About YK - Learning Creatively
Creative learning (YK) connects you with like-minded people:
-
Learners;
-
Helpers experts: Yks, assistants and others, who have practical experience, achievements and willingness to share them
YK happens in a natural way:
-
You get familiar with the topics by reading, hearing, watching...;
-
You associate the newly learned with yourself;
-
You creatively process the newly learned in a variety of ways, repeatedly and in different contexts;
-
You share your learning experience with the others. talk about it, and get feedback;
-
Your mistakes, numerous at the beginning, gradually decrease to an extent that you perceive as a learning success.
YKY principles
-
Humanity and naturalness;
-
Democracy and accessibility;
-
Interconnectedness with capacity for self-sufficiency;
-
Reciprocity (equality) and privacy;
-
Transparency.
YK benefits the learners (Ls):
-
Informal learning and orientation within small groups (3-10 Ls);
-
A way of non-formal education for both adults and children;
-
Support for transitions between private livelihoods and/or the World of work (professions), or within each of them;
-
Fulfilling your dreams of trying your hands at pursuits/occupations;;
-
Sharing hobbies and entertainment.
YK benefits the helpers:
-
Chance to share your expertise and support learners in your spheres of competence;
-
Socialising in a creatively learning eco-community;
-
A way to make an extra living.
Influences and Models
YK in the eclectic YK-school (combining various influences) is based on ideas, forms and methods of learning from the following main models:
-
Montessori and Waldorf schools;
-
Suggestopedia, the theoretical statements of the linguist Stephen Krashen, and the independent learning practice of the polyglot Steve Kaufman;
-
Summerhill and Sudbury Valley Democratic Schools ;
-
"Paths" Learning Space - a Bulgarian democratic school;
-
MOOC - massive open online courses;
-
The educational IT experiments of Sugata Mitra - computer scientist and educational theorist;
-
Vocational guidance: some ideas and practices.
-
John Holt and his "How Children Learn" book
Innovation
Some original solutions in YKY:
-
Eco-orientation through learning creatively;
-
Three degrees of deepening in occupations or topics of individual choice of the learners: TOE (Try out every YKY activity possible), PAD (Pick and dig) and Dive ;
-
Making a direct connection between individualised learning and life occupations (pursuits, sciences and professions) - YKY only helps from "behind the curtains!;
-
Open approach to learning content: individual choice of learners;
-
"Outsourced" creation and storage of intros (introductory learning content - intro-projects) ;
-
Sysprotem - systematised programmes of themes introduce more system in the free learning;
-
JORI-bihours (two hours) - YK study room ala Montessori.
The main actors
