching dominated one. |