I first read about Hole in the Wall when we first arrived. I browsed through the website and didn't think much more of it.
The other day, we were driving home - just a couple of blocks from the house, and I saw ::
Dr. Sugata Mitra, a scientist, first created the concept in 1982. His feeling was that children - unsupervised - with computers could learn. Through a trial and error process, the first computer (also known as a Learning Station) was installed in 1999, in Kalkaji. Now, with over 30 Learning Stations installed, the results show that children can indeed use a computer with minimal interaction, and learn skills and tasks - by creating their own learning environment.
To learn/read more about the results of studies concerning the effectiveness of these Learning Stations, visit the HIWAL website.
From the website ::
Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
Hole-in-the-Wall is one such idea, which offers the world a surprisingly fresh perspective on the learning process. Breaking the traditional confines of a school, Hole-in-The-Wall Education Limited (HiWEL) takes the Learning Station to the playground, employs a unique collaborative learning approach and encourages children to explore, learn and just enjoy!
As a concept, Hole-in-the-Wall has multiple dimensions and a potential which is virtually limitless. What it offers someone depends on the perspective one is looking from.
For experts, like Nicholas Negroponte of MIT, Hole-in-the-Wall is a ‘Shared Blackboard’ which children in underprivileged communities can collectively own and access, to express themselves, to learn, to explore together, and at some stage to even brainstorm and come up with exciting ideas.
For villagers, it is more like a village Well, where children assemble to draw knowledge and, in the process, engage in meaningful conversation and immersive learning activities that broaden their horizons.
And finally for children, it is an extension of their playground where they can play together, teach each other new things, and more importantly, just be themselves.
