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Integral Education


Integral Education, as envisioned by the Mother and Sri Aurobindo, regards the child as a growing soul and helps him to bring out all that is best, most powerful, most innate and living in his nature. It helps the child develop all facets of his personality and awaken his latent possibilities so that he acquires - a strong, supple, healthy, beautiful body - a sensitive, emotionally refined, energetic personality - a wide-ranging, lively intelligence and will - the subtler spiritual qualities that unify and harmonise the being around the child's inmost Truth or Soul. The focus and emphasis in Integral Education (IE) is not just information and skills acquisition but also self-development, triggered from within the child and supported and nourished by teachers and parents. Every experience becomes a learning tool for the child in its growth. IE helps the child to integrate with its true Self, its surroundings, its society, its country and humanity; in other words, to become the complete being, the integral being that the child is meant to be.

INSTITUTE(s)

India Council for Integral Education (ICIE) and Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Integral Education and Research (SAFIER) Education are meant to maximize one's potential and help one integrate with one's true self, surroundings, society, country and humanity. SAFIER and ICIE aspire to work to bring about this change in education in India and the world. SAFIER & ICIE collaborate with other educational institutions in India and abroad, in a supportive and sharing partnership. ICIE is an affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a US-based premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders throughout the world. More information on our educational work is available at our micro-site www.education.aurosociety.org

Activities

The work undertaken by these institutes includes AuroSchools: Model nurseries, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools are being established, where learning is joyful and creative. The focus is on developing faculties like concentration, imagination, critical thinking and deeper values such as truthfulness, courage, compassion. A special emphasis is laid on making the best use of the latest technology for the transformation of education more widely and effectively. Under ICIE, a Residential Teacher Training Institute and a Model Integral Education School, based on the principles of Integral Education (IE), is being planned.

Developing an IE Curriculum: Preparation of an entire IE Curriculum is on the anvil. Teacher training programmes are organized in Puducherry and other parts of India to orient teachers and parents to the concepts of Integral Education. There is a constant endeavour to bring in new elements in the syllabus and pedagogy. Resource materials including well-written and beautifully illustrated books, audio and video CDs, games and toys of all types are being developed. These educational aids will be of the highest quality and affordable for wide distribution in India and other countries.

The following projects are underway: Faculty & Quality Development: Work on preparing resource materials on developing various faculties and qualities in a child. Physical Education Project: Here, the focus is on helping educational institutes to have a physical education programme that is holistic and could be implemented in minimum space and with minimum equipment. Nature Projects: A work on the concept of Sustainability based on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother's writings. A Flower CD, introducing the deeper significance of flowers, is being prepared. Pre-natal Education Project E-learning: The widely spreading use of electronic media in India has opened up a new and inexpensive means for reaching out to the remotest and poorest corners of the country. Full use is made of ICT, e-learning and distance education to make the process of education more effective, meaningful and enjoyable. Children's Corners: Informal learning centres where children from a locality can come together and learn in an environment of fun and joy. These centres, which function after school hours under the guidance and supervision of facilitators, supplement the prevailing system of education in schools. For a full list of Publications and Products on Education, please visit the SAS online store at AuroService.

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All the photographs, writings, audio clippings of Sri Aurobindo, the Mother and/or the Ashram are copyright of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust and have been reproduced by their kind permission.

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