Once upon a time there was a CiCe conference at the rich buildings of “Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona”, in Spain. And the crew of To-Gather came together during the symposium “Seven reasons to come To-Gather”. It was a multi-perpectivistic and cooperative approach of reality, learning and young people, developed in the Project To-Gather. The project is a dream for young people.
Each paper represented another reason to come to gather integrating theory and practice, knowledge and creativity, scientific research and aesthetics, old an new learning theories and the past, the present and the future. It was about systems-thinking, relating the self and the other, multiple intelligences and sense openers such as music. The project keeps “ even the old” young because it is creative and it is strongly linked with aesthetic and arts. It is a way of learning and an art of living. Familia To-gather believes that in a learning arrangement young people may learn to develop an own identity.
The symposium gave a good overview of what is going on in the world. The world is a miracle so what should be done in education with young people to keep the miracles alive?
The first paper ‘Learning routes step by step’ (Duygu Akkaya and Wim Kratsborn) focused on the seven aims of the project related to the seven steps in the learning routes.
The second paper ; ‘Learn how learners are learning to learn’ by Sandra Rone and Burcu Akkaya was about gathering knowledege’. How can ‘the multiple identity’ know and understand ‘the multiple society’ in a multiple intelligent way? The subject was migration.
Step by step we learnt how learners are learning to learn. To-gather helps learners for intercultural dialogue and to understand “the multiple society” in a multiple intelligent way.
The third paper was ‘Let’s go shopping’ and we went shopping with Marijke van de Hel and Frans van Gaal : How could we live with all “the others” around us? Diffent religions and various ideological backgrounds are gliding in the air. Therefore we go shopping to buy what or which parts of the things we want for our own identity. And we use various creative techniques of Edward de Bono(the six hats and lateral thinking), Michael Gelb (the seven steps of Leonardo da Vinci) and Alex Osborn (the father of brainstorming).
At the end we had “good work” presentation. The fourth paper ‘Good work’ by Darja and Petra Stirn and Henrik Bak was even more down to earth. What good work can be done that is esthetical, engaged and ethical? How can environmental identity be transformed into the design of the own surroundings? Children built the “good work” with their small hands and what thery produce was totally from their hearts which is bigger then their hands.
The fifth paper was ‘Lifelong learning’ by Susana Goncalvez and Hugo Verkest) which is about the five minds for the future as a balanced and sustainable art of learning and living.
Inspired by Howard Gardner we keep the lifelong learning and try to become active citizens. And we find out what is right what is wrong act…
The symposium gave a good overview of what is going on in the world and what can be done in education to young people. It also gave a lot of possibilities for discussion and lifelong realisation. We can see the symposium as a short summary below:
1.Sense opened citizen
-to become a democratic citizen
-to relate the self and the other
-to give meaning to music
Wim Kratsborn/ Duygu Akkaya: ‘The learning route step by step’
2.Knowledge based citizen
-to gather knowledge from different perspectives
-to do systems thinking
-to use multiple intelligences
Sandra Rone and Burcu Akkaya: ‘Learning how learners are learning tro learn’ (migration)
3.Problem-solving citizen
-to do research
-to practice real life learning
-to do lateral thinking
Marijke van de Hel/Frans van Gaal: ‘Let’s go shopping’ (‘Theofiction).
4.Communicative citizen
-to exchange ideas
-to protect human rights
-to develop multicultural values
5.Creative citizen
-to use different learning strategies
-to search for the unknown
-to create an aesthetical product
6.Cooperative citizen
-to present and share the product with others
-to balance the five minds for the future
-to realize ‘good work’
Henrik Bak/ Darja and Petra Stirn: ‘Good work’
7.Reflective and active citizen
-to practice ‘core reflection’
-to realize ‘the multiple choice identity’
-to go for ‘lifelong learning’
Hugo Verkest/Susana Gonçalves: ‘Lifelong learning’
After our symposium the real fairy tale started with our workshop about “THE DOUBLE LIFE OF EUROPE”:
The projectleader Wim Kratsborn explained that‘ Life sometimes looks like a film with a written script, an unpredictable lapse inclusive flexible and fixed roles. In ‘A story of Europe’ the head-actress is Europe and she is playing in her own film. It is about an abstract idea as well as a concrete person in multiple figures. Europeis the director, the viewer but also the victim. It is a fascinating and turbulent life-story full of ups and downs, enemies and friends. But is also the story of the youth of today that’s forever young in Europe, weak and strong, open and closed, borderless and narcissistic, individual and collective, happy and sad. I wanted to know her and that’s why I visited her in many places. I started to like, hate and love her.Welcome to the double life of Europe and that’s what this workshop is about. We use a story, music and images of Europe. After all the participants have to play their own role(s) and make their own film:’
During the workshop everybody went to another world after reading the material and came back with his own childhood, history or legend… As we can see in the small videos each person who attended the workshop, was so happy to be there and to be part of the promising movie.
The scenes were:
-Granada: The Alhambra
-Paris: The French Revolution
-Ypres: Take care Gertrud
-Ljubljana: Wake up Zlata
-Lowlands: She’s leaving home
And aims of the workshop were:
-To look at Europe from different perspectives, times and places
-To experience Europe from the inside
-To relate Europe to the self and the other
-To visualize Europe in a film-scene
-To talk about it with participants from different parts of Europe
At the end, maybe as the To-Gather crew we draw our own Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega.
We had to write our own Spanish fairytale like Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia…
“Who knows where the read may lead us, only a fool would say
Who knows if we’ll meet along the way
Follow the brightest star as far as the brave may dare
What will we find when we get there
La Sagrada Familia we pray the storm will soon be over
La Sagrada Familia for the lion and the lamb
Who knows where the winds will blow us, only a fool would say
Who knows if we’ll ever reach the shore
Follow a rising sun with eyes that may only stare
What kind of fire will burn us there? What kind of fire?
Only a fool would say
La Sagrada Falilia the wind has changed the storm is over
La Sagrada Familia for the lion and the lamb
La Sagrada Familia we thank the lord the danger’s over
La Sagrada Familia there’s peace throughout the land
Under clear blue skies our voices rise in songs of glory
And for all those years our eyes and ears were filled with tears
Who knows where the world may turn us, only a fool would say
Who knows what the fates may have in store
Follow the light of truth as far as our eyes can see
How should we know where that may be? How should we know?
Then the angry skies, the battle cries, the sounds of glory
And for all those years our eyes and ears were filled with tears
Who knows where the road may lead us, only a fool would say
Who knows wha’s been lost along the way
Look for the promised land in all of the dreams we share
How will we know when we are there? How will we know?
Only a fool would say
La Sagrada Falilia the war is won the battle’s over
La Sagrada Familia for the lion and the lamb
La Sagrada Familia we thank the lord the danger’s over
La Sagrada Familia behold the mighty hand
La Sagrada Familia the night is gone the waiting’s over
La Sagrada Familia there’s peace throughout the land
Until the next time
Until the next time”
La Sagrada Familia (Alan Parsons Project- Gaudi)
To-Gather is an uncompleted Project like Gaudi’s not completed project La Sagrada Familia which is difficult to finish without Gaudi…
by Burcu Akkaya
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