Students Learning Journey with Real School: How Effective is It?
What Kejal’s mom did not know at that point was that Kejal who was all of 12 was trying to understand Kitchen Challenges which her mom faces for her new project with Real School.
The philosophy that Real School follows before starting off on any project, is for kids to understand the need for something and to gain an understanding of the problem from other’s perspective.
Before we dive into the stages of growing and learning through Real School Projects, let’s take a look at these pictures.
Inventions by Children
What is common between the trampoline, Braille and Earmuffs. All of these are amazing inventions by Children. The idea of equipment which will act as a springboard came to George Kissen, 15 years when he went to the circus.
Louis Braille, who was blind himself, invented a system to read when he was 10 years old, Earmuff was invented in the 19th century by a 16-year-old Chester greenwood. Her initial invention had a wire loop and a fur sewn to the ends.
Kids can amaze us. We just have to give them the right resources and NOT define a narrow spectrum of what they have to achieve.
Quest Stage: Research & Discover
Phase 1 of Quest Stage: Empathy
Rather than immediately jumping in with ideas about the coolest way to solve the issues that people encounter in the kitchen or rather than doing a google search on what common kitchen annoyances are, Kejal was asked to observe their family members, ask them what is the primary issue they have to deal with on a frequent basis.
As it happens, mommy had an answer which google could never throw up!
Phase 2 of Quest Stage: Finding the Relevance!
Who has the problem? What is the real need? What is their story?
Here are 3 power-packed questions which bring in the Core Reasoning towards working on a solution.
Why is This Phase Important?
2 defining moments happened when Kejal asked these 3 questions
- She could relate to the problem
- She is motivated to bring a solution to this nagging problem
Unless a student knows for sure that his knowledge can be applied towards improving, changing or inventing something, the student will be more driven to learn. This is human nature. The fact that learning is problem-centred rather than content-oriented has been established when it comes to Adult Learner.
Unfortunately, this is not widely acknowledged when it comes to young learners. Your child is no different. When he goes through the rigamarole of Studying through textbooks, listening to lectures and doing homework, the thought of Why am I doing this? Why am I learning this concept goes through his mind more than once. Empathizing and understanding problems from other’s perspective conditions the child’s attitude and mindset towards learning.
Phase 3 of Quest Stage: The Student Defines the Problem
If you notice it is the Student who has to define the problem. Not the teacher. Here is where we are different from the traditional way of teaching. A student has to understand
- Who is experiencing the problem.
- How big the problem is.
- Why is it important that this problem is solved.
All these questions will help him understand the goal of the project & define the problem. This is an important step. A meaningful actionable definition of the problem will steer the project in the right direction.
Know more about Students Learning Journey with Real School, click here