Education and the Aim of Human Life



A TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR:

EDUCATION AND THE AIM OF HUMAN LIFE

Pavitra (P. B. Saint-Hilaire), 1991,

CONTENTS i

Publisher's Note iii

This book is a study of the educational ideal and of the educational method at SAICE iii

- Its author, Pavitra, was the first director of the Centre of Education iii

EDUCATION AND THE AIM OF HUMAN LIFE 1

Introduction 3

A growing need of reforming the old system of education – New methods of teaching 3

The object of this essay 3

- The purpose of education is connected with the conception of the aim of human life 3

- The conception of progress – At the root of the present cultural crisis 3

- The present crisis as birth pangs of a new age – A progress more satisfying 3

- The views of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother on an integral education 3

I 4

The Purpose of Education 4

The aim of education – A collective aspect and an individual aspect 4

- The individual and the society can grow together and help each other 4

- The human mind tends always to emphasize one aspect to the detriment of the others 4

The recent trend in social thought is to give more importance to the society 4

A demand for scientists, engineers and technicians – The result is an over-specialization 5

The aim of human life as it is conceived largely by the ruling class at the time 5

There are other ways which the social outlook influences education 5

- Our society is still a competitive one – Many find themselves in great difficulty 5

- The part played by money in modern society – Money has become a corrupting agent 6

- Examinations and diplomas – The current system seems unavoidable 7

- Education can only be reformed when a corresponding change has begun in society 7

In a period of crisis, the importance of education may be decisive 7

We may therefore in this connexion consider the conception of Progress 8

II 9

The Conception of Progress and 9

the Present World Crisis 9

There was a time when society was almost static in its vision 9

- Little attention was given to alleviating the conditions of life and work of the labourer 10

- As a result of this stagnancy the productivity of the labourer remained almost constant 10

With the seventeenth century, the notion of progress dawned upon the human mind 10

- Then the notion of political equality was brought 11

- At the same time there began and spread what is known as the Industrial Revolution 11

The power of money – Its accumulation by the bourgeoisie and its investment 12

The exploitation of man was a first cause of disillusionment 12

This first disillusion was to be followed by others 12

- Liberty, Equality, Fraternity have lost most of their content 12

- Science has taken utility and not truth as its criterion 13

- Human nature has not changed to any appreciable extent 13

- No doubt there is something to write on the credit side 13

Visible improvements in the social conditions – A welfare society as an ideal 14

The material and social improvements in the industrially developed nations 15

- Great dangers are looming in the future 15

Modern economy is based on an increased production and stimulation of the needs 16

The ideal of a welfare society is losing its inspiring power 17

- This ideal has to give way to a higher or deeper ideal 17

From all this, two facts emerge almost with a certitude 17

- Humanity has definitely turned its face towards the future 17

- All the material achievements, however needed, will not satisfy us in the end 18

There is in man the search for the Absolute 18

- In former times, man turned to religion – But religion is gradually losing its hold 18

- The urge of the Spirit towards mastery and perfection – The conception of Progress 19

- An advance towards some perfection and mastery in the material and social life 20

- The necessity of a deeper life – A wider meaning to Progress 20

The so-called under-developed countries will follow the same path 20

- Industrialization – The formation of technicians and the industrial equipment 20

- A great sacrifice will be demanded from the people, and from all classes of society 20

The process can be achieved only if there is a great unity of purpose in the country 21

Up to now we have not spoken of the quantitative aspect of the material progress 22

- The world seems to be moving faster and faster – Serious thinking about the future 22

Planning in the public as well as the private sector has become imperative 23

The future will depend, not only on the forces which created the past, but on our action 23

The newness of a situation makes it different from the past – The "prospective" attitude 24

- Two kinds of prevision – "projection" and "prospective" 24

- The question of adaptation to a moving world 25

- There is bound to come a "kind of mutation of the ideas which govern the world" 26

- Others foresee a more profound transformation – The appearance of a new human type 26

India with her unique spiritual tradition has a problem of her own 27

- She is at present torn by two tendencies 27

A conception of progress restricted to material well-being and to social adjustments 27

On the other hand India is still drawn powerfully by her past – Her spiritual tradition 28

- There lies a painful dilemma 28

It appears that the price India will have to pay is the loss of her spiritual greatness 28

- And still there is a hope 28

There is nothing which prevents India from looking into the future for her fulfilment 28

Sri Aurobindo shows us that we are at the dawning of a new Age 29

- The meaning of the present world crisis – A purpose in life 29

III 30

The Dawning of a New Age 30

Sri Aurobindo – The main Vedantic conceptions of existence are not mutually exclusive 30

- Nothing exists but the Supreme – The separation is only an appearance 30

The manifestation of the Supreme – Through a double movement of descent and ascent 30

