[PeDAGoG] A shout out to Melanie Bush

Sat May 28 09:39:42 CEST 2022

Dear PeDAGoG Members,

I wanted to share a recent interesting and meaningful experience that came
about directly as a result of this network.

You are aware (mostly thanks to my own emails) that Sujit and I offered the
first session in the new webinar series called 'Learnings for Alternative
Futures' (designed in collaboration with several valuable networks)  by
presenting our initiative, 'Living Utopias' on April 1, 2022.  It was a
session with a small group and we had a very useful conversation amongst
the participants. One of them , Melanie Bush (more on her in our google
sheet <https://bit.ly/3MWczsB> ) reached out to us in the following week
and we had a lovely conversation about pedagogies and experiential
learning- making abstract values more tangible.

And so I learnt from Melanie (with her generous sharing of ideas ) how to
set up an assignment around a Time Bank in a classroom space . I was
skeptical but my students in an Indian University (36 of them) rose to the
occasion and exceeded the brief and more. They paired up on their own and
shared their skills and gifts. So from bike rides to coffee evenings to
cooking, a lake walk, a photoshoot, braiding hair,  to watching a film
together, playing childhood games - they completed their time sharing tasks
in  myriad ways.

And just like that my University class transformed like magic . We had a
whole unit on Solidarity Economics with the usual reading list but now each
one of them came back to class with a different mind set towards learning.
They were so much more engaged as participants in ideas around Living
Utopias.  Without ANY exception I had 36 reflections that spoke about the
huge impact a small assignment made on the possibilities that friendships
and connections bring,

It was difficult to read their sensitive reflections without tearing up.
These students are in the age group of 22-27 years. Coming out of COVID
closures, and increased polarisation in the world around them,  several are
struggling to make and maintain real physical comradeship and friendships.
Many are also very despondent about the future.
In this context, thanks to such a  simple assignment, I got to connect with
my students in a very different and humane way.

I wanted to publicly thank Melanie in this forum for this impromptu
collaboration.  Following our webinar was Dan Baron's fantastic session and
a 3rd webinar in the series is on its way. I hope what is now set rolling
continues and we do not stop soon.

Because look how New York affected  Bangalore!.

Best,
Pallavi

-- 
https://naitaleem.wordpress.com/

-- 
https://naitaleem.wordpress.com/
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