May 16, 2015 - educationists from 9 states of India conversed and gave us an .... Pointelle (in French) or the 'dotted n
Basic Course in Integral Education — Theory & Approaches May 10-16, 2015 Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry
A REPORT
BASIC COURSE IN INTEGRAL EDUCATION— THEORY & APPROACHES MAY 10–16, 2015 “We are here to open the way of the Future to children who belong to the Future.” – The Mother This year’s national level Integral Education Workshop, organised by the India Council for Integral Education (ICIE) under the title ‘Basic Course in Integral Education—Theory & Approaches’ at the Society House of Sri Aurobindo Society, from 10 to 16 May 2015, began amidst high activity and anticipation. With the usual last-minute drop-outs and interviews making it all the more interesting, the workshop team was ready to receive the participants and give them a warm and inspiring week. The objective of the workshop was to introduce the principles and practice of Integral Education as envisioned by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother to participants, laying emphasis on creating a greater awareness for these in them. On the first morning, beautiful flowers greeted the participants as they walked in, just before the thought-provoking introductory session began. Questions about curriculums, uniforms, qualities of a teacher and exams for parents, allowed for a fiery, humorous and energetic sharing of ideas and opinions. About 40 teachers, principals and educationists from 9 states of India conversed and gave us an opportunity to understand their thinking patterns. Following that was the first of Shivakumar’s explorative & interactive series on Intergral Education. Each of his sessions, be it on the Physical, Vital/Emotional, Mental or Psychic, carried the teachers into a space of questioning existing systems and approaches. Through the week, with every session he took, Shivakumar created an environment within which teachers could feel themselves being pushed to emerge from stagnated waters into freeflowing streams with clear directions. Theory, with vivid analogies and examples, allowed for deep concepts to unravel easily for the teachers and enable them to actually delve further into Integral Education. To keep up the energy and attention of the participants, Jasmine and Riddhi had packed some multi-lingual songs, activities and group dances together into two lively categories: Waves & Ripples. Waves, in the mornings before the sessions for the day commenced, consisted of all the big games and action songs that swept the teachers of their feet. Whereas the Ripples, held in the afternoons after lunch, consisted of small group rhythmicals and light dances that helped maintain the energy of the teachers. These were a big success and one could hear the teachers humming the tunes on the stairs and during lunch! The first day concluded with Shanker‘s passionate delivery on the approach that is required for Kindergarten. Always an eye-opening experience, his words matched his attitude and the teachers instantly became free and childlike in his presence. Through the use of movement and song, role-play and freedom Shanker imparted what
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the space around little children should be like. Passionate about the right approach with children, he shook the group by planting powerful questions – such as, “Who are we to teach the child?”, “If you let the child be, does he behave like he knows nothing?”, “Why do we interfere constantly?” In each session he took through the camp, his emphasis got deeper and more refined as the group showed readiness. Dr. Arati’s session on Integral Health the next day, was a crucial pit-stop amidst the educational theory and practice sessions. Peppered with humour and a bubbly, welcoming atmosphere, Dr. Arati shared various aspects of nurturing Integral Health in children. She gave valuable tips on how certain symptoms can be observed if one is conscious, how sick children, disabled children need to be treated, what the approach must be as the caregiver / respected person in the child’s life and evoked several questions from the teachers. Covering growth, healthy living and sickness of various kinds in a delightfully engaging manner, Dr. Arati created a safe-space to discuss problems and doubts, too.
On the same day was yet another different session, by Meenakshi uncle. He made the group understand through direct play and discussions, the simplicity and creativity that is required to make interactive learning aids and materials. Through this session, teachers and principals were able to get a glimpse of how concepts are taught in the ashram school. Many realized that an array of topics can be taught through a single learning aid or game. Costeffective and beneficial for teachers of all grades, these activities were eye-openers for the group. Culminating Day Two, after Shivakumar, Shanker, Dr. Arati and Meenakshi uncle, was Sushanto Da’s session on ‘Child and Nature.’ Beautifully capturing the essence of Nature and its impact on the growth and development of a child, he drew attention to the importance of taking children to nature more often. The significance of plants and flowers and their effect and qualities were discussed in this session. Bringing the wonders of the natural world into the session, Sushanto da ended the day by offering flowers personally to each participant.
