Workshop on observing children
18 and 19 July.
Time 11 am to 5 pm both days.
Venue: Indradhanushya environment centre of pune corporation.
Opp sachin tendulkar jogging park, kanhere path, near mhatre bridge, rajendranagar, pune 30.
We are planning a workshop on how to observe children. We will be using few videos from our collection to explore that.
Importance of observing children-
Children are close to nature. When left free their behaviour is as per the design/ intent of nature. They play, they make things and they make 'toys'. All these activities to explore and understand the world around them. This is LEARNING. Integral nature of learning or the effortless aspect of learning or the neuro biological/physiological basis for learning can be seen in children before we interfere with this process. The way children learn the world is the way all biological beings learn to sustain life. The logic of the process and the structure of the content are defined by existential nature of
learning and living. In fact they are only re discovering the world in them!
Play had been the natural process by which children made sense of the world. children learned the way physical/ natural world functions by studying the way things looked (FORM), what is possible with what is
around (QUALITY) and the way things happened (PROCESS or PHENOMENON) apart from social life which were also mastered though various kind of play. Learning has been an inherent, autonomous, sub conscious activity which is the basis of life on earth. If we truly want to understand how learning happens observing children is very crucial.
When we are observing children we should be free from all the notions about children we normally carry. It should be unconditional and should start from the paradigm of Unknown. This very process is a process of de-schooling and un- conditioning.
The observing activity needs to be very subtle. Children shouldn't be disturbed nor they should be aware that they are being observed. If they become aware of observation , performing may start happening.
This process of observation can be extended in general to learn to SEE. What blocks seeing is our notion that we know, which has been instilled by the schooling system and our rational mind which
constantly wants to reason so that the mind can be put to rest. We are actually reasoning away as we do not have the ability to hold questions and doubts.
About our resource person, Mr. Jinan,in his own words-
My enquiry has been rooted in experience. I stopped reading in 1990 or so and this re wired my cognitive process and stopped reasoning as a way for comprehension. My cognitive source shifted from books/ words to the world. Observation/ attention/ awareness/ sensitivity/ experience became my cognitive process and self organizing became the process of comprehension. Automatically conscious reasoning stopped and reasoning became subconscious and an integral aspect of experience.
This means understanding began to happen! It was not forced by reasoning. Seeing/ recognizing patterns became inherent way of understanding. Insight became the way of knowing.
I have been living with non literate people from 1989. ( i call them sense cognites and the literates, the mind cognites) The purpose being to understand their knowing process as I was concerned with my
own rootless ness which modern education gifted me. My research has been on two aspects which are 1. The cognitive crisis of modernity and 2. The biological roots of being human. Put it in another way how is our 'being-ness' formed. What I have been feeling is that in the context of modernity human
beings are becoming human knowings!
Man's dependence on mediated knowledge shifts his cognitive system. In the context of modernity literacy brought in total change in the consciousness of man. Total structure of cognition changed. In fact we stopped cognizing and started engaging with communication. Eyes instead of seeing become aid for thinking. Eyes also change the way they 'see' the world. Fragmentation of left/ right brain happens/
ardha naari-eeshwara quality in the being shifts to masculine quality, collective nature becomes self centric, nature centric being becomes anthropocentric etc...
All biological beings are cognitive beings. We can only learn the context. This is not a limitation. Context is as vast as the world.
There is no end to learning within the context if you really begin to learn. Real context is ONESELF. As much as one discovers the outer world/ reality/ truth one also discovers the inner world.
From my own experience of enquiry into the biological roots of cognition, beauty and values i have noticed some fundamental difference with the ways in which modern knowledge system explores.
Deeper, wholistic and integrated understanding happens in the kind of enquiry which is the result of awakening finer ability to observe.
Instead of seeking knowledge one needs to develop sensitivity so that knowledge is revealed.
The workshop will be held in the spirit of exploration and enquiry and not with mere argumentative spirit.
Amol, Reva and Ranjana, who are together with jinan in the 'Reimagining Schools' Research' , will also share their experiences.
The days are.. 18 and 19 July.
Time 11 am to 5 pm both days.
Venue: Indradhanushya environment centre of pune corporation.
Opp sachin tendulkar jogging park, kanhere path, near mhatre bridge, rajendranagar, pune 30.
Voluntary contributions are invited to meet the expenses of resource persons.
Please contact Ranjana Baji <dranjana12@gmail.com> to know more.
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