[PeDAGoG] A shout out to Melanie Bush

[Devika Misra]

That sounds like the Melanie I know ! Thank you for sharing Pallavi, this
is beautiful and very inspiring!

On Sat, 28 May 2022, 13:18 Pallavi Varma Patil, <pallavi.vp at apu.edu.in>
wrote:

> 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
>
>
>
> --
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>
>
>
>
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