Day three began on a serious note with Harvinder’s session on Integral Project. Strict and straightforward, the discussions spearheaded into the very process of learning and how it takes place. The mood became one of introspection quickly, and following the discussions self-directed group work was assigned, with various project topics. Through the three sessions, conversation on approaches to learning, value education, etc. continued and in the end, the groups made presentations and shared their experiences. The sharing was powerful and it was evident that the Integral Project Method was a much-liked concept among the teachers.
Following this was Riddhi’s session ‘Journeying’. In the course of this session, she took the participants on a journey through her 9-year long work life. Sharing her experiences of training principals, working with juvenile delinquents, traffic victims, etc., she spoke about the depth of impact that one can make if the right vision and attitude is present. Emphasising on the futility of conventional schooling and her denial of any formal certification, she shared with the teachers her idea of creating a balance between functional and ideal institutions. The focus of this session was to enable the teachers to realize their role in a child’s life and act on it more consciously. It pulled at heart-strings and took many out of their comfort zone. 2
Just the opposite of this session was the simultaneous ‘Awareness through Art’ class by Uttama di who ensured the participants had a gala time being creative. With a simple yet effective paper and glue activity, Uttama di managed to lead the teachers into a state of deeper self-awareness through minimal instruction, plenty of encouragement and a loving environment. Having thoroughly enjoyed themselves, the teachers also got to present their artworks and build stories around the characters, thereby seeing for themselves how imagination can be cultivated in young children.
Most of the sessions were for the whole group, whereas some sessions were specifically for KG teachers and Primary teachers. As usual, there was Yogic exercises and Sanskrit chanting held for a group each, in the mornings. Yogic exercises session was led by Shekhar and Shweta, who went step by step into a routine that could be practiced back at home. Participants enjoyed their style tremendously.
Chanting and Introduction to the Power of Sanskrit was taken by Sampad da, recipient of the Presidential Award for his contribution in the field of Sanskrit. This language has various dimensions and aspects with an opulent vocabulary, grammar etc., thereby helping the learner immensely in enhancing different faculties, besides increasing concentration and memory power. These sessions were greatly appreciated, to the extent that extra classes were demanded by the teachers! Apart from these, there was Dilip bhai’s talk on the approach to education in the Ashram’s Centre of Education which was an eye-opener to many; he also briefly touched upon teaching mathematics and shared a few simple, interesting activities for helping children love maths, through which teachers realized how much fun mathematics can be for children.
On the fourth day, the participants met near Bharathi Park for a date with Nature, just around the time of the sunrise. Jasmine and Riddhi led a group each and with their own styles, led the teachers into a world of awareness and experience in nature. They rolled in the grass, got drenched in the rain, walked with their eyes closed as a part of the trust walk, some climbed trees, made friends with trees and plants and lay in the lap of nature in utter bliss. The sharing post this session was highly emotional and something had visibly unleashed in majority of the teachers.
Through the rest of the day some sessions were repeated as groups were switched and the conclusion of Day Four was a session with Surekha di and Sunit who focused on how language development takes place in children and approaches to facilitating it. Interactive, engaging and informative, the teachers absorbed all the experience the two faculty members had to share.
Day Five followed a similar pattern of repeated sessions, so that each group had an interaction with each resource person. Jasmine’s session on Cahier Pointelle (in French) or the ‘dotted notebook’ proved to be one of great utility as the participants went on discovering more benefits of the same activity. Patient, warm and encouraging, she won their hearts with her approach to nurturing creativity and concentration through the notebook activity.