- The descent is an involution – The ascent is an evolution 30

- We call involution the veiling of consciousness 32

The universe is not static, it is essentially dynamic, in constant evolution 32

- Man is simply the present term of this evolution 33

- This next step in the ascent will be taken under the pressure of Supermind 33

- On the crest of an evolutionary wave man has to yield place to a new type of being 34

The word "progress" has a meaning – The faith in man's unlimited perfectibility 35

- The next step should be conscious and deliberate 35

- The upheaval required – A new consciousness and the transformation of human nature 35

The ideal society – Constructed around the human soul and the soul's needs 36

- The next step in the long ascending series of steps leading to a Divine Life upon earth 36

- We shall regard every human society, nation, people as subsouls – The divine Reality 38

- All parts of human life, all activities – The road to their own accomplishment 38

Education will make the whole aim and spirit self-developing and self-finding 39

The aim of art will not be to reveal the Truth and Beauty of which things are the forms 39

The aim of ethics will be to develop the divine nature in the human being 39

In our sociology we shall treat the individuals as souls growing – As souls grown 39

- This growth is a free and spontaneous emergence of consciousness from within 39

The aim of economics will be to give the joy of work and free leisure to grow inwardly 40

In politics – Men and nations will be regarded as souls and group souls 40

- He who sees God in all, will serve freely God in all with the service of love 40

- He will not live either for himself or for the State and society but for God 40

- Such a spiritualized society will be a true inner theocracy 41

- This at least is the possible destiny that opens out before the human view 42

If the light that is being born increases, the Spirit will descend more fully as the Avatar 42

The nation which will accept this vision of the future will be the leader of the New Age 42

IV 43

Sri Aurobindo's Integral Education 43

A clear awareness of the true needs of education dawned really with this century 43

- Theoretical and experimental research work on education has been carried out 45

An entirely new conception of education has gradually emerged 45

- The practical results of the new methods are partial – Two main causes 46

The opposition between the individual and the society is not solved 46

Such a deep reform – Only if there is a change in the ideal and aim of life of society 46

- We may therefore accept these new systems as steps in the right direction 46

In education we have to consider the child, the teacher, and the relation between them 46

- The Child is for us the man in the process of formation 47

The individual and the society – Each grows in and through the other 47

True education – For the real working of the spirit in the individual and the nation 47

The great purpose of education is to help the soul to come forward and grow 48

- The Teaching 48

The first principle of true teaching is that nothing can be taught 48

- The teacher must show the child how to learn by himself 49

- In this active, creative process leading to discovery, the child finds interest and joy 49

- The principle applies also to ethical knowledge and aesthetic knowledge 49

The second principle is that the mind has to be consulted in its own growth 50

- Education should help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best 50

- Each part of the child's being must be appropriately developed and strengthened 50

- True needs and interests of a child at every stage of his growth – A healthy education 50

- The Teacher – His rule is to present and to suggest, never to command or impose 51

The teacher should refrain from thrusting himself forward for imitation 51

The teacher must be aware of the disastrous influence his defects would have 51

When a child asks a question he should not be answered by a rebuke 51

Do not scold your child except with a definite purpose and only when indispensable 52

What Is an Integral Education? 52

- Integral Education takes into account the entire complexity of man's nature 52

- Five principal aspects – The physical, the vital, the mental, the psychic and the spiritual 52

- These five aspects of education one by one and their reciprocal relations 53

The Physical Education 53

The Physical Education 53

- The body itself must reach a perfection in all that it is and does 54

- A wholesome and methodical program of physical education – The results 54

A sound and healthy body 54

Strength and fitness 54

Training of the senses 55

Grace, beauty and harmony 55

Self-mastery and discipline, courage and confidence 55

Co-operation, impartiality and fair dealings with others 55

The Vital Education 56

- The vital is a vast kingdom full of forces – Importance for the building up of character 56

To awaken in the child the will to overcome his weaknesses and eliminate his defects 56

The child has to be shown that the will can be cultivated by practice 56

Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and premilitary training can be of help 57

However, only what the man admires and accepts, becomes part of himself 57

The first rule of moral training is to suggest and invite, not command or impose 57

The best method of suggestion is by personal example, converse and the books read 58

Familiarity is not advisable, but respect, as well as patience, understanding and love 58

A fault confessed must be forgiven – Fear is a disastrous way to education 58

Punishment and the stimulation of fear are the last resort and should be avoided 59

Tolerance, understanding and good-will should be encouraged, based on a sense of unity 60

- The unity which is aimed at is not uniformity, but it is an all-inclusive order 60

- The training of the aesthetic being 60

This begins with the education of the senses to attain precision and power 60

- To remove from the child whatever has been vulgar, common place and crude in him 60

The Divine is Purity as well as Beauty – Both the ethical and the aesthetic being 61

- The teaching of the different Arts – A free and natural growth 61

- The highest aim of Art is to find the Divine through beauty 61

The Mental Education 61

- The greatest mistake is to make erudition the crowning end of education 61

This error becomes more apparent as the bulk of scientific knowledge increases 62

