At the famous Woodstock School located in Mussoorie, 2013-2014 have been characterized by change. For eleventh and twelfth graders, perhaps the biggest change was the introduction of The Festival of Ideas.
During May, all eleventh and twelfth graders embarked on an interdisciplinary, independent learning project, culminating in a community-wide celebration of their findings.
The eleventh graders presented their findings in a TED Talk format—short, engaging speeches accompanied by images. The twelfth graders presented in groups in a variety of formats, including drama, music, and speech.
Melanie Reichwald, head of the English Department, said, "The goal of this project is to allow students to explore a topic they're really passionate about and do so in a way that lets them utilise all the skills they've learned here at Woodstock. We knew
this would be a big challenge for us and for the students, but we were really impressed with how they rose to the challenge."
The students started with a question about a topic that interests them. The diversity of topics students chose to pursue — from theoretical physics to educational reform to demon possession — demonstrates their curiosity and
creativity.
Each question included a rhetoric/literature component and a component from another discipline, such as ethics or psychology.
Then, the students attempted to answer the question in the form of a research essay. The students then selected the most essential of those findings for their presentations. While the students worked on this project, they did not attend normal classes. Instead, they explored their topic in-depth and independently with the guidance of two faculty advisors.
The project, which has concluded now, was spearheaded by Reichwald, Academic Dean Amy Seefeldt, and English teachers Johnny Seefeldt, Meredith Dyson, and Julia Schroeder.