{"id":1060,"date":"2026-10-08T10:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T03:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/compasspubindonesia.com\/blogs\/?p=1060"},"modified":"2026-10-08T10:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T03:30:22","slug":"fids-transforming-learning-from-what-children-have-to-learn-into-what-they-can-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/compasspubindonesia.com\/blogs\/2026\/10\/08\/fids-transforming-learning-from-what-children-have-to-learn-into-what-they-can-do\/","title":{"rendered":"FIDS: Transforming Learning from What Children Have to Learn into What They Can Do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For a long time, learning in schools has often started with the question: \u201cWhat do students need to learn?\u201d<\/em> Teachers determine the topic, explain the material, provide instructions, and then ask students to produce an assignment. After that, their work is assessed based on certain criteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach certainly has its place in education. However, when learning aims to encourage students to become more active, creative, concerned about their surroundings, and capable of taking real action, we need a different starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One interesting approach is FIDS<\/strong>, which stands for Feel, Imagine, Do, and Share<\/strong>. FIDS was developed by Kiran Bir Sethi<\/strong> through the Design for Change movement in 2009. The framework encourages children to identify problems around them, imagine possible changes, take real action, and then share their experiences and the impact of their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes FIDS interesting is not simply its four stages, but the way it changes the role of students in the learning process. Students are not merely recipients of instructions. They are given the opportunity to identify problems, generate ideas, take action, and communicate the changes they have created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first stage is Feel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this stage, students are encouraged to identify problems that they genuinely experience. It is not simply a problem that the teacher considers important, nor is it a topic that has already been determined in a learning module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference may seem simple, but it is actually very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if a teacher wants to teach about the environment, they might normally introduce the topic of \u201cwaste management\u201d and then ask students to create a poster or project about waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In FIDS, the process can begin with a much more open question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat bothers you the most at school, at home, or in your community?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students may give different answers. Some may feel that the school canteen produces too much plastic waste. Others may be bothered by dirty toilets. Some may notice that their friends often waste food. Others may feel uncomfortable because the schoolyard is too hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These problems come from the children’s own experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where learning becomes connected to real life. Children are not working on a project simply because the teacher tells them to. They have a personal reason to care about the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After identifying a problem, the next stage is Imagine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students are encouraged to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow could this situation be improved?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This stage is not a competition to find one correct answer. Instead, children need to be given the freedom to explore as many possibilities as they can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if they identify plastic waste as a problem at school, they might imagine various solutions: bringing reusable water bottles, creating a plastic collection system, changing the canteen’s packaging, creating a campaign, setting up special waste bins, turning plastic waste into artwork, or even creating a reward system for classes that successfully reduce plastic waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some ideas may sound unrealistic. However, that is an important part of the creative process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers do not need to immediately say, \u201cThat won’t work.\u201d<\/em> Their role is to help students explore their ideas, ask questions, and eventually consider the consequences and feasibility of each option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through this process, children learn that creativity does not always begin with a perfect idea. Often, good ideas emerge after someone is willing to explore many possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The third stage is Do<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what distinguishes a real project from a typical school assignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a conventional assignment, students may be asked to create a plan, write a report, make a poster, and submit it. The process may end when the product is completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In FIDS, the product is not the final goal. Action and real-world change become an important part of the learning process.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If students want to reduce plastic waste, they do not simply stop at creating a poster that says, \u201cReduce Plastic.\u201d They need to try doing something. They might organize a campaign, encourage the school canteen to reduce plastic use, create a waste-sorting system, or conduct an experiment to see whether people’s habits actually change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The action does not have to be big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small changes still have educational value. A cleaner corner of the school, a changed habit, or even one person beginning to see a problem differently can all become meaningful parts of the learning process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why one important idea in FIDS is to set a deadline for action<\/strong>, not just a deadline for submitting a report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children need to learn that ideas have consequences. When someone says they want to improve something, the next question should be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, what are you going to do?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The final stage is Share<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After taking action, students share what they did, what happened, what changed, and what they learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, sharing does not always have to mean presenting in front of classmates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students can share their experiences with the school community, their families, local communities, environmental groups, or other people connected to the issue. Through this process, children learn that their work is not valuable only because it earns them a grade from the teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There may be other people who can benefit from what they have learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This stage also helps build the belief \u201cI can\u201d<\/strong>\u2014the belief that children are capable of doing something to create change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This message is important in education. Children who are accustomed to simply receiving instructions may grow up asking, \u201cWhat am I supposed to do?\u201d<\/em> In contrast, learning that gives them room to take initiative can encourage them to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat can I do?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Compare FIDS with a learning pattern that is often used:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Topic \u2192 Instruction \u2192 Product \u2192 Grade<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this pattern, the teacher becomes the starting point. The teacher determines what students will learn, how the task should be completed, what product should be created, and how the result will be assessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIDS changes the starting point into:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling \u2192 Ideas \u2192 Action \u2192 Story<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not mean that the curriculum has to be abandoned. In fact, FIDS is not a replacement for the curriculum. It can be used as a way to implement the existing curriculum while giving students more room for their experiences, questions, creativity, and actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, in a science lesson, the teacher can still teach the concept of environmental pollution. However, instead of simply asking students to read the material and answer questions, the teacher can invite them to observe an environmental problem that they actually encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientific concepts can then be used to understand the problem and explore possible solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, academic knowledge does not stand alone. Knowledge becomes a tool for understanding and responding to the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Implementing FIDS also changes the role of the teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers need to learn to hold back from immediately providing answers. When students come up with ideas that seem simple or even unrealistic, teachers can use questions to help them develop those ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy did you choose that idea?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat might happen if you tried it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho could help you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is the first step you could take this week?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions like these allow teachers to remain important in the learning process without becoming the only source of solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teacher becomes a facilitator who helps students move from problems to possibilities, from possibilities to action, and from action to reflection.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the strength of FIDS does not lie only in the four words Feel, Imagine, Do, and Share<\/strong>. Its real strength lies in changing the starting point of learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children do not always have to begin with what adults have already decided for them. Sometimes, they need to begin with something they genuinely feel, imagine something different, try to create a change, and then share what they discover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because education is not only about helping children know more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also about helping them realize that they can do something with what they know.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And perhaps that is where a school project stops being just another assignment\u2014and becomes a truly meaningful learning experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For a long time, learning in schools has often started with the question: \u201cWhat do students need to learn?\u201d Teachers determine the topic, explain the material, provide instructions, and then ask students to produce an assignment. After that, their work is assessed based on certain criteria. This approach certainly has its place in education. However, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[20,21,25,22,23,24],"class_list":["post-1060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-en","tag-education","tag-english","tag-english-language","tag-learn","tag-learning","tag-learning-english"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t