A permanent education from childhood to the age of retirement – A necessity 62

The main object of education should be the training in acquiring and applying knowledge 62

- The real gain from a mental education – An individual aspect and a collective aspect 63

The individual aspect is culture. Culture is not erudition 63

The collective aspect of education is utilitarian and functional 63

- The present trend of the technological society – Specialization will increase 63

An education which can serve for all those tasks – What kind of basic mental formation 63

- The capacity to gather old knowledge 64

- The capability to find out new knowledge 64

- The capacity to use and apply knowledge (old and new) 64

The student should be helped to find the type of work that will suit him best 64

Creative discovery of knowledge which should be the aim and means of education 64

The need for inventive and creative minds – Research and discovery in scientific fields 65

The destructive instinct in man results from a deviation of unemployed creative energy 65

- Another point which we have to consider is the range of the faculties 65

The intellect orders and organizes the knowledge acquired by the other parts 66

The functions and faculties of the right-hand, the functions and faculties of the left-hand 66

- Sri Aurobindo adds that there is another layer of faculty – The phenomena of genius 66

- It is customary to divide education between the "humanities" and "science" 67

Each branch of knowledge puts a demand on both classes of faculties – Right and left 67

There is no superior or inferior branch of knowledge 67

The division between the humanities and science is somewhat arbitrary 67

Something more behind the common opposition between the humanities and science 68

- The term "humanities" was initially equivalent to "classical studies" 68

- This approach of education was mostly literary – The results were remarkable 68

- But conditions have changed. Science has invaded the field of knowledge 69

A synthesis of humanities and science – Not by a juxtaposition or an amalgamation 69

- Whether the study of man or of nature – They are all legitimate studies of the One 69

- The study of classical languages and their literature would not disappear 69

- The longings of the heart as well as the promptings of the mind 69

The Psychic and the Spiritual Education 70

- Every human being – The possibilities of a greater consciousness 70

The experience is essentially the same, if it is sincere 70

- To give a general outline of psychic education – What we mean by the psychic being 70

The psychic being is a conscious form of the Divine growing in the evolution71

In most only the secret witness – But the soul can come forward and control the nature 72

- The importance in education of the discovery of the soul is shown by Sri Aurobindo 72

The evocation of this real man within is the right object of education 72

The discovery of the soul, the real man within, is truly the first great goal of human life 73

- Here are the first indications which The Mother gives to a young seeker 74

The starting-point is to seek in yourself that which carries in it the sense of universality 74

Then you decentralise – You begin to live in everything and in all beings 74

And this is only one aspect of the psychic realisation. There are many others 74

But the path to come to that realisation is long and difficult 74

Before the untiring persistence of your effort, an inner door will open suddenly 75

- A distinction between the psychic education and spiritual education 75

Under the generic name 'yogic discipline' the goal they aim at is very different 75

- For one, it is a higher realisation upon earth – For the other, an escape 75

In spiritual education, the goal you set before you will assume different names 76

- Once you go beyond the intermediate steps, it is always the same experience 76

- In any case, the most effective starting-point, the swiftest method is total self-surrender 76

- The merging into the Absolute, the Formless, is the supreme liberation 77

- A liberation that leaves the world as it is cannot satisfy 77

A new force can be evoked which will be able to bring to birth a new world 77

- The creation of a new species – Upon earth a new force, a new consciousness 77

Then will begin also a new education which can be called the supramental education 78

- The supramental education will progress from above downward 78

- The supramental education will result in a transformation of the nature itself 78

Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education 79

- An education based on a clear conception of the true aim of human life 79

- The Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education – This ideal into practice 79

- A few specific conditions in which the Centre functions and which have proved useful 79

First, the homogeneity of the school population – An environment suited to our ideals 79

Secondly, a continuity of education from the Kindergarten till the end of the studies 79

Thirdly, the Centre of Education is a part of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram 79

Fourthly, the Centre of Education is international in practice and not only in name 80

- Above all these favourable conditions there is the towering presence of The Mother 81

The Students' Prayer 81

OUR NEW SYSTEM OF EDUCATION 83

( The Free Progress System ) 83

I 85

How the Child Educates Himself 85

The business of both parent and teacher – To help the child to educate himself 85

- The true secret is to help him to find the real psychic entity within 85

The first principle of true teaching is that nothing can be taught 86

- A young child gains the knowledge of his surroundings through a ceaseless activity 86

An adult's intervention is in most cases not sought for, nor is it effective 86

It is for the parent or teacher to keep the environment supplied with elements of interest 87

- His environment should be well supplied with all kinds of objects suited to his stage 87

Child psychologists have distinguished in the child activities various stages 88

- There is the stage of manipulation, of construction, of observation 88

- Later the age comes when the child begins to open and react to intellectual objects 88

Spontaneous activity leading to a knowledge of the surroundings – Natural and efficient 88

The second principle – The mind of the child has to be consulted in its own growth 89

