There is no specific reason why one would reflect - though we presume (and so has John Dewey said) that any doing or experience will lead to learning only when we think about it.
A reflection is exactly that - looking at oneself (in the mirror) and observing and contemplating the same.
We can and do reflect on many things - what I did? how did I do? why did I do? how did I felt? what were the consequences or results? what did others do? what all i observed? what else happened? how all this affected me? and so on.
When you believe that the best learning comes, not from textbooks or classes (that's knowledge), but from experiencing (that's life) - then reflection becomes the core to that learning. In other words, reflection is core to wise living.
SESSION PRESENTATION
SESSION RECORDINGS
Session #8 recordings are available as part of this youtube playlist. Pl do not share this playlist with anybody outside SDL group
The videos are unlisted - pl refrain from sharing them with your friends. Instead, share your learning with them. The recordings are only meant for the participants and not to be made public.
He is so funny, she is snobbish, he is adamant, she is judgemental, he is disturbing, she is poky, he is smart, she is dumb, he is good for nothing, she is fully faltoo
Just a round of expression What dirt am I collecting for others? What can I do, do bring value to the community living? What value others are adding in my living?
Do you know what is Ukulele? This was the question asked by Advay, who is just five years old, when he started music jam. He explained about Ukulele and shared some of his favourite music.
Explaining with clarity and passion. Some of us painted our face for the tiger dance. We enjoyed dancing and his explanations.
Make Pin hole camera with Advay was the notice we together put up. And he explained with clarity how to make pinhole camera, we enjoyed clarity of his thoughts. Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/magic-me-advay
TV show on electrical safety....Advay sharing about electrical fire. Advising us to throw sand to extinguish the fire and switch off the electric connect to and not ever mess up with bulb holders. He further emphasised that replace broken switches for safety and don't use extension cords.
Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/electrical-fire-safety
Learning mela - a concept so simple to experience learning - At one place, on the same day, people gathering: Children, young adults, parents, senior citizens … all with different gifts, coming together to create the magic of co-learning. Learning Mela, where anyone can teach, anyone can learn … A day to experience the joy of learning, sharing, exploring, mingling ... to celebrate diversity in Learning.
Often asked, “how does one know what one is interested in?” Exposure to resources is one of the key aspect of open learning - resources can be physical, tools, people or even places. Many times just the exposure and usage in various works helps a learner to connect with self.
Many discoveries happen through resources
A room full of junk (sorted and labelled) A wall full of tools A cupboard filled with art and craft supply A nook equipped to cater to various interests Apart from the rocks and sand and trees and insects and people and places and the life around us!
Read the full blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/resources-culture-demonstration
Can a campus Teach? Yes, We believe a campus can be the very lap of learning it is conceived and developed just as mother nature; if it offers constraints to children which make them think, do, learn, and live differently
Read the full blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/content/can-campus-teach
Some parents asked us to help in replicating the same schedule at home as Aarohi. It's not possible to just replicate the schedule of one space to another space, as each space has different flavors. And that difference flavor brings an opportunity to understand the concept of schedule and planning rather than duplicating.
Few parents are already doing at home and they have been able to bring harmony in their home learning environment. So this note is for all who are still seeking some guidance.
First, as a family, you can make your own schedule which includes essential ingredients of what you value and would like to be part of your daily/ weekly life.
Read the full blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/expeiencing-open-learning-summer-week-3-2018
We believe that children can decide what they want to learn, how they want to learn, with whom they want to learn, how much they want to learn, and how well they want to learn. In short we believe children can LEAD their own life.
Design to Reach NOwhere Shiva is excited about butterflies. He spends a lot of time catching them, talking to them, talking about them, releasing them. He makes them listen to his favourite songs and observes how they dance to them.
Design to FAIL Sahil is designing stand alone tippity taps. His tap leaks. He tries a ton of m-seal and it still leaks. He starts again and it still leaks. He tries a different way and it still leaks, a little.
More stories - https://aarohilife.org/home/how-create-self-directed-learning-environment
kept one broken side mirror of a car. It was written on the mirror “objects in the mirror appear....................”. I was apprehensive “just see in mirror and that all, what else will be done with this material in welcome?” But I moved ahead, ready for more surprises................
Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/content/mirror-learning-resource
Umbrella, raincoat, Moustaches, Wigs, Hair buns (make out of waste paper, old threads etc), Caps, turban, Different size finger rings, bangles, non-working phones, Threads of one type, chart paper, puzzles, balls, juggling balls, seeds, beads, a board game, old dupattas, lids of different sizes, strips of clothes, old newspaper Stones, Leaves, Water, measuring cups, Weighing scale, Old caps,
Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/welcome-photos
Can air be a resource to learn?
Yes it can!!!
We discovered it today in Floccinaucci.
We were watching a video on "how to suck an egg in a bottle".
We also explored how hot and cold air creates different pressures.
We also ponder on what all gases air contains and how do we filter oxygen from it.
We also saw experiment on how air balloon deflate in freezer and inflate in hot water.
