Learning & Pedagogy at Living Labs Institute
A guide through our pedagogical methods
Learning is an act of knowing and understanding that helps the learners to navigate and negotiate complex societal realities by gathering multifaceted perspectives in their journey. Our goal is to nurture learners to collectively think, conceptualise, and respond (through making & actions) to care for the place, capture diverse voices, and rooted cultural plurality in a place.
“Public” in the context of our school encompasses the communities it engages and learns with, learners that comprise it, the collaborators that facilitate connections and the educators who facilitate learning.
We believe in bringing together ‘public and pedagogy’ because of our experiences with co-learning in our decade long engagements with communities. We discovered there is immense knowledge produced by people through mere act of living in a place over generations. Our critical pedagogy brings the learners to an intersection where they can relearn.
The most demonstrable of these interconnections we found were between a craft and the ecology of the place. We have designed the modules for the learners and educators to reciprocate and respond the place and people and discover similar linkages
Modules or Units of Learning
The learning modules are designed to offer multiple entry points for the learners. The structure is intentionally flexible in a way that the learner can find their tempo along the way and choose the modules. Some modules are short, which can bring concentrated bursts of activity, while some modules are designed for a longer, slower and immersive engagement. One can always choose modules which resonates with their practice and move between different intensities and depths.
Primers are foundational modules designed to orient learners to key concepts, frameworks, and ideas related to place-based approaches centred around collaborative practices. Like a painter applies primer as a base layer before the final colour, these modules create a foundation for learners to grasp multifaceted practices. Primers require 24-60 learning hours over 4 weeks, with a minimum of 8 days across 2 weeks (3 hours per day) or a maximum of 20 days across 4 weeks (3 hours per day).
Travelling Studio modules use travel as a method for gathering plural perspectives, understanding culture through meeting new people, and stepping outside one's comfort zone. In these programs, cohorts of learners move across places to interact and engage with communities, landscapes, or institutions for situated learning. These intensive experiences require 36-108 learning hours over 3 weeks, with either a minimum of 6 total days (6 hours per day) or a maximum of 6 days per week for 3 weeks (6 hours per day).
Deliberate practice are short, intense engagements that create focused learning moments for learner-practitioners. They explore relevant concepts of place-based approaches, co-creation of collaborative engagement, and experimentation with various mediums, methods, tools, and practices. These modules specifically help learner-practitioners acquire alternative ways of thinking or enhance existing practices. Deliberate practice span 24-60 learning hours over 4 weeks, ranging from a minimum of 2 days per week (3 hours per day) to a maximum of 5 days per week (3 hours per day).
Practicum modules offer long-term, immersive engagement that balances depth with intensity. They enable hands-on learning through collaborative creation of artefacts and prototypes under close mentorship. These substantial commitments require 96-192 learning hours over 8 weeks, with learners participating a minimum of 2 days per week (6 hours per day) or a maximum of 4 days per week (6 hours per day).
Core Pathway are comprehensive learning tracks that enable in-depth exploration and serve as guiding principles for extended learning processes. Choosing a core pathway helps learners select aligned modules for their journey. Like tending an agricultural field for a season, these pathways involve planting seeds, watering, and weeding to see the harvest by season's end. Core Pathways demand 216-360 learning hours over 10-12 weeks, requiring a minimum of 3 days per week (6 hours per day) or a maximum of 5 days per week (6 hours per day).
Workshop use brief interactive formats with guided facilitation designed for collaborative group activities. When people learn in groups, peer-to-peer learning, conversations, brainstorming, and group decision-making naturally occur. These collaborative sessions require 30-60 learning hours over 2 weeks, with a minimum of 5 days across 2 weeks (6 hours per day) or a maximum of 10 days across 2 weeks (6 hours per day).
Make-a-thon modules demand high energy from learners through daily planning, making, discussing, showing, and telling. These concentrated energies manifest into tangible outcomes, artefacts, or prototypes. Make-a-thons require 18-30 learning hours over 1 week, with learners participating a minimum of 3 days per week (6 hours per day) or a maximum of 5 days per week (6 hours per day).
NLH - Notional Learning hours
| Minimum NLH | Maximun NLH | Cohort Size | Sessions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primer | 24 | 60 | 20 | 8-20 Sessions |
| Travelling Studios | 36 | 108 | 10 | 6-18 Sessions |
| Deliberate Practices | 24 | 60 | 10 | 8-20 Sessions |
| Practicums | 96 | 192 | 10 | 16-32 Sessions |
| Core Pathways | 216 | 360 | 10 | 36-60 Sessions |
| Workshops | 30 | 60 | 20 | 5-10 Sessions |
| Make-a-thons | 18 | 30 | 20 | 3-5 Sessions |
| Trimester 01 | Trimester 02 | Trimester 03 | Total 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Travelling Studio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Electives | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Practicum | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Core Pathways | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Workshops | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Make-a-thon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
How does learning happen?
Material Learning
Making involves mind and hands to work together. This will allow the learners to use tools, materials and imagination to express their thoughts using their mind and body.
- Critical Making - Making is largely considered as an activity of constructing solutions. But the act of making, putting together things into a meaningful whole, enables critical learning.
- Cooking as Learning - Cooking activates cultural memory and brings science and senses together. It becomes method to tell stories and remembering from the past. Cooking is a part of every day living and powerful method which can be used to understand cultures and history of communities.
- Learning with Materials (from the place) - Using hands as your tool and interacting with materials to create.
Self-directed Learning
Enabling autonomy to the learners by self-directed learning, so there is a decision made by the learners from their curiosity and interest. This encourages them to channelise their interests into their learning journey.
- Talk Series - Engaging dialogues where people with divergent experiences and practice share their journey
- Walking - Studying a field/place ‘on foot’ activates ones senses such as smell, touch, seeing, hearing and speaking. It can stimulate the understanding of what is being observed. In the process of walking one can collect objects on the way, photograph or even make quick field notes. Walking as a method allows us to stand, take time, observe, and assimilate-accumulate learning.
- Thesis (With external org) - Dissertation based on the learners interest along with mentorship.
Reflective Learning
This a space where there is a slow and steady process of learning. Reflective learning is all about pausing, reflecting, expressing, and learning from each other.
- Baithak- A cohort base group for peer-to-peer conversation, reflection, reading, debate and discourse.
- Public Engagement - To share the learning and outcome with a broader audience through exhibitions, presentations and demonstrations.
- Apprenticeship - Learners can learn and work with craftspeople and professional who have been practising the art through out their lifetime.
- Internship - Learning through engaging with institutions and organisations for hands-on experience.
Visual Learning
Visual learning is form of using images, media forms and visual story-telling to explore aesthetic, representation and observation.
- Map Making - Using map as a base, it can be used to analyse spatial data, or to create story maps.
- Sketch Notes - Visual notes which has rough drawings, symbols, icons and some text. The method is largely visual with less text and captures the information in a creative format without any imposed structure.
- Photo Walks - A group of people walking around with a camera or a smart phone in a specific area to capture images which interests them within the provided themes.
Experiential Learning
Here, learning occurs through direct experiences with everyday realities of people. This allows learners to immerse in a place along with the people which can lead to grounded learning. Experiential learning also refers to learning through action and by gaining experience.
- Learning with Practitioners - Closely working and learning from with community artisans who have been practicing through out their life, and being mentored by them
- Volunteering as Learning - Spending time for community-based work with organisations working in the grassroots which can help learners to build social responsibility.