Enabling kids enjoy learning through heutagogy

How would you feel if your kid is passionate to learn something and learns on their own, gathering the resources required for learning on their own? Sounds great! Many parents bloomed with joy and were much satisfied to see this in practice. This is "Heutagogy". Heutagogy develops a sense of global stewardship in the learners.

26th September is "World Heutagogy Day" and on this day in 2013, the first book on Heutagogy, "Self-Determined Learning" was published. Heutagogy is the process by which teachers help learners to discover and follow their learning interests within the education system in school, college or university. It brings informal interest-driven learning into formal subject-based learning contexts. Ideally, it enables the curiosity of all learners to stay with them after they leave education. The theme for this year's WH Day is "How Can We Green Our Learning" Many "green" heutagogical activities have been taken up celebrating this year's theme.

Over a period of time, when I happened to observe kids and their common attitude towards simple yet important aspects in their life, I could gradually understand what is happening in the education system. We try to insert pieces of information and knowledge into their brains in order to let them gain good grades in assessments. I could see that the kids rushed out of the class, as if they wore wings when the games period bell rang. Their joyful screams lingered in my ears for long time. One thought always triggered me. "How would it be, if a similar joyful attitude for learning develops in kids?"

Now, I wanted a model that could fulfil my dream. My dream was that kids enjoy learning and learn by themselves just like they play games. I wanted the same passion towards learning on their own. After a decade of my experiments on various methods, I found Heutagogy during my Independent research. I researched more on this "gogy". Then I created a format for this "gogy" that could suit Indian context of learning. My small experiments resulted in huge success and this is when my grade V kids authored "Letha Akasalu", a book on how they learned through Heutagogy.

These experiments led me to present my research papers in CCE Finland, TECH 2017 and TECH 2018 and CCE Finland, Hyderabad global symposiums. I train teachers and students simultaneously on how to implement Heutagogy (in their practice).

Freedom to the teacher

Teachers are given freedom to implement their ideas and prepare appropriate tools to implement their innovative ideas. Tools should be prepared based on the needs of the students. We can consider the societal background and the environment of the students while preparing ideas or tools.

Kids are natural heutagogical learners and primary school is a great opportunity to build on their skills of hypothesis making, hypothesis testing, exploration, working together, failing, playing, watching others, hands on learning, researching and learning what is wheat and chaff opines Stewart Hase, the father of heutagogy.