August, 2021
Vipul Shaha, Pune, INDIA
Educator-Facilitator, Counseling Psychologist, Gap-Year Coach, Yoga and Mindfulness Trainer
Sharing the essence of my ever-evolving educational philosophy, drawn from multiple thinkers-practitioners as well as from my direct personal explorations in the field.
1. Education Is Life and Life Is Education--
Learning is living and living is learning--a lifelong process. They both are inseparable and form the basis of human existence. When something is ‘learned’, it becomes a part of our being—our thoughts, words and actions. Experience is an essential element and therefore ‘learning by doing’ or ‘experiential learning’ is an integral part of life.
Learning is also being continuously observant and choicelessly aware of oneself and the relationship we share with the world around us. Through such an educational process, we come to understand our truest nature and free ourselves from any conditionings of the past.
2. The purpose of education is to nurture the whole being—
The process of education must bring us closer towards our deepest essence and nurture human development from a holistic perspective: intellectual, socio-emotional, moral, physical, psychological and spiritual. In turn, education must lead to not only economic self-reliance but also a sense of ecological interconnectedness and our responsibility towards a larger societal well-being.
Numeracy and literacy are merely two of the many tools, and not the end goals of education. Universal human goodness, creativity, courage, confidence, humility, integrity, compassion, kindness and love naturally shine forth when ‘education’ unfolds in its truest essence.
Education also holds the promise of bringing about harmony between head, heart and hands and the awakening of our intuitive intelligence.
Environmental Science class on a banyan tree
with my students at The Valley School, Bangalore
3. Education is an Organic Learning Process—
Learning is a natural process that begins from the moment when one is conceived in the mother's womb. Just as we breathe the air that is all around us, children keep on absorbing learning experiences that they get exposed to. The child also tends to naturally gravitate towards learning experiences that lend themselves well with his/her inner essence and inclinations.
Every human being is endowed with unique gifts and potential. The natural process of learning unravels those inner-gifts as children blossom into their own authentic sense of wholeness.
The role of parents and educators is to facilitate this process by offering an inspiring, stimulating, nurturing, caring and safe learning environment within which the learner can critically explore and make sense of their own reality.
Silence and Nature too have an immense role to play. Being immersed in a small, intentional learning community dedicated to collective inquiry and holistic development can accelerate the evolutionary process of learning.
4. Student Engagement and Relationships is the Key—
True learning takes place when intrinsic motivation and a child’s innate curiosity guides the process. Learners can grasp any subject matter with ease; when they see its relevance in a real-life context and find a personal or emotional connection with it. When there is joyful freedom for children to explore, to problem-solve, to take risks and initiatives, to contribute, learning simply emerges—almost as if a by-product in the process of conscious living. By supporting and encouraging the multiple-intelligences that each human being is endowed with, a thriving learning environment can be co-created in diverse contexts.
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