Forscherbühne
Researchers perform real experiments live in front of an audience and make scientific phenomena vivid and understandable. Free of charge and open to all children and young people in Basel.
In preparation
Every child wants to learn, to understand, and to be understood.
Learning Society fosters the natural curiosity and the will to learn of children and young people in Basel. We make inquiry something you can come close to and take part in. Through one-to-one support we strengthen the joy of learning, self-motivation and the confident use of language, so that children can grow into their potential and go their own way.
What this is about
Curiosity is the most precious thing a child brings with them.
Every child wants, all on their own, to discover, to learn and to understand.
Our world is changing fast, and it already asks new things of children. What counts more and more is independence, the ability to solve problems, creativity, and a constructive way of meeting difficulty. At the same time, national assessments show that not all children reach the expected minimum standards in language and mathematics even in primary school: according to Switzerland's national assessment of basic competences (ÜGK), already in the second year of primary school almost one child in four does not reach basic competence in mathematics, and in reading it is just over one in five.
Meanwhile learning is increasingly replaced by passive consumption. But a society fit for the future needs curious children who can experience, test and explore their learning actively. All children benefit, because exactly those capacities are built that will matter most. This is where we begin. So that as many children as possible can take part, we rely, as an association, on people who invest alongside us.
Our goals
What we are working towards.
01
Motivation and learning competence
We deliberately strengthen children's natural curiosity and their own motivation to learn, so that they develop a lasting readiness to learn and experience lifelong learning as something they direct themselves.
02
The spirit of inquiry
Children experience research, experiment and discovery at first hand. In this way curiosity, the joy of finding out, and an inquiring disposition are sustained over the long term.
03
Social and emotional competence
Children learn to notice, name and reflect on their own feelings. This strengthens their self-awareness and an empathetic, respectful way of treating themselves and others.
04
German as the language of school
Children with German as a second language build both everyday and academic language. This strengthens their ability to communicate, their participation in education, and their equality of opportunity.
Three paths
Three paths, one aim.
The Forscherbühne, our researchers' stage, awakens wonder and makes science something children and young people in Basel can experience directly. The Learning Bus accompanies each child individually, at their own pace, reliably alongside a person who builds trust and makes development possible. With Brain and Society we bring current knowledge into school about how learning works, how social competence grows, and what part people and technologies play in education.
Our work follows the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach: children are understood as active shapers of their own education, and their paths of learning are made visible. Three paths, one aim: to support children in understanding the world, growing into their potential, and feeling understood in what makes them singular.
Three convictions run through everything we do. Children learn from people, not from programmes. They need breadth first, not an early specialism. And they have to be allowed to get things wrong, or they will never risk anything of their own.
The Learning Bus
Preventive learning support with one or two children at a time, from the first year of kindergarten to the third year of primary school. Early German language support from age 3.
More about the Learning Bus →Brain and Society
Age-appropriate, interactive lessons in primary school: how learning works, what makes living together well, and what part artificial intelligence plays in children's everyday lives.
In preparation
The association
Who is behind Learning Society.
Learning Society is an association (Verein) based in Basel, the classic Swiss legal form for a community initiative. It is carried by people from education and law who are at home in Basel.
The board gives its time voluntarily.
Invest
Opening doors to learning.
Invest in children's curiosity. Your contribution opens the door to the Learning Bus and the Forscherbühne, whatever their family can afford.
Invest now
We would be glad to show you the difference your investment makes.
CHF 100
gives one child an hour on the Learning Bus.