Contributions to educational thinking

OBJECTIVES
AT THE END OF THE LESSON, STUDENTS MUST BE ABLE
TO:
1) Develop understanding of the different concepts
2) Relate the concepts in the present-day situation.
3) Distinguish the similarities and differences among
the different concepts.
4) Use the concepts to formulate a solution to the
educational problem present today.
5) Analyze concepts by determining the problems of
education today that can be catered by the concept
6) Come up with a probable solution to the different
educational problems present in the society .

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
SOME CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATIONAL THINKING

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
INTRODUCTION
 Vivekananda believed in the essential unity of man
and God
 He had a firm moorings in oriental culture, yet he
had the broadness to welcome all that is worth
borrowing from the west.(Ghosal, 2012)
 He tried to unite Indian spirituality and western
materialism
 Vivekananda didn’t write a book on education but
he contributed valuable thoughts on the subject of
education that are relevant and viable today.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
DEFINING EDUCATION
Swami describes religion as ‘the manifestation of the divinity
already in man, also he defines education as the
manifestation of the perfection already in man’
 Manifestation
Implies that something already exists and is waiting to
expressed. The main focus in learning is to make the
hidden ability of a learner manifest; knowledge is
inherent in man, not acquired from external sources.
 Already in man
Refers to a human being’s potential, which is the range of
the abilities and talents, known or unknown that is born
with. Potential speaks of the possibility of
awakening something that is lying dormant

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
DEFINING EDUCATION
 Perfection
Refers to a Greek word ‘teleics’ translated as perfect, and
suggest the idea of attaining a goal or an
end;Perfection in education parlance is the goal of
actualizing the highest human potential.
He also defines education as:
 Life-building,man-making,character-making,assimilation
of ideas, and not a certain amount of information
that is put into your brain and runs riot there,
undigested all your life(1985;III:302)
 An ability to think originally, to stand on your own feet
mentally as well as practically, interacting with people
succesfully.
 Process by which character is formed , strenght of mind
increased, and intellect sharpened, as a result of which
one can stand on one own’s feet.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
DEFINING EDUCATION
 Education is the discovery of the inner-self, self
revelation. Education is development from within.
 Vivekananda doesn’t believe in the system of
education where the learners’ mind gets jam-
packed with information without having any
space for independent thinking.
“If education is identical with information, the
libraries are the greatest sages of the world…
regrettably, we treat innocent learners as nothing
better than vessel to be stuffed with carload of
facts with little space for exploring their hidden
potentials.”
“If education is identical with information, the
libraries are the greatest sages of the world…
regrettably, we treat innocent learners as nothing
better than vessel to be stuffed with carload of
facts with little space for exploring their hidden
potentials.”

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
THE OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION
Vivenkananda points out that the defect of the present
day education is that it has no definite goal to
pursue. The objective of education must be the
manifestation of perfection in our lives, which is the
very nature of our inner self.
Specifically, the objectives of education according to
Vivekananda are as follows:
 To eliminate one’s ego, ignorance and all other false
identification, which stand in the way.
 To build up self-confidence and self-reliance based
on balance human relationships

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
THE OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION
 To strive towards character development
characterized by the development of will-power,
leading to courage, stamina and fearlessness.
 To develop adaptability and able to meet the
challenge of a changing society.
 To lead to a feeling of brotherhood and the unity
of mankind.
 To serve God through serving the masses;work
is worship.
 To acquire the spirit of renunciation.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
THE METHOD OF TEACHING
Consequently, these are the methods of teaching
according to Vivekananda:
 The task of the teacher is only to help the child to
manifest its knowledge by removing the obstacles
in its way.
 The learner is just like a plant, one cannot do
anything more than supplying it water, air, manure
while it grows from its own nature.
“ Knowledge is inherent in every man’s
self;what man knows is only what he discovers
by taking the cover off his own soul.”
“ Knowledge is inherent in every man’s
self;what man knows is only what he discovers
by taking the cover off his own soul.”

