Creative and self-exploratory education for children in Batho

Abstract

During 2017, I spent a year in the Netherlands as an Au pair to four children. Their ages varied from two to nine years old. Being a part of their daily lives and seeing how they developed within their educational environment, is what inspired me to research and investigate early childhood development for a M.arch (professional) dissertation. Because South Africa and the Netherlands are two completely different countries in terms of basic education and technology. My interest arose around the question of whether it would be possible to propose a project which addresses the same educational needs for South African children when the resources are so different to those in the Netherlands. Both countries are heading into the 21st century faced with the fourth industrial revolution and South Africa desperately needs to develop children that are able to take control of their future and shape the future of our country. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate whether the way in which children are educated today especially with reference to the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is still suitable for the skills needed in the 21st century and how schools can shift their focus toward a more sustainable education, regarding the skills children need to develop. Schools are designed around what adults decide children should learn to become competent adults. Schools, although we would like to think of them as such, are not designed around what benefits the child. They have become strict and ordered to assist the adult to keep control of the children. The significance of education in the 21st century becomes more important as time moves on. The ever-changing world and the increase in the need for new and better technology, requires upcoming entrepreneurs who understand how different technologies can be combined to produce efficient and innovative ideas and products that accommodate a rapidly changing world.This dissertation proposes to design a school that integrates and incorporates creative spaces, allowing for self-exploratory play as a means of education, outside and within scheduled classes. The purpose of the design is to create spaces that encourage children to develop skills and educate themselves without having to change the existing curriculum – spaces that are safe, actively used and stimulate each child’s developing qualities. Childhood education and development are important because with the right education from an early stage, young adults who have earned their Senior certificate (matric) will be better equipped for universities, the labour market and the 21st century.