A FROEBELIAN APPROACH

Upon further research of the building and communication with the school, a better understanding and appropriate method for adaptability could be devised. The school adopts the Froebel method of learning and its practices, which are largely based on experiential learning. Friedrich Froebel was the inventor of Kindergarten, a pedagogical method that encourages a child’s relationship and understanding of the world around them, especially in regards to the natural world.

Common practices within the school may include learning about the seasons of the year by going on nature walks and observing changes in the trees. Children may also learn about the cycle of life by growing plants and watching how it grows and withers over time. One of the first Froebel schools at Bad Blakenburg in Germany provided a plot for each of the students to sow their own seeds. These plots were surrounded by community gardens, in turn providing the school children of an understanding of their connection to society and the role they play within the community.

The idea of experiential learning was essential in the thesis proposal for the school, in order for building’s inhabitants to better understand their environment, strengthening a relationship and care for the school that would aim to promote the upkeep of the school and prevent its fall into disuse.