Manish,
it was very good meeting you and being able to spend some time together in Porto Alegre.
I've been thinking long and hard about our similarities and differences. I see much of the
difference as arising from your base being India while mine is Canada. I also feel you are
taking a longer perspective. At any rate, although I had to miss your Udaipur workshop,
I'd like to respond to your invitation for reflections but only with one of the three
questions:
What do you
feel are the most important questions and issues to focus on if we wish to regenerate
learning societies in South Asia?
I
feel it's important to provide a very broad view that responds to the wide variety of
learning experiences sought by a varied group of participants. Learners come in all sizes
and shapes, with their own agendas and learning styles so almost everything should be
available. The one universal, that could help all learners, is an exploration of learning
itself .... learning how to learn. My own experiences were with a curriculum developed by
Reuven Feuerstein called "Instrumental Enrichment." There is also a need to
convince many learners that they can function without a traditional teacher.