- The work proposed to a child must be suited to his mental age and outlook 89

- The child must be given individual attention and be allowed to proceed independently 89

The principles – The rationale of a natural and self-sufficient system of education 89

- The practical methods of our system – In the modern findings of child psychology 89

- We shall study them under the head "The needs of the child" 89

II 91

The Needs of the Child 91

The child has interest when by the object he is capable of satisfying one of his needs 91

- Certain needs – Physical, affective, psychological, intellectual and even psychic 91

- Satisfaction of these needs – The child grows normally and is naturally happy 91

Happiness may therefore be taken as a sign that the essential needs of a child are met 91

Happiness is first an expansion of the being in silence and peace – A look of friendliness 91

- Psychic needs condition the uncovering or revelation of the soul within 91

Beauty, nobility, truth, freedom, love and respect, right action and generous justice 91

One of these psychic needs is the necessity for the soul to grow in freedom 92

- To force the nature to abandon its own dharma is to do it permanent harm 92

Several kinds of needs – Natural and artificial, true and fancy, general and individual 92

- Let us first study what the artificial needs are, in contrast to the natural needs 92

A need is artificial that results from intervention of the adult, or of society 92

- The need to attract attention – The too great prominence given to a young child 93

- A young child who cannot keep his hands off things has been deprived at home 93

- Children incapable of sustained activity – Parents who disturb working or playing 93

- Destructive tendencies of young people – A repression and deviation of creative urge 93

The intervention of the adult can be positive or negative 93

- The adult may act when his action is not required or is detrimental 93

- The adult may also fail to intervene when his action would be required 93

Artificial need – First to find out its cause to stop the intervention that lies at its origin 94

- The distinction between true needs and fanciful needs 94

What is fancy for one child may be genuine for another child's development 94

The solution – Shifting the responsibility from the teacher to the student 94

- It is relatively easy for the child to come in touch with his soul – True discrimination 94

- General needs are common to all – Individual needs pertain to a child or to a period 94

Except for needs artificial or whimsical, every need is to be met as far as possible 95

- To give the child a chance to make his own experiments 95

- A need to which a normal and legitimate fulfilment is denied tries to get satisfaction 95

Neurotic troubles, erratic behaviour have no other origin 95

- Natural needs of a child are to be satisfied – In fact, by the child himself 95

The educator must place the child in conditions where this satisfaction is possible 95

An active satisfaction – The child develops his instruments of knowledge and action 95

To review briefly the most important general needs of childhood 96

- The bodily needs do not fall within the scope of these lectures 96

- I am particularly concerned here with the psychological needs 96

- The psychic needs 97

The first amongst them is the need for happiness of which I have already spoken 97

Another need that concerns all the parts of the being is the need to grow 97

- The child is a growing being – Growth is an activity that interests the whole being 97

- And activity can only bring its desired fruits if it is a free activity 97

- When a child takes interest in what he does, it means that the action is purposeful 98

- It brings a contribution to the growth of the soul 98

- Interest is thus the mark of a participation of the soul 98

- And when a child is interested, concentration is spontaneous 98

- Adults do not generally recognize and value this need 98

- When a healthy child leaves his work half-finished – Caused by intervention of the adult 98

- Let each child do his work to the best of his ability till he is satisfied 98

- Then examine with him sympathetically, but without undue praise, the value 98

- This concentration upon a work till its purpose is fulfilled – An urge towards perfection 99

This brings us to the need of beauty – A tendency towards harmony and beauty 99

- The aspect of beauty to which children are most sensitive is psychic beauty 99

- The child is awake to what is usually called moral beauty in a person 99

- Unfortunately the soul's influence is not the only influence to which a child can open 99

- The contagion of vital influences of all kinds – A perversion akin to possession 99

The need for independence and freedom – The determination of the soul 100

- Any external compulsion cannot be endured long by the child 100

There is a complementary aspect to the need for freedom – The need for security 100

- The necessity for the child to be sure that his growth will not be hampered or prevented 100

- Also the assurance that in case of difficulty the necessary aid will not be denied 100

- A mistake if the ready hand supplied support before help was needed or requested 100

- To inspire confidence and security, the teacher must be steady and unwavering 101

- The teacher should also be the same within and without 101

- Freedom and support are the complementary gifts that the child expects 101

Connected with security is the need of the child for success in his experiments 102

- The joy of achievement, of overcoming a difficulty, is one of the chief incentives 102

- Let the child understand that it is the true and only reward that is worthy of him 102

Contrary to current opinion, a child likes order – Rarely the parent's order 102

- A place which will be the child's property and to which he shall have free access 102

Regularity has also a value for the child and normally he will adhere to it easily 103

- In our system the time-table is flexible – The responsibility that is the fruit of freedom 103

- There are needs that belong to the emotional or affective life of the child 103

The most important is the need of sympathy, affection and love 103

- Fondling is not to be encouraged, nor familiarity – A relation upon trust and respect 103

