Education Continued In NUN Summer School

Eduation Continued In NUN Summer School  

We created our summer school, which includes all students from kindergarten to middle scholl, based on the feelings of “love, respect, justice, compassion, decency, responsibility and trust” which are also the values of our school. 

We completed all of our activities with the “zero waste, science and entrepreneurship” themes at the center of Beykoz Campus as” life skills” in real environment. Our students did not learn in a fiction or simulation, but in reality and life, they learned with all their senses. They lived the happiness of hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, feeling, and reaching meaning, discovering the truth. They saw, felt, and lived in the activities that we did, how science and matter lead man to science, spirit and meaning. They searched for information not within the four walls or in the computer, but in the air, water, soil, forest; they found love, respect, decency, ethics, tolerance, communication and cooperation in the search for information. This knowledge guided their emotions and tamed their knowledge.

One of the main themes of our summer school was “zero waste” for each age group. All of our activities were built on this theme and our students were informed and were caring about this issue. At home, in our school, in our office, in our garden, the ways and methods of waste-free life were experienced and the practices in this field were transformed into behavior. The concepts such as waste, extravagance, insensitivity, sensitivity, awareness, frugality, planning, and time management have been discovered in nature and in our lives. Broadened horizons led our students to build the future on these values.

The main theme of pre-school and primary school students, where caring, sensitivity and skills were most easily acquired, was zero waste; while in the secondary school, science was the main theme. Preparations were made to mingle primary school students with knowledge and skills. It was tried to create environments that will enable our secondary school students to transform their knowledge and skills into scientific activities.

Unlike fashionable and popular trends and trainings, our summer school is based on “ancient and functional” knowledge and skills. Cognitive, affective and psychomotor development was achieved by “doing-living” not by verbal or visual transmission. The Natural Sciences course deepened our students’ knowledge of soil, water, air, and plants while reinforcing compassion, love and respect for plants and animals. Our students found that everything in nature is created in a balance, and that it is humanity’s duty to maintain that balance. Each of our students learned about global issues such as “conservation of nature” and “effective and sustainable use of natural resources” with appropriate examples and gained sensitivity in these areas. The flawless functioning between natural elements has led our students to think about their creation in such natural system, which has been working consistently for thousands of years.

We designed workshops instead of lectures in order to ensure our students’ improvement in English. Thus, it was not like going to a class, but our students’ felt like going to have fun and conduct some kind of activities. While they were preparing pasta, pizza and salads in the kitchen workshop, they didn’t just speak English they also experienced the language. This improved both English skills and culinary skills. They had the opportunity to practice English a lot while developing skills such as order, cleanliness, responsibility, patience, good manners, time management, program making and problem solving. In English ceramic workshops, they put their design skills and imagination to work, creating original works.

They had the opportunity to see the cutting edge of humanity in Nano Science studies with sample applications. They found clues for their scientific studies and had a broad horizon. In the journey from the meaning to the matter, Religious Sciences lessons showed our students the way and direction, and enabled them to see and find meaning in the matter.

On the last day of our summer school, which cares for the physical, mental and professional development of our students from recognizing trees to sports activities, certified first aid practices to sahaba life stories; we took the photos taken by our secondary school students and presented them with the program and first aid certificates. In addition, our students made a presentation on the last day of our program in which they evaluated our summer school. Our teachers evaluated these presentations and feedback was provided.