 There are so many things happening in the daily lives of children, especially interactions which occur constantly with the members of their community. The world is a dynamic space that permeates possibilities; an ecological setting where the environment becomes a resource for us to observe and support the children. The challenge is that the community has predefined goals regarding children’s abilities and what their viewpoints and understanding of the world “should be”. Do we as guardians allow time and space for children to be the driving force in their own learning and constructors of knowledge? To do this, we need to understand our children not only as individuals but dynamic members of society. In the community, they are a force that can potentially make change through interactions they have with objects and others in the environment. We need to accept them as catalysts of change through exchanges that are positive and full of energy, where they have the opportunity to develop new ideas and shape their perceptions and thinking about the world. Extending it further, we use this lens to understand different members of our community who each have the ability to affect change and contribute to make the learning environment for children become more positive, spirited and active. If the community believes the child is able to shift their perception of our world to see a place of limitless possibilities, there would be exchanges that are rich and valuable as each individual would be motivated to share their thoughts and ideas to enrich each other’s lives. Learning is then not about imparting knowledge, but about growing our understanding of the world by being driven and interested to find out and learn together about the things around us.
These thoughts and ideas were the basis that sparked the concept for Mobile Classroom; to create a safe space for children to learn and explore possibilities in various settings through engagement with others in the world. It began in a homeschool setting with passionate parents and a teacher who believed in the idea of forming a community of learners. We adopted the project approach as a structure for the session as it allowed the children and facilitators to indulge in the joy of playing with different ideas, questioning and challenging their understanding of the world and acquiring new knowledge to share with others. We started with a group of six children to learn from each other with the guidance of two mentors. The small group size created more opportunities for the teachers to observe the children’s interactions and provide support or extend their conversations and questions. We are currently on our sixth project as we had to take a little break during the 2020 pandemic last year. Each and every session we try to build on the children’s past experiences, skills and how we approach and deepen the processes that happen during the sessions.
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'The Amazing Sarong', by Quek Hong Shin, is a cultural local story which brings us through a typical day of a Malay girl from the past. During the day, her family's sarong was used in different ways; from wrapping it into a turban to block out the sun to folding it into a blindfold for a game of Blindman's Bluff. This story reading experience provided an opportunity for the children to think about the uses of the sarong shared in the story. They also participated in drama activities where they were to use a sarong as an instrument of exploration to communicate their thoughts and ideas. When an idea was being presented by a friend, the group would try it out and give suggestions of how that idea could be improved. From the experimentation of ideas and movement with the sarong, the group created a story. ‘Everybody’s Rainbow Sarong’ is a tale of friendship and adventure where a group of friends comprising of two leopards and a penguin used their magic sarong to help Princess Elsa find her way back to her castle. Throughout the sessions, children were provided with opportunities to cultivate the skills necessary for collaboration, focusing on listening to their peers in various discussions, making suggestions, providing feedback and building on each other’s ideas. This also encouraged them to take others' perspectives into consideration as they created shared understanding of the tasks that were set and the goal the group was working towards. By the end of the six sessions, collaboration skills were cultivated through a storyboard creation, painting two sarongs to be used in their film as well as acting out their story for the film. To celebrate, we had a film screening of 'Everybody's Rainbow Sarong’ for their families to enjoy. To find out more about other projects we have been involved in, click here. Interested in creating a collaborative experience with a group of friends? Drop us an email at [email protected]! Sarong 1  Sarong 2  |
