Sunday, 26. October 2008, 16:36:09
You know about my interest in cognition/ knowing, aesthetic sense- especially the biological roots of this.
I think it is important to go deeper in this as what is happening to children in schools in the name of education is infact miamaing/ crippling the cognitice tools, destroying their creativity and turn them in to believers, ready to serve the industrial mahyime.
This is also the case with what is happening to the ‘indigenous knowledge/ traditional knowledge’ of non literate communities as it is also being destroyed by wrong understanding of how knowing takes place.
I am planning a series of events to look afresh at all these.
The workshop- sensing nature; knowing nature’ I do with children in April/ may in Aruvacode could be a good time/ opportunity to do this as there would ample proofs in the event.
You may wonder what is my accadamic credentials to do this.
I feel it is this very ‘accadamic credentials that is preventing us from ‘knowing’ as all these are very common sensical and existential issue. The crisis is in ‘living’ or our conduct, relationship to the world. It is important that we do the search- research and not leave it to the ‘experts’. Also because this doesn’t require extra time nor money but extra awareness of how we conduct our lives every day.
One of the toughest aspect of this search will be the existing mind set or the belief system of the seeker ( what is understood as ‘knowledge’) as well as the cognitive damages already done to us.
Our fragmented and logic oriented mind will be the first hindrance to any fresh seeking as it would only try to ‘understand’ from where it already is and will not even allow us to hold a question long enough for understanding to take place on its own.
As of now four sessions come to my mind.
Naturally the first session will be to look at our own limitations in ‘knowing’.
I would suggest de textualising experience, de- intellectualizing knowledge,
Along with damages of schooling on us. Over use or fragmented use of ‘logic’ etc etc…
The other three sessions are on the biological roots of ‘knowing’, sense of beauty, and the conduct or the values we acquire.
To clarify more as to what I mean by biology is that we are transforming in to ‘human knowings’ from ‘human beings’.
We KNOW but can’t BE.
The biological being is born original and creative. Knowing is integral to it.
These sessions are being thought of as 4 separate ones with each of them with duration of 2 to four days.
Suggtions are welcome. We could do one in Aruvacode, Nilambur and then depending on everyones convenience we could do it in other places. One could be in Adilabad, and one in Shimoga and one in Goa or Nasik etc.
Do respond as soon as possible.
I think about 10 to 15 people would be a good size.
Tuesday, 22. April 2008, 01:36:17
art, beauty, Children, body
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The workshop takes the perspective that schooling and 'schooled’ adults damages the natural creativity and intelligence of children.
The aim of the workshop is to enable parents and teachers to rediscover children’s natural abilities like curiosity, ability to perceive, reason and make sense of the world on their own. They are innovative, scientific in their approach and are born artists.
This will ensure that children’s biological cognitive process are not hampered.
Children are born curious, exploratory and is biologically equipped to engage and make sense of the world.
Schooling replaces natural abilities of autonomous perception, organic memory and spontaneous reasoning with dependency on expert knowledge, artificial memory and fragmented reasoning. The ‘knowing’ is replaced with ‘knowledge’Read more...
Wednesday, 23. May 2007, 05:57:19
Smelling nature, Seeing nature. Hearing nature, Touching nature, Tasting nature
Seeing nature. Hearing nature, Tasting nature, Smelling nature, Touching nature.
The workshop begins with children sitting in silence and consciously listening to all the sounds.
Then various situations are created for children to observe minutely the things that they normally do not notice.
Colour in Nature
Children are asked to collect dry leaves of different shades and stick them in order. They then make the color by mixing the primary colors. This they repeat with various other colors in nature. They also do a color scale with two colours.
They also bring colored leaf and reproduce the same by mixing colors. Then they make scenery with coloured leaves and dry leaves.
Using stones and soil, sand children make pookalam etc
The children are given colourful magazines to tear and do collage.
Lines and shapes in Nature
Children collect different types of leaves and draw then in detail. Children are also given twisted leaves. Looking at various objects does drawing. This includes simple objects like brush, chair etc. portraits, posture, and also the village scenes, houses etc.
Touching nature
Children make things/become aware of the textural qualities of objects and other qualities related to touch sense. Children also do a textural scale using various objects of varying texture. Then they make surfaces of different texture using clay.They also draw this out using pencil and paper.
Smelling nature
There are few games children play for identifying smells. This they do with eyes blind folded.
-One group of children is involved in making the model of the village using clay.
-Making things using paper, leaf etc.
This year we also did stitching. The act of threading demands attention and concentration and children needs to take care while stitching which would in turn awaken the quality of ‘care’ in them.
Thursday, 4. May 2006, 06:39:45
to taste, to make, feel, Children
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Senses which is our doors to the outer world and also to the inner world is what needs to be addressed and that too in a manner that would enhance the inherent, natural, biological tendency in all human beings to be in beauty and to know.
Senses connects not only to knowledge but also to the beauty of living. Sensitivity is in a way is matter of the awakening of the senses and feelings.
Sensing Nature; Knowing Nature is a workshop we have been conducting from 2003 at Aruvacode , Nilambur during the summer holidays – April and May. This year about 40 children of the age 5 to 15 from the village attended the workshop.
Each and every time children have proved that they are born genius and they need to be left alone to make sense of the world.
The fundamental issues we raise through this event is the 'nature of learning, biologically embedded aesthetic sense in children, role of the 'teacher', do nothing method etc.
It looks like that we are already born with aesthetic sense. I think this is our connection to the world and the way we conduct our lives provided we leave that to the nature in all of us.
The work shop on sensing nature is for providing space to come together to listen, to see, to taste, to touch, feel, to make etc. There is no teaching.
Development of aesthetic sense which is the basis for all art forms seems to me the most important aspect to be explored as this would equip the student to pursue any art form at any time depending on the individuals interest and opportunities that might prop up.
Rather than learning skills to sing, paint, draw etc this would make a qualitative and an attitudinal change.
Teaching is not called for but by providing an environment that would allow the natural in us to come forth.
This would require sensitivity, trust and indeed careful planning for the unplanned to happen. jinankb@yahoo.com , www.re-cognition.org
WIDGETIZE