The world is our classroom (not just International Studies...)Our planet is amazing. And by exploring it, you can easily become wiser. In our experience, learning does not equal reading books. Learning begins with opening your eyes, and discussing what you see with others.Years of traditional school life have led us to believe that "real" learning takes place inside a class room with books.
(More or less - this is of course quite a very black-and-white picture - but you probably know what we mean.)
At DNS we turn this "normal way" of learning upside down.
In 1972 DNS started to let teacher students travel overland from Denmark to Asia as part of their education. 30 years later the idea to make the world your classroom is still as radical and just as valid.
From her very first breath a child has learned. Learning has not taken place only when the teacher told her what to do. It took place when she grabbed the candle on the table and burnt her fingers. It took place when she did dare to tell her own opinion. And so on.
Learning takes place anywhere and is not limited to a classroom, to books or a blackboard. It has a much broader aspect.
Learning takes place whenever you meet people and communicate with them. Questions are asked, answers are received, understanding and analysing starts. Information and communication are basic skills needed in any type of social work - as a teacher, development worker or social worker.
Sometimes working in a homeless shelter for an afternoon can change your view on everything. Ten minutes alone on a hilltop make you realize. One whiff of the stench in Calcutta's slum will be stored in your brain forever. And the smile that you got from a total stranger.
That is why the idea that "the world is our classroom" is emphasized at DNS. |