- It remains often difficult for parents to understand the need of freedom in their child 104

Let us come to the relation between the children themselves – The social need 104

- Such association has to be accepted and helped 104

- If a child prefers to work alone, let him do so 104

- For a child, the teacher becomes an object of interest 105

At the end of childhood, a new object of interest for the child – His own inner being 105

- It is frequently the time of a deeply felt crisis 105

- Needs are subject to change, not only with different children, but for one child with age 105

Childhood is indeed a preparation for adult life. But it is not a simple passage 106

Childhood recapitulates the whole human evolution 106

- There is no purpose in hurrying up the children through these various stages 106

Truly, growth should continue throughout the whole life, and education also 106

III 107

The Educational Environment 107

The purpose of the school environment – The stimuli to a self-educative activity 107

- The environment must offer stimuli in sufficient number and variety – Renewed 107

A child becomes restless when he does not act 107

A child stops acting when he does not find in the environment a meaning for his action 107

- It may happen that a child responds only to a very few stimuli 107

When the corresponding need or needs of the child have been long suppressed 107

When the objects offered for the child's attention correspond to needs not yet developed 107

- If the child remains persistently closed to the solicitations of the school environment 108

It means either that he is an abnormally dull child or that his needs are elsewhere 108

- An attempt should be made to find out – Hidden artistic tendencies, manual work 108

- The task of the teacher – To find out the needs, assemble or prepare the class equipment 108

When a child has confidence in his teacher he will often spontaneously mention 108

- An environment that is all-organized or too rich – Insecurity and bewilderment 108

The class must be clean and tidy, always kept in order 108

- A similar insecurity – Many objects that do not correspond to the children's needs 108

The class – A careful selection of well-adapted and well-presented objects of interest 108

The equipment of the class – It depends on the age and mental development 109

- We have distinguished three stages – Manipulation, construction, observation 109

The first stage belongs to early childhood and is that of the Kindergarten 109

The second stage belongs to the primary levels – Educational games, construction kits 109

The three stages blend gradually into one another 109

- We are more concerned here with the stage of observation 109

It begins with the primary and develops all along the secondary levels 109

Original state and actual working, samples and models, pictures and photos, description 109

Practical work for the desirous children must be arranged at as early a stage as possible 109

Text-books of the self-instructor type are on the way to proper teaching 110

Work-sheets are made into separate lessons or sections related to a single theme 110

A time comes when manipulation and observation do not suffice 111

- The child acquires some new needs, such as reading, writing and counting 111

- Reading, writing and counting – Hardly acquired without the help of an adult 111

But the process of learning must be based on personal striving, invention and discovery 111

- Imitation is only justified as a perfecting technique. It is hardly conducive to discovery 111

The child opens later to more elaborate stimuli – The various branches of knowledge 111

- The aim of the documentation and scientific equipment is to help the child 112

The aim is to teach the child how and where to find information 112

The teacher – What the child needs is a piece of information, not a display of knowledge 112

IV 113

The Class Work 113

The teaching of reading, writing and counting – The Kindergarten and the first two years 113

- I shall not speak of this teaching – It has received considerable attention outside 113

- There is a blending of collective teaching with individual attention 113

- We shall henceforth assume a good knowledge of reading, writing and counting 113

The work in a new class – Collective teaching, individual Work, team Work 113

A. Collective Teaching 113

- The teacher addressing the whole class – Four types of talks 113

The imparting of knowledge, which we are led to reject entirely 114

To train the ear of the students and their tongue – The teaching of languages 114

To supply a needed information – At school level, the resort to lectures will arise rarely 114

The teacher talks to his students with the view to give them guidance 114

- Let us first discuss the case of lecturing as a means of imparting knowledge 114

According to modern educationists, the traditional means suffers from two main defects 114

- The teacher addresses the whole class – There is among the students a great diversity 115

- During all the lecture hours there is very little participation from the students 115

The dullness and lack of interest of students – The absence of a work leading to creation 116

When a lecture is given to a group of research workers – As a piece of information 116

- But at school level the lecture is given as the very knowledge to assimilate 116

Another legitimate use of lectures is the presentation of information to an adult audience 116

- Their role is to add a piece of information to an already existing documentation 116

- The wrong way of teaching at school – The child's critical faculty is not yet awakened 117

At university level in Europe, lectures have nowadays come into disfavour 117

- Why has the magistral system of lectures been thus discredited? – A waste of time 117

An argument that is sometimes advanced in favour of lectures – An inspiring power 118

- It is certainly easy to inflame the emotions of children – But it is not a healthy process 118

- It is rather the life and behaviour of the teacher that must awaken enthusiasm 118

- The interest that we should try to evoke – Within the student in response to the stimuli 119

- The teacher should not act upon the student, but upon the environment 119

- The main object of our system is to generate in the student a living and stable interest 119