SWAMI VIVENKANANDA:
THE METHOD OF TEACHING
 The method of teaching must be problem-solving
under the bias-free guidance of the teacher;
the teacher’s role is just a facilitator, similar to the
modern educationist’s Heuristic method.
 The teacher has to come down to the level of
the learner and give him a push upwards; thus
there should be least intervention and the ideal
teacher should consciously under-teach so that the
learners get the ample scope for learning
themselves.
“No one can teach anybody. The teacher spoils
everything by thinking that he is a
teacher”(1993:56)
“No one can teach anybody. The teacher spoils
everything by thinking that he is a
teacher”(1993:56)

SWAMI VIVENKANANDA:
ROLE OF THE TEACHER
Vivekananda specifies the role of the teacher as
follows:
 The teacher should share with the student the
conviction that they are both truly one in
spirit-at the same time cultivating in the student a
feeling of dignity and self-respect
 The only true teacher is he who can immediately
come down to the level of the student, and
transfer his soul to the students’ soul and see
through the student’s eyes and hear through his
ears and understand through his mind. Such
teacher can teach and none else.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
ROLE OF THE TEACHER
 To make the mind grow by unfolding and unveiling
the natural power inherent in man.
 The children teach themselves, the duty of the
teacher is to offer them opportunity and remove
obstacles; that is, if we provide conducive
environment the rest will happen by itself.
 The teacher’s role is unimportant; it necessitates
the teacher’s personal, constant contact with the
students.
Knowledge exists in the mind, like fire in a piece of flint.
Friction brings it out.
Knowledge exists in the mind, like fire in a piece of flint.
Friction brings it out.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT
 Although Vivekananda’s vision of education lays
extreme emphasis on the training of the mind it
does not undermine the importance of an all-round
development of the human personality. Its aim is
untrammeled development of the personality
in all sphere-physical, mental and spiritual.
 He believes that physical exercises must be part of
the educational training since a sound mind
resides in a sound body; the self cannot be
realized by the physically weak.
 The mind of the students has to be controlled and
trained controlled through meditation,
concentration and practice of ethical purity.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:
ALL ROUND DEVELOPMENT
 He emphasizes that all success in any line of work
is the result of concentration, which necessary
implies detachment from other things, constitutes
self-control for securing harmony of the impulses.
“Education is the manifestation of the
perfection already in man, therefore, a
teacher’s job is only to remove obstruction
from the pupil’s path… Education is not a
mere accumulation of information but a
comprehensive training for LIFE.”
“Education is the manifestation of the
perfection already in man, therefore, a
teacher’s job is only to remove obstruction
from the pupil’s path… Education is not a
mere accumulation of information but a
comprehensive training for LIFE.”

SWAMI VIVENKANANDA:
WOMEN’S EDUCATION
 Vivekananda also stresses the importance of
women’s education.
 He didn’t preach two different scheme for
educating men and women. His teaching was
exactly the same without any discrimination.
Nevertheless, his views on women call for a
separate treatment.
 The main objective of his scheme of female
education is to make them strong, fear-less and
conscious of their chastity and dignity.
“Female illiteracy retards the progress of the
society; it is impossible for a bird to fly on only
one wing.”
“Female illiteracy retards the progress of the
society; it is impossible for a bird to fly on only
one wing.”

SWAMI VIVENKANANDA:
WOMEN’S EDUCATION
 Women need to get the right type of education,
they will be able to solve their own problems in
their own way.
 Although men and women are equally competent
in academic matters, yet women have a special
aptitude and competence for studies related to
home and family.
 He recommends the introduction of subjects like
sewing, nursing, domestic science, culinary art etc.

SWAMI VIVENKANANDA:
MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION
 Vivekananda strongly advocates “mother-
tongue” so that it will reach everyone.
 However, he also believes that it is necessary
to learn English and Sanskrit. While English is
important for mastering Science, Sanskrit leads
one into the depths of our vast store of
classics.
“If language remain the privilege of a small
class of people, social unity will march forward
hampered.”
“If language remain the privilege of a small
class of people, social unity will march forward
hampered.”

SWAMI VIVENKANANDA:
FIELDS OF STUDY
 Swami believes that the cultural values of a
country should for an integral part in the
curriculum of education.
 Education will not be complete without the teaching
of aesthetics or fine arts.
 Religion is the innermost core of education, by
religion he does not mean any particular kind of it
but its essential character, which is the realization
of the divinity already in man.
 To be religious for him means leading life in such a
way that we manifest our higher nature, truth,
goodness and beauty, in our thoughts, words and
deeds.

