Philosophy of education

Lessons from Ari and Febo 

On the second day, we trekked to the primary rainforest to collect seedlings for replanting in the nursery back at Cabin 2. I recall how the main problem our team had last year was differentiating between weeds and trees. This year we've definitely improved though there were still many instances when we would hesitate pondering whether the plant in front of us was a weed or a tree and whether we should pluck it out or leave it be. 

This activity was very much a learning by doing activity. Ari kept on assuring us that if we  didn't know whether it was a weed or a plant, instead of asking for help every single time, we were free to collect the plant first. Only once we had collected (what we thought to be) seedlings, Ari sat down with us in the forest to slowly go through what was right (a tree) and what was not (weed). I remember him saying; 

"If you have a question, 'how do you know, if this is weeds or trees, or baby trees?'

This is hard, but this is best question for us, 

because the answer is just experience" 

I really like that whole system of trust and nurturing in learning, in this kind of environmental, experiential education. By letting us try to distinguish the weeds and trees on our own, and creating a space that not only allows but encourages mistakes, it makes the process of learning so much more enjoyable, and it made me feel like I wanted to do the activity again to improve. (as compared to a system of teaching and learning that is of a top-down approach, where mistakes are frowned upon). 

During facilitation of that night, there were quite a few interesting points shared by the others in the team, about how they felt about the activity. Weiqi talked about how there is much more knowledge gained by experience, and I think it is not only more knowledge, but also a deeper degree of knowledge gained, when lessons are learnt through first-hand experience, instead of being dictated. 

Ultimately, this lesson can be brought back to the school-setting. For a long time, I have always been a bit hesitant at answering and raising my opinion in class, in fear that I'm wrong or that I'll be laughed at for my answer. But, like i mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes when you are unsure of something, the best way forward is to just jump into that something. It is never really about the final answer or the final product, the learning  is always at its deepest during the process. Keren and Vanessa both talked about how you can always choose to make the most out of your experience, and that you shouldn't let anything stop you from learning as much as you can. They mentioned how petty discomforts like leeches must be put aside if you want to enjoy the whole experience of being in the primary forest, which as we pointed out, was so much cooler and more peaceful than the open grassland outside, without the calm of the forest. 

Of course it has to be understood that in school or in life, not all teachers and mentors will be as nurturing and easygoing as Ari, and they may not provide you with that space of encouraging mistakes and may in fact be the complete opposite, which could be very disheartening. What i shared with the team was that perhaps then, if this nurturing space is not given to us, then we take the responsibility to create it within us, such that, no matter what the teaching philosophy of the teacher we have is (top down, mistakes frowned upon), that we always have a choice to encourage ourselves to learn the way we want, thanking each mistake for giving us more experience. 

When talking to Febo, I found out that he gives outdoor guitar lessons to kids for free in Medan, but that his style of teaching is not like delivering technical lessons from a textbook. Rather, he teaches the kids whatever songs that they want to learn, making the learning process more fun and engaging. 

So often in school, we are taught the importance of thinking logically, of methodological problem solving and while this is definitely important for all subjects not just maths or science, there is always a disconnect between the subject matter being learnt and the student. The link of "how am i connected to what I'm learning?" is never really emphasised. And I admit, as a student, I'm still trying to find that link and connect the dots which I feel is important because once that can be achieved, the process of learning may no longer be seen as a chore that simply has nothing to do with my own development. 

That's what I love about environmental education through activities like what we did at Cabin 2. By experiencing how it feels to carry out restoration activities (as opposed to reading up about the process of restoration and the cause and effect of deforestation), I understand that I am connected to what I learn. That there is a symbiotic relationship between the forest and myself, and now that that link has been formed, perhaps that's why the way I live my life after GPS has been slightly different, as I've become more conscious of my actions and how it will affect others. 

The Logical Song (Supertramp)

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, 
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily, 
oh joyfully, oh playfully watching me. 
But then they sent me away to teach me how to be sensible, 
logical, oh responsible, practical. 
And then they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, 
oh clinical, oh intellectual, cynical. 

There are times when all the world's asleep, 
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man. 
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned, 
I know it sounds absurd, 
but please tell me who I am. 
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