We are currently making a living academy at Bhavani Peth in Pune City.
We design authentic contexts that are close-to-life to discuss topics in the curriculum. We don’t deliver lessons, therefore LA is not a paatShaala, but a chaatShaala. For most STEM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) we use construction / making or investigation projects as contexts for curriculum. We spend our time on the process and mechanics of making a product / content. In other words, we make content, and we do not merely read or deliver content. We nurture academic habits (STEM habits), and this is the only syllabus we cover. We consider academic habits as trans-disciplinary, and therefore common to almost all walks-of-life.
[quote=“GN, post:1, topic:14933”] We spend our time on the process and mechanics of making a product / content.
[/quote] Let us look at electronic circuits as a product. A product that is mass produced, and sold to common man, usually is soldered together. But a LivingAcademician has to conceptualize, use components like a battery, resistor, transistor, integrated circuit, design the circuit, make it and test it. Making an electronic circuit for testing is best done on a Breadboard, the bread and butter of electronic circuit development. The first activity at LivingAcademy on electronics should be on a Breadboard! There are 15 earlier posts that use Breadboard, but I have not read any that describes how Breadboards should be used. At Vijnansagar, Thrissur, Kerala, students have connected components on breadboard using stranded wires instead of solid wires, and without drawing circuit diagrams on paper.