The School of Understanding provides two deeply intertwined, yet conceptually different courses that together form the 21^st^-century skills course.
- The Thought Course: aimed at (self-)examining your beliefs, opinion, knowledge, and worldview
- The Skills course: aimed at bringing more of the essentials of daily life under your command.
Together these activities should give you the most future-proof tools possible, so that you, irrespective of most global developments remain in command of your own life and can be a source of positivity and growth in any environment you find yourself in.
How it works
The course has 20 full-day session on alternating Saturdays and one "workweek" in June/Juli. The (preliminary) schedule is here
| Thought Course | Skills Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Benefits | – Deeper understanding of your own beliefs and opinions – A larger comfort zone – A strengthened basis for (self-)confidence |
– Deeper understanding of the essentials of daily life – Become authoritative and future-proof in more aspect of your life – Self-grown seasonal vegetables and preserved food – Hands-on experience in sustainable building |
| 300 hours | 100 hours | 200 hours |
| Languages | Main materials in English. Lecture-like activities in English if English speakers present. Private interaction with teachers in Dutch or English, whatever comes easiest | Dutch or English (if non-Dutch speaker present) |
| Scheduled sessions | 20 | 20 + one week in June/Juli for the tiny house project |
| Unscheduled work | Homework between sessions | Tending own plot and practicing skills (leading to tangible results) |
| Homework | – Pre-session homework (with feedback before the session), often watching documentaires or interviews. – Having in-depth conversations with people with "opposite" values and political ideas. |
Pre-session instruction videos or exercises |
| Example activities | – Reflecting on the insights, thoughts, and feelings the homework evoked. – Discussions: to share and enlighten, not to conclude – Developing insight in the own daily habits (e.g., food, sleep/relaxation, health, physical exercise, et cetera ) |
– Every session includes some work in the garden: planning the year/produce, chopping wood, tilling the soil, nursing seedlings, planting, weeding, watering, harvesting, preserving, cooking with preserved food. – For building a tiny house: structural design of a house, insulation, electricity (24 Volt, solar & wind energy), (grey and drinking) water, rocket-stove mass heater, building closets, beds, kitchen. -Personal development: personal health habits, money and wealth management. – Diverse skills: online privacy, repairing clothing. |
| Session structure (Adapted to the weather) |
– At session: sharing of impressions, new insights – Discussion of content and insights |
– "Theory" before each activity. Planning of session activities: the urgent, the important, and the rest. – Typically participants fan out to different activities and switch multiple times so that everyone is exposed to most or all learning opportunities. – The day is closed with a reflection and an initial planning for the next session. |
| Individual track | – Associated with the homework. Each participant develops an individual interaction with the teacher addressing individual issues, wishes, and goals – Developing a self-generated idea or plan from fragile to robust and presenting and discussing the diverse stages to others. |
– Everyone can focus on an individual skill-set to master and/or focus on general skills like working more quickly and efficiently or making chores more enjoyable and useful – regular updates on skill development, general progress, challenges to include or avoid |