What is valuable in a speech or a talk is the presence of a spiritual or psychic trend 120

- But the creation of a psychic atmosphere does not require a lecture 120

It is only in the study of the languages that collective teaching is really necessary 120

B. Individual Work 120

- Students should receive individual guidance in their self-educative activity 120

The method of individual work based on the work-sheet 121

A set of instructions concerning the work that the child should himself do 121

- A didactic part so drafted that the student understands it readily 121

- A heuristic part with the delineation of the research to be made 121

- Work-sheets of a mixed type contain at the best a didactic part and a heuristic part 122

- A fourth type of work-sheet consists in testing questions and is called the testing type 122

- If the student does not succeed in the test – A work-sheet of the supplementary type 122

Thus five types of work-sheets – Didactic, heuristic, mixed, testing, supplementary 122

- A principle common to all – To ensure the utmost participation of the student 122

A work-sheet is given – If a student does not understand, he goes to the teacher 122

- When he has completed the work he brings his note-book to the teacher 122

- Till the answers are all correct – The student has then to make a fair copy of the whole 122

- Students know the periods when each teacher will be present in the class 123

- There will be two and sometimes three teachers present in a class of 25-30 students 123

Home-work as such is not prescribed to the students 123

- The subjects of study and some peculiarities of their respective work-sheets 123

Languages – The work-sheet is of the didactic type like the pages of a self-instructor 123

Mathematics – The work-sheet is of the didactic type 124

- Besides the normal set of exercises and problems – An optional set 124

- A self-checking system – Parallel to the work-sheet-index, there is a solution-index 124

- It has even been found useful to introduce a hint-index – Before the solution-index 124

Science – The work-sheet is of the heuristic type or of the mixed type 124

- The foremost place must be given to the heuristic part 125

- The laboratories – Not only for demonstrations but for experimental work 126

History and Geography – The work-sheet is of the mixed type 126

- The heuristic part is a kind of research work, done with the help of a documentation 126

- At levels 1-2, history would be taught through legends and stories, lives of great men 127

- At levels 3-4, history and geography can very well be taught together 127

- At level 5, history – The study of the daily life in various countries at different times 127

- At this stage geography should be synchronized with history 127

- At levels 6-7-8, history will consist in the study of a few historical movements 128

- At levels 9-10, there will be a more systematic study of the history of a few nations 128

- Geography should probably, from level 6 upwards, be treated as a separate science 128

- Economical and political geography will be introduced at level 10 129

- Slides and films can have only a secondary role – Inhibiting effect on creative activity 129

C. Team Work 129

- The association of children for work should be left entirely to the participants 129

The teacher – Ready to guide and to assist, but respecting the freedom of the children 130

The teacher – His interest in the work that is being done and in the achievement 130

A few more words to add about the material organization of the class-room 130

- The students prefer flat tables – Some space should be usually kept between the tables 130

- As two or three teachers may be simultaneously present – Accommodation for them 130

- The room should be larger than usual – No objection to two rooms communicating 131

- The placing of the children in the class-room must suit both the child and the teacher 131

V 132

A Valuation of the New System 132

Let us summarize our results to derive further conclusions 132

- At every moment the student is to some extent free to organize his work 132

- It may happen that a student takes interest in one or a few subjects and neglects others 132

If this want of balance goes too far, it must be brought to his notice with tact 132

Each student should be helped to manifest what he himself stands for 132

A way to promote the interest of a child in a subject – To pay attention to the work-sheets 133

- The student is allowed to proceed at his own pace – Each one receives what he needs 133

- The students will give up the idea of competing with one another 133

- Each student is confronted only with a work suited to his present capacity 134

Each work-sheet brings a feeling of freshness and novelty 134

- After a little practice a child is able to understand the work-sheets 134

And after 6 or 7 years, he will be capable a proper use of other documentation 134

- The system allows a constant control of the work of each student 134

The student's note-books are a permanent testimony of the work he has done 134

- In our Centre of Education it has always been difficult to obtain home-work 134

- The question of promotion will no longer be embarrassing 135

There is no 'redoubling' – The second year exactly at the place at the end of the last 135

A 'double promotion' – Here also the student will start exactly where he stopped 135

The class in which a student is placed is determined by a kind of compromise 135

- Each student – The work suited to his grade at his own pace in each subject 135

- The need of giving marks does not arise – Promotion loses much of its troublesomeness 136

VI 137

The Evolution of a Class 137

The response of students placed for the first time in a new class – Three stages 137

1. A stage of adaptation lasting perhaps three months – Gradually the class settles down 137

As long as a child does not disturb others, he can be kept in the class 137

2. At first for a short duration, then for longer periods, the children relax 138

The stage of responsibility is at hand 138

The responsibility of education is gradually shifted from the teacher to the student 138

The initial agitation and perplexity were due to the bad habits, deviation and distortions 138

Placed in favourable conditions these lingerings from the past will slowly subside 138

