The children learn through projects. A project is a discrete task that requires the integration of a range of skills, knowledge and competencies to complete. A meaningful end-product is integral to a project, as it justifies the processes engaged in.

For example, one project for older children might be to make a play about the village’s history. This would involve:

1.    An introduction to the topic and exploration of what people think is meant by history.
2.    Planning of a process by which the play might be formed, including:
a.    How to gather information from village elders, council documents etc
b.    How to document this information
c.    Assimilating different stories to create histories, which may be dissonant, about the village.
d.    Studying books, plays and other media to understand plot creation etc
e.    Create a script for a play.
f.    Dividing up roles into a cast, stage crew etc
g.    Practicing the play and producing it
h.    Making costumes etc, stage design etc
i.    Advertising the play amongst the community
j.    Performing the play and managing the event
3.    Actually enacting this process
4.    Regularly reviewing the process and modifying it according to need.

Such a project could take as much as 6 months to complete and incorporate the introduction of multiple concepts, such as:

1.    Language (reporting speech, play-writing, advertising…)
2.    Ideas about multiple histories and why these might be of interest or importance and how they might be verified
3.    Accounting in managing a budget
4.    Sewing skills in creating the costumes
5.    Carpentry skills in creating a set
6.    Mathematics in calculating material requirements for production
7.    Physics in how to build a strong set structure
8.    Foreign language by incorporating the role of the British into the play
9.    Management skills in organising the process
10.    Communication skills in working as a team

The idea is for learning to happen through experience and in context, without an artificial separation into subjects. The benefits of this approach are:

1.    Concepts are applied and experienced - rather than just practiced in an abstract manner – making them easier to grasp.
2.    Such application makes it more likely that children will be able to use what they’ve learned in the future.
3.    It provides a test of how useful the content of our curriculum is in helping children solve real life problems, meaning that the content takes on greater relevance than a conventional school curriculum which is merely an adaptation of a Victorian thought process.
4.    By using projects to achieve real life tasks, many aspects of personal and social development which are ignored by conventional education can be incorporated; team work takes on new significance and the need for multiple methods, skill types and personalities to make a project work is also recognised.
5.    Completion of the projects requires vocational skills as well as intellectual understanding, working to integrate body and mind rather than separate them.
6.    The vocational skills will also provide socio-economic opportunity conventional education neglects.
7.    As time goes on, the projects can start addressing real life issues the community faces, integrating learning and development. e.g. projects on more effectively irrigating land, or around preventative health habits.