COVER STORY
the
T
R
of
A
Learning
I think, therefore…
By Benita Sumita
What is learning? What does it entail? There is no simple or single
answer to these questions. However in this issue of The Keystone
Magazine, we offer a way to think about it – The ‘what’ lies in the
‘how’. This entails exploring and understanding the art of learning.
And we show you ‘how,’ and what this means at Keystone.
“W
hat did you learn today?” is a question that transcends
cultural boundaries, and is a part of many a parentchild conversation in many homes. This is something
I ask my son too. And just the other day, this is what he said, “I used
paint to make a picture of a tree. Then I read a book about dinosaurs.
Then I cut out pictures of warm clothes to stick on a teddy bear. And
then we went out to play, and I was the policeman…” He went on
and on for a while. Apart from making me wonder if I did too little
in a day compared to a 3-year old, his answer was interesting because
though I asked him what he learned that day, he told me a lot more
about how he learned.
His answer took me back to a philosophy lesson, “Cogito, ergo sum,”
meaning I think, therefore I am. This revolutionary statement by
French philosopher René Decartes is foundational to any discourse
on method – the ‘how.’ Thinking is what makes us human, and
education must focus on “how” to think and “what” to know and not
on “what” to think. More often than not, what to know and what to
think are blurred at the cost of losing thinking altogether. It made me
wonder why do we not ask our children, “How did you learn today?”
We may ask how was school today, but not how did you learn today.
It is, if not more, an equally important question to ask. At Keystone,
the two questions assume equal importance – not only ‘what,’ but
also ‘how’ underpins the educational ethos and fabric of our school.
It is what we would like to call the ‘Art of Learning’ at Keystone.
CULTURE OF LEARNING
Each student finds and develops his or her own approach to studying
– it is like your shoes that bear the imprint of your feet. It is personal;
it is centered on the self. Teachers and educators help students
find and nurture their ways of learning, their customized culture of
learning. Customized because Keystone has a collective culture of
learning, which students draw from, make their own, and sometimes
develop further. A