Brockwood Park School Brockwood Park School September NewsletterSeptember Newsletter

You cannot reconcile creativeness with technical achievement. You may be perfect in

playing the piano, and not be creative; you may play the piano most brilliantly, and not be a

musician. You may be able to handle colour, to put paint on canvas most cleverly, and not

be a creative painter. You may create a face, an image out of a stone, because you have

learned the technique, and not be a master creator. Creation comes first, not technique,

and that is why we are miserable all our lives. We have technique -how to put up a house,

how to build a bridge, how to assemble a motor, how to educate our children through a

system we have learned all these techniques, but our hearts and minds are empty. We are

first class machines; we know how to operate most beautifully, but we do not love a living

thing. You may be a good engineer, you may be a pianist, you may write in a good style in

English or Marathi or whatever your language is, but creativeness is not found through

technique. If you have something to say, you create your own style; but when you have

nothing to say, even if you have a beautiful style, what you write is only the traditional

routine, a repetition in new words of the same old thing.

So, having lost the song, we pursue the singer. We learn from the singer the technique of

song, but there is no song; and I say the song is essential, the joy of singing is essential.

When the joy is there, the technique can be built up from nothing; you will invent your

own technique, you won't have to study elocution or style. When you have, you see, and

the very seeing of beauty is an art.

the very seeing of beauty is an art.J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Education Corner

A Start to the YearAs Brockwood does not start with a preexisting timetable for students to fit into, the firstweek of the school year is a time for creating highly individualized timetables designedaround the needs and interests of each student, the intentions of the school and theresources available. In August the teacher group spent weeks planning and preparing forthe coming school year. New ideas prompted the creation of new materials to betterenable students learning and academic advising, including: an Academic Advising Manual foruse by both students and teachers; a Student Planner for each student to schedule theirset timetable and other study related activities; and the Student Learning Journal forstudents to track and reflect on both the product and process of their learning. Studentsplayed a greater role in building and planning the nuts and bolts of their own timetable, theintention of which is to help students develop organisational skills and a sense of holdingtheir learning and education in their own hands. While taking responsibility for one's ownlearning is at the core of our approach, there is also a more effective procedure forstudents to indicate where they will be during the morning study sessions so they can beclosely supervised by teachers. So, if you are mystified by hearing the phrase "pleaseremember to move your magnet", you know that this is part of that new procedure!The Core Courses (humanities, science, maths, arts, movement and health) have been mademore flexible and responsive to students' individual learning. From within each Core Subjectarea, students select a combination of required and elective seminars and their attendantactivities and work these and any additional study activities into their individual timetable.Seminars in each Core subject are held in the first half of the morning, while in the secondhalf students sign into "Learning Spaces". Exam courses continue more or less as before.Students engage in a combination of individual, group, teacher-group, and one-to-oneteacher-student time. Learning Spaces are held in classrooms, the library and other publicspaces and are populated by teachers and resources to support and extend the coresubject seminars, projects and exam courses. This contributes to an overall studiousatmosphere with responsibility and learning at its centre.The Learning Spaces have been equipped with relevant and diverse resources and materialsto foster engagement, inspiration and ignite self-motivation, and will continue to developover time. In the Art Barn, changes such as overall layout, use of space, new internet ports,personal spaces moving to the downstairs, all mean that this space is now divided into twoexpanded learning spaces - one for textiles and one for digital media & photography. Theyare kitted out with accessible equipment and materials, e.g. relevant books, digitalsoftware, whiteboard, sewing machines, large tables for portfolio viewing, cutting fabric orworking at in groups or individually. Students can bring their projects into the space towork alone or with support from a teacher or teacher apprentice. Design teacher Gary isnow hosting a digital media space for non-exam students where before he only had contactwith exam students. These spaces are available for spontaneous workshops as the needsarise. Students have been given introductions and trainings on use of space and equipment.The maths lab, EAL, humanities and science learning spaces are also rich with new books,equipment, and other resources.All these developments are intended to support significant supervision and follow up oneach student's learning to make it possible for the curriculum to deepen and develop insustainability and resilience.