RABINDRANATH TAGORE:
SOME CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATIONAL
THINKING

DEFINING EDUCATION
 Education is basically a social process which
involves how the students develop as an individual
and in group relations.
 Education is a process by which humans learn to
be civilized
 Education is inculcating social responsibility among
students and developing a balanced child.
“The highest education is that which does not
merely give us information but makes our life in
harmony with other existence.”
“The highest education is that which does not
merely give us information but makes our life in
harmony with other existence.”

METHODS OF TEACHING
 He visualized nature as the real teacher but
associated to the cultures of the wider world,
predicated upon pleasurable learning and
individualized to the personality of the child.
 The aesthetic development of the senses was as
important as the intellect.
 He emphasize that students must be educated in a
way that roots them in their own cultural history,
yet enables them to personally identify with other
races and cultures.
 He recognized early childhood as the most critical
time for developing empathy and ability to connect
with one’s surroundings.

METHODS OF TEACHING
 Education should seek to develop sensitivity in a
child through a direct experience of nature when
his/her consciousness is at its freshest level.
 To give proper education, teachers should teach
them well right from the beginning when they are
very young.
 Tagore is against the heavy load of books and bags
student have to carry to the school.
“Teachers must not teach students to lose their
world to find a bagful of information instead.”
“Teachers must not teach students to lose their
world to find a bagful of information instead.”

METHODS OF TEACHING
 He is in favor of easy education, that is education
through music, art , literature and nature
 Books must provide students with vivid pictures of
their home and society.
 Education must not lead students to enchanting
falsehood.

THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER
 The teacher’s role is to provide such environment,
that students have confidence to express their own
learning ability.
 There is no need for any form of corporal
punishment to discipline students because fear of
making mistakes prevents an individual from being
free to venture a new thought, to innovate, to ask
questions and to be creative.
 Discipline should be based on motivations like joy
and pursuit of creative tasks.
 A teacher must prepare students for the good
fortune and character as well.

FIELD STUDY
 Tagore is in favor of teaching the things from
nature a lot, even if others believe it to be a
distraction.
 The core of Tagore’s educational philosophy is
learning from nature, music and life.
 Freedom in the class can solve the problem of
attendance, absence of invigilator, the problem of
cheating, copying or any unfair means.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
THINKING

MAHATMA GANDHI:
DEFINING EDUCATION
 Education for Gandhi must be holistic in nature.
It leads to the development of all aspects of human
personality, an all-round drawing out of the best in
child and man, body, mind and spirit.
 The highest development of the mind and the soul
is possible under such a system of education but it
has to be taught not merely mechanical as
done today but scientifically.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
DEFINING EDUCATION
 Education is knowing the why and the wherefore of
every process.
 Education is for the masses; awakening
awareness among villagers; the rural people should
be given the chance to have basic education.
 Education must not exclude the knowledge of
history and geography.
 General information is best taught by word of
mouth.
 The signs of the alphabet may be taught later
when pupils have learnt to distinguish wheat from
chaff and when he has somewhat developed
his/her tastes.

MAHATMMA GANDHI:
BASIC EDUCATIONAL CONCEPTS
 He look upon education as an instrument of
socio-economic progress, material advancement,
political evolution and moral development for
individual in society.
 To him moral education does not mean
education; he argues that education involves the
development of mind and body rather it should be
a plan to inculcate scientific spirit in them.
 Education must help learners earn and learn,
enable them to meet their basic needs, ensure
them the use of local resources.
 Basic education stresses the four-fold
development in human personality, namely
body, mind, heart, and spirit.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 The ordinary system of education cared only for
the mind and ignored the development of physical
body and soul thus Gandhi developed a scheme of
education known as NATIONAL PROGRAM IN
BASIC EDUCATION (Nai Talim)
 He acknowledge the importance of basic education
and maintained that it should be free and
compulsory to all children as it improves the
quality of life.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 Basic education links the children, whether of
the cities or the villages, to all that is BEST; it
develops both the body and the mind, and keeps
the child rooted to the soil with the glorious vision
of the future.
 Gandhi emphasized the need for educating the
child through manual work; not as a side
activity, but as the prime means of intellectual
training.
 There are four components of basic education:
craft, art, health and education.
 An intellect is developed through the medium of
socially useful labor.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
Ghandi’s Scheme of Basic Education
 It is based on ancient culture and lays down the
minimum education which every child is entitled to
receive without distinction of race or creed.
 It is intimately related to the basic needs and
interests of the child and makes use of his
innate potentialities for creative and productive
work
 It is closely associated with basic occupation of
the community, the child hails from.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 Basic education or Nai Talim is based on the
fundamental principle of “learning by doing”
 His concept of basic education can be classified as
activity method or practical method.
 Education is primarily a method of correlation of
book learning, craft and life-situations.
 The teacher-student relationship is very intimate.
 The basic thrust of the curricula is to closely
interlink the physical environment, social
environment and craft work and the individual