The teacher observes the reactions of all his students – At times a friendly chat starts 138

- Such talks must be allowed to come up as the circumstances permit 138

- The teacher must always aim to bring the child face to face with his own problem 138

- If however a child remains aloof, no sign of disapproval should ever be shown to him 139

How and when is one to speak of The Mother and Sri Aurobindo to a child? 139

- Speak of The Mother to a child, to a group or to the class, only when at their best 139

- Never use The Mother's name to support your authority 140

- Never speak of your own spiritual experiences 140

3. The stage of responsibility – A peaceful atmosphere of work, the normal condition 140

One day after a friendly talk to a group of children a new thing happens 140

- It is an inner contact, an opening within – It is truly an experience, a new consciousness 140

- The main preoccupation of the teacher will henceforth be to protect it 140

This experience is crucial. It is a promise of a conscious inner guidance 140

- For the soul to come forward, the child must be brought to the stage of responsibility 141

- The beautiful change marks the beginning of the stage of psychic opening 141

Not only anger but scolding pupils becomes impossible – To help the child 141

- In face of a fault – To examine lucidly and quietly the inner and outer consequences 141

The three stages I have described belong to the individual development of the child 141

- But the collective atmosphere has a great role in this evolution 141

- The means conducive to the unveiling of the psychic entity within 141

The harmonious surroundings in which the child lives a large part of the day 141

The attempt to give him the charge of his own education – In freedom and security 141

I shall close this chapter with two remarks 141

- The assimilation of a number of other new students has a considerable repercussion 141

- The progress – Easier if the child finds, outside the class-room favourable conditions 142

VII 143

The Task of the Educator 143

The first task of the teacher is to maintain the class environment well supplied 143

- He has to prepare the work-sheets and the related documentation 143

The second task is to organize and maintain the goodwill of the students 143

- To canalize the interest of the child and supply a constructive outlet to his activity 143

During the first stage (adaptation) – To smoothen and facilitate the adaptation 143

During the second stage (responsibility) – To show the way to responsibility 143

- The teacher must be moderate, discreet and unassuming – Steady, strong and reliable 144

- To support the children's growth towards responsibility and self-acquired knowledge 144

The third aspect of the teacher's work is to help the child to find the inner guidance 144

- To be able to induce a psychic opening he should always keep in touch with his soul 144

To teach is certainly a very efficient form of sadhana 145

The collaboration among teachers – The practice of true collaboration 145

- A co-ordinated collective action – One of the class-teachers should be the First Teacher 146

- What about the freedom of the teacher? Will there not be a great rigidity and fixity? 146

The work-sheets prepared by the teacher – The possibility of a greater adaptation 146

- The new class is a collective unit, from the point of view of both students and teacher 146

The independence of each is qualified by the interdependence of all 147

The principles and distinctive features of the method should be carefully observed 147

- Those who will join the new classes as teachers will be entirely volunteers 147

- It is truly a new attitude towards the child and education – A pioneering work 147

VIII 149

Do We Need a New System of Education? 149

What is the essence of our new education? 149

- To ensure the protected freedom necessary to the child for his self-educative process 149

- For the purpose of carrying this we have to devise methods, to elaborate techniques 149

The principal aims of these methods and techniques are to co-ordinate the activities 149

But it is the principles that we have perforce to understand, assimilate and accept fully 149

- If any of our methods is incorporated in the traditional education – Limited results 149

- The aim of our education – We do not want brilliant students, we want living souls 149

That will exclude the aim of assigning a fixed amount of factual knowledge 150

Every student would be allowed to pursue the studies for which he has made himself fit 150

The reality is that there are good children, but there are other children, unruly 150

- The goodwill and spirit of dedication of most of our teachers are undeniable 151

Why then are our children like that? 151

- We have already repudiated the idea of coercing the child 151

The only means at our command to influence the child is persuasion and reprimand 151

- But we have hitherto kept the idea of a fixed standard of knowledge 151

This knowledge has to be remembered and assimilated, not discovered 151

The tests that we have do not differ fundamentally from the examinations held outside 151

Well, these aims are not natural to children of this age living and growing in freedom 151

- They are imposed upon us and upon them by the present-day state of society 151

The traditional education is unable to evoke and sustain the interest of young people 152

- Without the succour of external compulsion or social solicitation 152

- The reason is that it does not give heed to the needs of the children as growing beings 152

Youngsters of the critical age (11-16) with unsatisfied needs – Deviations and distortions 152

- Later, at about 17, they lament that they have become dull and sluggish 152

What is the remedy? How are we to come out of this predicament? 153

- Either we keep the aims of traditional education and also suitable means to enforce 153

- Or we accept fully the ideal and we give up once for all the traditional aim 153

What is new – A new land that is disclosed to us and that we begin to explore 154

- The evocation of the real man within as the right object of education 154

- The handing over of responsibility to the child as a means towards this evocation 154