And while we were exploring air, one child said "Air is not all around us, and it is also a wonderful resource to work with. We can make so many magic (experiment) with it".
Never thought of air as a resource. it was wonderful to explore air with kids.
Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/content/can-air-be-resource-learn
“How is my painting? Is it beautiful? Am I doing it fine? Can you tell me which color to fill? I am not good at painting, do it for me? You finish for me...we often hear this ANXIETY in children.
Last week asked kids to make ‘dirty painting’. Initially they rejected my idea. As we talked more about it, they realized I meant it and was not joking. They also expressed “yes, we want to make beautiful painting and are under stress to make it beautiful, If we make dirty painting people will not like”. Read the full blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/dirty-painting
Old Magazines as a learning resource
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpBE1DJoorM
The videos are unlisted - pl refrain from sharing them with your friends. Instead, share your learning with them. The recordings are only meant for the participants and not to be made public.
Once we designed - he was on his own, exploring the doing in his own way.
Design -Discuss-Do is an ITERATIVE process
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyfpery5R8
The session was about Introduction to the process of Design, Discuss, Do
Design - Any Project we take, we start with the exploration of the idea called Design which includes What we want to do? Why do we want to do it? What resources do we need? Who all are teams? what role each one play in a team? What all work is involved? Whose permission do we need to start the work? Where will we do? Who will maintain the project?
Discuss - is all about to get more ideas, to find alternates, to share our doubts or what are we stuck with.
Do - Action. Get onto your job of doing.
Children were receptive to design their project, they discussed and discussed their plan, roles. They all started with what to do until how to do it. They were asking doubts, sharing problems. made their mind maps, questioned each other, made fun of each other ideas, worked together, some ideas accepted and approved in the group, some discarded.
Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/introduction-process-design-discuss-do
A group of Children volunteered to set up a library in a class.
This decision left them with pondering questions - about the location for the library? where do we get books for the library? what kind of books? Can we get books from the library? what if the library does not have books? can we get our old storybooks from home? can we ask our teachers and collect books? How do we maintain books? how to share responsibility ? what if children took books home / tear the books / lose the books? Whom to ask permission? will the teacher permit?
Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/learn-doing-setting-library-classroom
My journey of drumming - As a group, we started on the drum pad practicing whole note, half note, quarter note, and eighth note for two days with a metronome, which was slow and increasing the speed. At that time I was wishing to play on the drums and try the sixteenth note. Finally, we got on to the drums it was hard than I expected the coordination was important, starting with just the snare drum and the bass drum to get the coordination going it was a bit tricky to coordinate the leg and the hand, slowly adding the high hat to get used to it. At that time my wish was to play fills. Understanding the notation was not that hard it was simple.
Read my Year Journey - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/my-year-journey
Stories on how children learn and each story is different. But each story reminds us that each child is unique and learn in their unique way.
How a child Learn? How a child Progress? How a child Struggle? How a child Explore? How a child Discover
How a child Supported? How a child Understand Self? How a child Experiment?
Read The Stories - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/learning-stories
The freedom of “I decide” does not come without any responsibility. And it is not easy to be free - this requires choices to be evaluated, decisions to be made, consequences to be lived - while being questioned from every corner.
Add to freedom is the responsibility that one has to have not only of oneself and one’s actions but of the various tasks that you have chosen to do, of resolving all possible conflicts, of taking and giving feedback, of raising one’s voice, and be heard and finally responsible of making oneself happy.
It is our belief that only when we are out of our comfort zone, only when we stretch ourselves, only when we grope in the realm of unknown and unfathomable - we learn.
Read Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/expeiencing-open-learning-summer-week-3-2018
We have no dish to offer. We do not serve our children any learning on a platter. We aren't cooking to satisfy the children.
We're like a kitchen: Raw material and tools (resources) of all kinds are available. Children are challenged to cook for themselves, to create their own learning, to explore, experiment for their own reasons, to satisfy their own hunger.
Read Blog - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/kitchen-or-restaurant
A thought - Do you see SHAPES in MATHEMATICAL TABLES?
We watched a video showing a visual board of a mathematical table.
Making of this board itself took us time - first, we had to think what material, we worked on few materials like cardboard, wood etc but it did not suit our needs.
Then a spark came and we used old lid of paint bucket, Now it was all about nailing and using geometry tools to make marks. Once we succeed doing this in two days, we played with color yarn to explore shapes. We were mesmerized to see beauty in mathematical tables!
Blog Link - https://aarohilife.org/home/blog/dry-toilet-action
It began with a desire to PAINT Then paint on the WALL They searched and selected a suitable wall
They made a design Given other art styles - Warli, Madhubani, Zentangle, Mandala, etc Both made their own design
Made a couple of designs And decided to paint on two different surfaces Again searched for another surface So now we have two wall painting
They drew, they practiced, they referred to books, they relied on their imagination, they were open to trying new fonts and lines...and they began their journey. Both made their first Solo wall painting
The videos are unlisted - pl refrain from sharing with your friends. Instead, share your learning with them. The recordings are only meant for the participants and not to be made public .
