The question was asked, “What are the pros and cons of open learning vis-s-via conventional schooling?”
ROSHANI sharing, mother of 5yrs old Ronak, doing open learning for last one year
Open learning = seamless extension of real life.
Open learning = integration of individual/ family/ society.
Open learning = freedom of self-expression while considering the interests of all. Open learning = mysterious, magical and beautiful.
Open learning = enriching and fulfilling.Cons of open learning… riding the wave of uncertainty, challenges, outworn beliefs and conditioning, doubts and fears every now and then. Asking you to face them head-on and move further. Also, convincing immediate family in the inner circle to come on board. Sounds Radical.
SUPARNA sharing, the way my son asks with surprise, who has never gone to a conventional school: -Why did you have to sit in a classroom for the whole day? -Why couldn’t you play more? Why couldn’t you sit for the science class the whole day when that’s your favorite? Why couldn’t you choose the class you wanted to be in? Why was there no class for ‘DIY’ stuff? Why do you need more marks than others?
In an open learning environment, the default setting is the exact opposite of the above scenario. Hence the surprise. And cons of open learning (actually it’s singular- all anxieties boil down to the sense of security) come probably in the mind of the ‘connecting link’ who himself/herself has been grilled by the conventional schooling but cherishes the idea of freedom and exploration rather than ‘It-might-be-useful-in-future’ curriculum!
Jayashree, mother of 12yrd old twins sharing, Learning best happens when there is interest, curiosity, and/or intrinsic motivation to do something. Open learning facilitates that.
ANJALI, who started Open learning this year, sharing
Learning is self-directed and self-designed- what, how, how much, where, when of learning. The landscape of possibilities to explore, experiment and expand is without boundaries and one just needs to take the leap and choose for self. Learning happens in an integrated way. Immense opportunities to learn life skills. Learning is not bound by a curriculum. I can learn anything at any point in time without any hesitation. I can start learning something as a newbie even if I get old and I might learn something which is much beyond what the curriculum states. In conventional learning, if I fail to understand something or forget something and move on to the next grade, it becomes difficult to go back to understand what I missed. And without understanding the basics, if I keep moving on to the next level, my understanding is not complete. In open learning, I can go back and forth till I get the confidence of having understood something. There is no hesitation or shame in learning something that I was supposed to have learned a long time back.