TWO CARDINAL POINTS OF EDUCATION 155

I 157

The true purpose of education 157

- Not only to bring out of the child the best and the noblest that he is capable of 157

- To endow him with an understanding of the true aim and significance of human life 157

This second point needs all the more attention nowadays 157

- Is mankind to be led blindly to wanton destruction or to a still worse soulless fate? 157

In this connection two points are of cardinal importance 157

- The first springs from a true insight into human nature and constitution 157

- The second concerns the future of man, of man the individual and humanity 157

Modern education, on the whole, takes the child as undeveloped 157

- The ideal achievement to many educationists so far as the individual child is concerned 157

- But society has its word to say – To some extent counter to the innate urge of the child 157

- The defects of modern education are well known – But the remedies are palliatives 158

We have to re-examine the whole foundation on which education rests 158

Sri Aurobindo propounded certain principles of education – Here the first one 158

- The first principle of true teaching is that nothing can be taught 158

- The educationists have come to conclusions similar 159

First – To make sure that the child's needs are satisfied and that the child is happy 159

- The realisation that each human being is a self-developing soul 160

The evocation of this real man within is the right object of education 160

How this is to be brought about is mainly a matter of tactful dealing with the child 160

- A real Free Progress Class can only begin when the child is able to read and write 160

But the right attitude towards the child must be adopted from the very beginning 161

- Ordinary education and the influence of adult society usually act to muffle and distort 161

- In order to awaken the child to the understanding of the two worlds, inner and outer 161

He should be told how to observe carefully what happens in himself 161

With concrete instances from the day to day school life discrimination can be developed 161

Thus only will the child acquire the sense of responsibility which is aimed at 161

The child will recognize gradually that inner guidance is the most satisfying one 162

- If the teacher succeeds in establishing a soul to soul contact – A helpful link 162

Threat and punishment should be completely avoided 163

The forces – Love and sympathy, desire to help, devotion to an ideal, peace with oneself 163

- The child is obliged to refer constantly to the inner guidance – A spirit of responsibility 163

We do not expect the child to be at once the master of the inner movements 164

- It is certainly good that the old coercive methods of education have gone 164

A condition that something higher replaces them – Otherwise results will be disastrous 164

- The direction taken by some of the most advanced nations in matter of education 164

- The western educationists, after them the entire world, have seized only half the truth 165

A discipline taking into account the diversity of human nature and the unity of the soul 165

- It may be argued that the guidance of the soul is the "voice of conscience" 165

The soul is the origin of the conscience 165

But in most cases the action of the soul is covered up and smothered 165

What we present is a method aiming at disengaging it from distorting influences 165

- In his search the child can receive help only from someone who has gone through 166

One must be a great Yogi to be a good teacher 166

- Thus the main task of the secondary education – To make the child soul-conscious 166

II 167

The birth and development of the notion of progress 167

- The advent of progress has cut the course of history in two parts 167

1. A period when society was almost static in its vision of things 167

2. A period when the human mind turned to the mastery of physical nature 167

- Human nature had not changed to any appreciable extent – Egoism and greed 168

- The radical obstacle to a wholesome and harmonious progress 168

- The notion of an all-embracing progress of society was therefore questioned 168

- There was no sign that people were really "happier" than in the past 168

- Material and social amelioration in the industrially developed nations 168

But new questions arise. Technological progress seems to create problems 169

This concern with the future has caused planning to be resorted to 169

Again happiness escapes the grasp of man 169

The ideal of a welfare society is losing much of its inspiring power 169

Religion is gradually losing its hold and the young especially are turning away from it 170

- Religions have always laid emphasis on a world beyond 170

- All religions take their inspiration from the past 170

- The advent of progress has really cut the course of history in two 170

One epoch in which men were looking at the past 170

Another in which they turn their look to the future 170

- We are therefore led to two conclusions 171

Man has definitely turned his face towards the future 171

All the material achievements will not satisfy us in the end, if they come alone 171

- What then is missing? Sri Aurobindo supplies an answer and gives us the key 171

The future evolution of man – May not mind be a veil of a still hidden higher power? 171

- The shaking mankind is undergoing is nothing but the break-up of the past 172

- The word "progress" assumes a new significance – It is the dawning of a New Age 172

- Man is well aware that he has the power to influence his destiny 172

- The next step of evolution can only be conscious and deliberate 172

- By Yoga man has shown that he is able to raise himself to a higher consciousness 173

Sri Aurobindo has outlined his conception of the future evolution of man 174

- A transitional period – What he calls a "spiritualised society" 174

- Mankind, having accepted the ideal, will be engaged in the process of giving it a shape 174

- The complete supramental transformation will establish upon earth a divine life 174

- The future will realise all the promises of the past 176

Such is the basis that we would wish should be given to education in this country 176

- India is in a unique position in this respect and we believe she has a great future 176

Bibliography 177

Notes and Sources 179

Bibliographical Note 184

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