1-day Workshop on Education for Teachers of PSBBM School, Puducherry

Shivakumar, Director, India Council for Integral Education (ICIE), during his introduction, explained a child-centred approach to education where children’s requirements are to be observed and teachers act as facilitators to meet these requirements. This would demand an understanding of how children grow up and learn, and the general patterns and the individualistic needs of each child so that the syllabus could be modified to fulfil the basic needs of a child-centred education. Shivakumar also emphasised that until the teachers learn to observe how learning happens within themselves, it will be very difficult to recognise these patterns happening in a child.

In his second session which was an activity session on developing the 5 senses, through a series of exercises, the participants were made aware of an approach towards enhancing and fine-tuning their senses. The sense of hearing was taken as an example and through interesting games the concepts were clarified.

In his third session, Shivakumar helped the group to take a deeper look at what principles are involved in such an experiential education. Through illustrations, interactions and questions, three principles for a better education were introduced. They were 1) how to approach the child as a facilitator and not as a task master 2) how to observe and understand the child’s true needs, and 3) adopting an approach that starts with what is near & familiar to the child to what is not yet within the child’s grasp and experience.

After a refreshing lunch break, the afternoon session started with a series of games conducted by Shivakumar, aimed at helping the teachers to become aware of their skills and develop their levels of concentration while at the same time making the games very enjoyable and fun too. Their skills were tested and concentration levels were challenged!

The next session by Dr Alok Pandey on “How to Transform our Classrooms” was inspiring and thought-provoking. It focussed on learning to look at oneself and transforming oneself, by relying on one’s own deeper wisdom, and also on how to access this wisdom that is available within each one of us. Dr Alok Pandey also mentioned as to how each thing around us can become a source of wonder, joy and discovery, if we root ourselves in this inner wisdom and open up to the world outside. Towards the end of the session, several participants asked questions regarding various aspects of education, which were answered in an illuminating way.

The final session of the day was on the topic “Our India: Its Past, Present and Future” by Dr Sampadananda Mishra, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Indian Culture (SAFIC). In his brilliant presentation, Sampad brought out the force and beauty of the Sanskrit language, its possibilities and its effect on the growing children, and its role in our educational system. He shared with the teachers some of the amazing creations from the Sanskrit language and also what the language could do in one’s own self-development. Finally, he offered his help for the PSBBM School in improving the current syllabus for Sanskrit.

The 1-day workshop concluded with the participating expressing their appreciation of the workshop as something that gave them a new perspective, a new energy and a new hope to improve the existing education happening at their school. The Headmistress of the school Ms N. Mahalakshmi expressed her gratitude for the workshop and also promised take this association with the Sri Aurobindo Society forward.