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Who this may be relevant for

Our educational work may be relevant for:

• children and young people discovering technology, making, culture or scientific ideas;
• pupils who need enrichment, a different learning route or support with learning strategies;
• students looking for practical experience, an internship or a real project;
• people returning to learning after illness, overload, dropping out or a difficult period;
• adults who want to develop knowledge or a skill outside formal education;
• experienced people who want to preserve and pass on their knowledge;
• teachers, mentors and other knowledge holders who want to develop learning environments together.

These roles overlap. A student can contribute, an experienced volunteer can learn something new, and someone who needs support may in another area be the person with the most knowledge.

Learning through real work

Real projects give abstract knowledge a context. Mathematics may become necessary to measure something, electronics to understand a signal, language to document a method in a transferable way, and philosophy to investigate whether a technically possible solution is also desirable.

The project does not have to exist only as an exercise. Precisely when the result genuinely matters somewhere, questions arise about responsibility, quality, cooperation, uncertainty and the consequences of choices.

More than extra exercises

When someone gets stuck, more of the same instruction is not always the answer. A different context can restore curiosity, understanding or confidence. That may be a technical object, but also a cultural example, a conversation, a craft task, a research project or a combination of different disciplines.

Support with learning can therefore include:

• breaking down a complex problem without removing its meaning;
• learning to plan, test, document and evaluate;
• practising concentration, pacing and asking for help;
• developing ownership instead of waiting for the next instruction;
• connecting theory with materials, systems, people and consequences;
• learning to deal with the fact that a question can have more than one reasonable answer.

Internships and learning roles

An internship should connect learning, guidance and meaningful work. A student should not be used as a cheap substitute for work that would otherwise have to be done by someone else. A student can, however, take responsibility for real work when the goal, guidance, level and expectations fit.

The form depends on the project, available guidance and the requirements of the educational institution. Not every project or location can support every kind of internship at every moment.

Passing knowledge on is itself a form of learning

Practical expertise is often embedded in perception, movement, sound and judgement. Someone trying to explain something also discovers where their own knowledge was implicit, where assumptions were hidden and which words or examples genuinely help.

Knowledge transfer is therefore not one-way traffic. Demonstrating, guiding, documenting, maintaining source code, conducting a debate or working alongside someone for a long time can develop both the learner and the knowledge holder.

The thinking behind this

Education touches the same questions about exoteric knowledge, autonomy and power that also arise with free technology. Knowledge that can only be applied by an expert keeps the other person dependent. Knowledge that is made transferable gives someone the possibility to investigate for themselves, disagree and build further.

Learning therefore does not only mean adapting to what already exists. It can also create the ability to investigate existing values, systems and assumptions. A genuinely learning society does not merely transfer answers, but also the ability to ask new questions.

Education partners

Schools and educational organisations can be partners in internships, enrichment, routes back into learning and the development of projects. Organisational information can be found under Collaborating with education; this page describes the people whose learning and development are central.