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The independent project is a learning programme designed and sustained by students, where students are in charge of deciding their own curriculum. I think the independent project is an amazing initiative, to an extent.

There are definitely learners who do not wish to be doing Math or Biology, or who do not even like school because they don’t understand what is going on. They cannot grasp the concepts, and not because they are not trying, but because they are just not inclined to do certain subjects. These learners should be catered for, as we do every other learner as everyone has the right to basic education. I remember, in high school, I spent my entire grade 10 year doing Physics and hating every minute of it. In grade 11, my mother urged me to change over to something I would enjoy doing more. I decided to switch over to History and I was the top learner in History that year. It was something I grasped and I just loved studying for it.

The reason I enjoyed doing History more is because I actually knew what I wanted. What I loved. But I was influenced by what society and my teachers told me were better for me. Children have the ability to tell us what they want to learn. These learners know what is going on in the world around them, and there are children who could probably teach their peers better than the teacher can. This is because they know what they want, what stimulates them and what they respond to best.

The artist should be allowed to focus on his/her art, just as the Mathematician should be given the necessary tools to be the best he/she can be. However, independent teaching should be controlled. Even though children know what they want, they are still young adolescents and need proper guidance. As adolescents, children are still going through a developmental period. During this time, there is a heightened responsiveness to incentives and socio-emotional contexts, when impulse control is still relatively immature.

So, instead of solely allowing independent teaching, we should incorporate it into our traditional way of giving class. Educators and learners should decide on the curriculum together.

Learners should be able choose subjects they know they will be fully engaged in and subjects they feel will benefit them. The school should also be able to help these learners realize whether these subjects are what they want to do. Have grade 9 learners attend summer camps in December where they can choose the subjects they want to take from grades 10 – 12 onwards. Have these learners spend two weeks actually doing the subjects. Learners will be able to see whether they like the subjects or not and will be able to make better judgments.

Schools should also have more practical teaching sessions. A way of doing this would be to form joint ventures with certain companies. Learners can then do vac work/job shadowing at these companies, and decide whether their predetermined career path is actually what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Learners will also see what subjects are needed if they wish to study a certain degree.

The independent project is definitely beneficial as it allows learners to get actively involved. As the Chinese proverb states: “Tell me, I’ll forget. Show me, I’ll remember. Involve me, I’ll understand.”