Category: FAQ
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How is open learning different fom homeschooling or unschooling or free schooling?
Since the above terms are used in different ways by different people, let’s not bother about them. Rather, what is important is how much the child follows institutional (school or college given) structure as compared to how much the child / family decides and designs their own learning journey. Typically in homeschooling while the child…
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How is open learning different from other types of alternative education models like Montessori, Waldorf, Krishnamurthi, etc ?
Broadly, education models like Waldorf or Montessori, etc. follow a different process and approach towards learning, though they still follow the curriculum / subjects (at least for ages over 9 years) outlined by various educational boards. Also usually, alternate schools group children by age / class. In open learning obviously there is no given curriculum…
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What are the pros and cons of open learning vis-à-vis conventional schooling?
Pros: Learning is based on a child’s interest Space to both explore many interests as well as deep dive into one or few – at any age. Wide range of life skills as the child leads their own self, social, and learning journey including the ongoing cycle of planning, doing and reflecting. So many options…
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Is open learning for special children?
Open Learning is not for any particular kind of child or family. It is for families who think that this kind of learning journey is what they would like to do. Each child is special and unique and has different needs and wants. If the child / family chooses open learning – it is for…
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Will children not take the easy path, while away the time, become lazy or complacent etc?
This can happen not just with a child in open learning, but in conventional schooling / college as well as with us adults at any point of our life. And this is where the family plays an important role, closely reviewing, reflecting and understanding the child, and guiding with options that would work for that…
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How do children doing open learning face the ‘real world’?
In our experience, children in open learning are already in the real world – they are planning their life, finding resources from all over the world, doing real life projects and internships, travelling, meeting people from different walks of life, etc. Since nothing is pre-cooked for them, they are interacting with the real world on…
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What is the right age to start open learning? Is 4 years too young, is 14 too old?
Technically infants and toddlers are fierce and voracious open and natural learners. So younger children are naturally open learners and if left to lead themselves with ample opportunities, resources and exposure around continue this journey naturally. The older children, say teenagers, who have been in structured or school based learning may take little time to…
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Is open learning experimental? Is there any research to prove its efficacy?
Most of what we learn – during non school/college years – that is from 0 to 3 years old and then from 25 years till death – is actually open self-directed learning. Three-fourths of our life cannot be an experiment. Formal education system has been around for about two hundred years. Before that for thousands…
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What curriculum should I follow for open learning?
In open learning the curriculum is also open, rather the world is the curriculum. Since the child decides what he or she wants to learn, the child can decide to learn anything. Open learning considers all learning equal – whether it is embroidery or science or piano or football. It’s all about what the child…
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Is there an ideal schedule for open learning?
Yes, the ideal schedule is the one the child co-creates with his or her family. Rather each member of the family plans, discusses with others and using reflective inputs from others continuously fine tunes their open learning journey. Obviously the plan / schedule / structure of any open learner is very dynamic as the needs…
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How can we create and follow a learning plan for the child?
The learning plan can start with asking the child “What do you want to do / explore / learn / go deep into or what interests you want to explore?”The learning plan can also include what the family decides is important for the child. The learning plan would invariably have some exposures from the world…
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How do children learn in open Learning? Do they learn all by themselves?
Typically children decide how they want to approach any task / learning. They do not need to do it all by themselves. They are free to choose any resource – could be books, websites, videos, peers, parents, a teacher or an expert or a workshop or course or just learn by doing something. All of…
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Does open learning mean unstructured learning style?
Open Learning does not mean lack of structure. It means the child creates his or her own structure, own schedule and routine and own style. Each one of us is unique in how we approach the day, week, month, year and our life. Let the child’s instinct first and then experience later guide him or…
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What if the child is not ready to lead? What if the child doesn’t know what he/she wants to do?
Open learning means that there is no one way of doing it – rather it is the child’s way of learning. If the child wants you to lead, you lead – simple!(However in most cases, we invite the child to lead and then give the child the time and space to grow the ability to…
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What about academic subjects? What if a child does not want to learn academic subjects?
Everything is worth doing and learning, so there’s no need to divide learning by subjects or as academics and extra-curricular.Also a lot of so-called academic learning (like language, science and maths etc) is already integrated in life, in doing stuff. For example, cooking involves reading, talking, mathematics and loads of science.However, some families want to…
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Will my child be at par with children in a conventional school?
No. Child will be at par with themself, with what and who he or she is :). Why compare?If you are keen on comparing, you will realize that the child would be better or know much more in one area while would not have knowledge or skills as compared to others in another area. This…
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How do children get adequate exposure – to different topics, advanced concepts and skills?
There are many sources of exposure for a child (and an adult) in open learning, specially given the vast and wide internet and media presence:> Child’s own interest in any field leads the child to find out more.> Interactions with parents, relatives, friends, neighbours and to all other people the child happens to meet. Thus…
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How would the family provide all the resources / resource people and experts the child would need?
Please realise that the world is actually full of both resources and people who can support the child. We need not always look at home, parents and teachers for resources and people. When we start looking and asking, a lot of people and places which were not normally considered to be part of the education…
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How to balance practical and theoretical learning?
Maybe we don’t need to. In open learning children simply learn what they need to learn. If one needs to understand how something works, the child can either experience it or can willingly refer to the theory behind it or as in most cases a combination of two. Learning by itself is a seamless journey…
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What if a child gets addicted to gadgets or other wasteful activities?
First of all a child (or even adult) getting addicted to any wasteful activities is not a function of open learning. Many a times these so called wasteful activities are a way to get away from something that is not exciting or interesting to the child.In open learning what is important is the responsibility the…
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How will my child make friends?
By making friends.
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What about 10th Exam?
Don’t bother. Doesn’t matter.
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Is open learning legal in India?
Let’s put it this way – open learning is not illegal in India.The Right to Education bill (RTE) directs the government to ensure that every child (less than 14 years) has the right to education and hence should be provided with a school. However, RTE is not binding and does not put any onus on…