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An important session pertaining to the curriculum was held in order to give the teachers a chance to shuffle and change their lesson plans for a quarter. Based on all that the teachers had been exposed to, they had to take one quarter’s lesson plan and re-look at it through an integral perspective. A panel presided over the discussions and presentations. This session was an opportunity to infuse integral education approach into day-to-day conventional curriculums and syllabi.
Throughout the camp, various people made time to help and keep the teachers comfortable. Be it Uttam, Basudev, Kavita, Sai Baba or Rathi. It was a hugely satisfying experience to observe the teachers discard their old skins and consciously attempt to grow new ones. Each session held value for some participant and each participant held, brought value to some resource person. The highlight, however, was Simmy ben’s session which by far encompassed the essence of the Workshop. Roaring at 85, she lovingly mocked teachers who were worried that their children were playing too much, and laughed as she shared anecdotes from her long career. Bringing tears to many eyes and transforming every adult in the room into a small child pining for a hug from her, her sheer presence was a mighty inspiration to both organizers and participants!
Just before the workshop came to an end, a focused written feedback was conducted. Teachers wrote for each resource person and every session they had attended. Physically sitting and penning down their feelings collectively resulted in some very conscious feedback and suggestions, much of which was heart-warming and motivating for the organizers. Some were worried about how to return to their normal school lives, others were guilty of superficial teaching of concepts, some longed to go back and make a change but mostly every participant shared that they’d had a great time and that this workshop was transformational in many ways. Of course, the food and the warm hospitality got plenty of attention, too!
The last day saw a long afternoon packed with skill games and activities being immensely enjoyed by the teachers. Alertness, concentration, patience, balance, determination, strength, courage, awareness and team-work were all tested through an obstacle course, some games with paint tins, plates and spoons, marbles and balloons and Sushanto da and Rathi’s conduct of the session. Games that can easily be recreated or modified at no or little cost back in their schools were shared with the teachers for their information. Many had played such games for the very first time and quite a few overcame something inside of them.
All in all, the Integral Education Workshop was more than a learning experience for the participants. The group itself, this year seemed quite ready to take in what was being offered and that was a huge factor in energising even the resource people. Bonds were created and inspiration was shared.
To sum it up, it left a warm but permanent impact on majority of the participants! It was just the beginning of something beautiful, for all the participants and for the children who will be coming into contact with them.
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A photo-album of the entire workshop is available at our facebook page here. But here is a photo-glimpse:
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Some feedback from the participants… We became a small family. The whole atmosphere changed after a few sessions. Loved it. All were caring, loving & magic of Pondy was into us. -
Praneeta K.
…It is first home to us. Because we are born again here. -
Sunitha P. N. V
The place is full of fun, lots of ‘+ve’ energy and education. Wow !! Thank you all… -
Shweta Ajay Karkare_sathe
Loved everything. Best of it is the peace they all brought, the life lessons they all taught. THANK YOU! Will keep coming back to this love & peace.
Loved our honest discussions
The mood map!
Loved the quiet time in the beginning of the session and after the session.
The openness of all the people, the teachers as well as the participants. -
Shivani Shroff
Shalini Kacheria
Found myself in this workshop. Full of energy it was. -
Surbhi Sharma
Everyone here made me so comfortable and I enjoyed each and every moment of it. … I could see the potential in me and now I am completely a changed person. I feel proud to be a teacher and be a part of this workshop. -
Archana Sharma
More than techniques and activities … it has been indeed a workshop for the Soul, to be free like a bird and gay like a flower. -
Harsharan
The ideas of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo on education which were told to us touched my heart and soul. I would like to mention special thanks to the team for this wonderful journey to explore the …. Integral education. -
Saghiya Najm
The food = SUPER ! The openness for sharing = EXCELLENT The visit of the Kindergarten = inspiring & alive ! The place of the camp = WOW! The sea on a side, the flowers on the other side. -
Michelle, France
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