Inquiry TimeInquiry Time September 8th: We watched a 13 minute video on the Millennials in the Workforce bySimon Sinek followed by small group discussions about the nature of Confidence. September 13th: We looked at different pictures of people from the internet and wrotedown our reactions and observations. Then, we split up in small groups and discussed thefollowing question: Is our body image preventing us from having a healthy relationshipwith our bodies? September 20th: We started by anonymously writing down in a few sentences a shortdescription of everyone in our group excluding any physical trait. We then shared it withthe rest and looked into the area of images in relationships. September 27th: We had a presentation from Dr Pathik Wadhwa on Socialrelationships/Social Media and Health. It was followed by a discussion on the question: Issocial media detrimental to health? After the discussion, he presented the latest researchon the subject.

September Events and Happenings September Events and Happenings

September Events and Happenings September Events and Happenings

September 1st : Nusa Maal, founder of the Centre for Multisensory Leadership, spent aweek at Brockwood introducing the school to visual mapping in group workshops andthrough showing her own visual maps depicting various assembly talks and first-weekactivities she attended.

Visual mapping is the graphic capture of the essence of meetings, conferences, andpresentations simultaneously during the event. It can bring life and understanding tocomplex, charged, multi-layered, multi-voiced situations in a way that removes thetendency to target, by creating a shared visual space in which all involved can begin to seenot only individual elements, thoughts and events, but patterns and connections. Symbolsand essential meanings can land in a third space, freeing minds to fully engage more thancan be spoken, and see patterns, gain insights, and find space for natural, self-organizingdirection to take shape.

Nusa Maal facilitating a session on visual mapping to a group of students.

September 23rd: Acclaimed cellist Philip Higham joined pianist Prach Boondiskulchok in a vibrant and

dynamic programme, which featured the great Beethoven A Major Sonata as well asKabalevsky´s rarely heard, virtuosic Cello Sonata. These masterworks were accompanied by

the poetic Schumann Romances and Beethoven´s Variations on Handel´s theme.

Philip Higham and Prach Boondiskulchok

September 26th: Former staff Dr Pathik Wadhwa gave a presentation on Fitness andFatness in relation to Health. He went through the latest scientific findings about thisimportant and loaded topic.

September 26th and 27th: Yogateachers Sandra Sabatini and MichalHavkin led two sessions of yoga to thecommunity. Sandra was the pupil ofVanda Scaravelli (author of Awakeningthe Spine) for 17 years where shediscovered a radical yoga thatemphasizes working with breath,gravity and the spine, that she hastried to pass on through her own books and teaching. Both Sandra and Michal co-teachand guide yoga gatherings together in Europe, Middle East, United States, India, and aswell as Sandra´s home in Campiglia (Tuscany).

September 28th: Forty-seven students and staff journeyed to London to partake in oneof the largest annual science festivals. New Scientist featured five immersive zonescovering Humans, Engineering, Technology, Earth and Cosmos, including a main stagewhere various talks were held. Students attended lectures from leading scientists on the subjects of forest eco-systems,Earth's decreasing air quality, dark matter, space travel and living on Mars, to name but afew.

School GallerySchool Gallery

Eva on the south lawn during a Core Arts outdoor charcoaland watercolour session.

Staff member Thomas takes a brake during a day-hike to hang and stretch arms with a group ofstudents.

Tais, Kai-Song, and Ivan.

Teresa and Luna give each other a warm welcome-back hug.

Timothee, Vincent, and Giacomo press freshly picked applesduring our Harvest Festival.

Ainara, Anna, Louie, and teacher apprentice Raymond ponder over a question from anAssembly activity.

Anais cracking glass for her art portfolio project.

Rosa cutting apples for apple sauce.

Surya, Elle, Ivan Anna, and Simon getting a bit wet!

A group of hikers who chose the long option for the day-hike stand on top of Beacon Hillbefore their journey to Old Winchester Hill in the background.

Teacher apprentice, Carole, models in the art barn for the A-level students.

Brandon and Abhi take the lead after having taken a break on top of Old Winchester Hill.

Samira, Anna, Luna, Ainara, Shaurya, Tia and teacher apprentice Carol enjoying an afternoonof preparing a meal for the Food Festival.

Student Sage being embraced by a selfie-taking robot at the New Scientist Festival.

Joe running down Beacon Hill.

Tais harvesting apples.

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