Last Friday I made a visit to Gorssel where our 2nd year WdKA illustration students were spending some days to draw and paint outside, visit musea like Kroller Moller Park.
Our goal of the fieldtrip is to strengthen the bond between students and stimulate informal learning. We chose for an isolated location to be away from distractions of life in the city. We hoped that students would feel safe to experiment in this new environment. We asked students to make a 150 drawings to give them the experience of the pleasure of drawing. One of the students wrote on the drawing: “how am I going to find time to do 15o drawings”
I found it an interesting response. We tried to generate freedom; and there were no deadlines or grades. It seems this student still felt something ‘had to be done’ instead of him/her ‘wanting to do it’. I think the key to successful education is when we can convince students; that learning is something they want to, instead of have to. I think that by giving students homework we’re not giving them the opportunity to reflect upon this.