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 He wanted education to be free from the narrow
limitations of the formal classroom.
 He envisages compulsory education for all boys
and girls.
 Education for him should cater the needs of the
whole personality: head, heart and hand.
 Respect for manual work is another important
value that basic education develops in an
individual.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 Basic education is an education in which the dignity
of manual labor is upheld; this is the training that
would help the child to organize his own life.
 Basic education aims primarily at helping the
individual develop his ability of self-reliance in all
respects.
 The practice of basic education aims at the
evolution of a society based on truth, non-
violence, justice and equality.
 This develops a positive attitude of mind and
preaches “ simple living and high thinking.”

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 Mahatma Gandhi is against literary education
with English as medium of instruction, which
only produces white collar snobs without
developing talent and expertise in production.
 Self-reliant citizen with a well-balanced
personality is one of the fundamental goals of basic
education.
 Physiologically, basic education provides
education through a craft by maintaining a creative
balance between intellectual development and
practical activities.
 Pedagogically, it is more effective than the
passive academic education imbibed through
books.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
 Sociologically, it can remove social conflicts and
tensions in the society by inculcating a sense of
dignity of labor. It can eradicate the social evil of
untouchability.
 Economically, it creates productive labor since the
emphasis is on the job oriented education.
 Gandhi advocates the creation of a balanced and
harmonious social order in which the ethical values
of truth and love and without discrimination of
rich and poor.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
GANDHIAN ORIENTATION FOR MASS DEVELOPMENT
 Mass development means an all round
development of the people of a region.
 Individual development and social progress
are interdependent.
 Gandhian education focuses on the attitudinal
change of the masses.
 Education for mass development is not only focus
on sophisticated urban instruction but also rural
orientation.

MAHATMA GANDHI:
GANDHIAN ORIENTATION FOR MASS DEVELOPMENT
 Education for mass development aims at creating
in the education a number of socially oriented
values. First love and concern for society and they
should identify themselves with the poor and
the downtrodden in the country.
 Schools and colleges must develop an individual
with the willingness to spend a part of their time
for social welfare of others.

SRI AUROBINDO:
THINKING

SRI AUROBINDO:
DEFINING EDUCATION
 Education for him is idealistic; education must be
based upon Vedantic philosophy of Uphanishads.
 Education is not only acquiring information, but
acquiring various kinds of information.
 It is building the power of human mind and spirit.
 Education must not only be faithful with the past
but the developing soul, the future need, to the
greatness of the coming self-creation and to the
external spirit.

SRI AUROBINDO:
AIMS OF EDUCATION
 He emphasized that education should be in
accordance with the needs of our real
modern life.
 Education should create dynamic citizens so that
they are able to meet the needs of modern
complex life.
 Physical development and holiness are the chief
aims; he not only emphasized mere physical
development, but physical purity also.
 The aim of education is to train all the senses:
hearing, speaking, listening, touching, smelling and
tasting.

SRI AUROBINDO:
AIMS OF EDUCATION
 To achieve mental development of the child; the
enhancement of all mental faculties namely;
memory, thinking, reasoning, imagination and
discrimination.
 To develop morality, because merely developing
the mental is harmful to human process.
 Heart of child should be so developed as to show
extreme love, sympathy and consideration for
all living things; this is real moral development.

SRI AUROBINDO:
AIMS OF EDUCATION
 Development of conscience is another important
aim of education that needs emphasis according to
Aurobindo.
 Education should develop the levels fully and
harmoniously.
 He emphasized that the foremost aim of education
must be the promotion of spiritual development.

SRI AUROBINDO:
CURRICULUM TRANSACTION
 Aurobindo prescribed free environment for the
child to develop all his latent faculties to the
maximum and suggested all those subjects and
activities should posses elements of creativity and
educational expression.
Principle for Curriculum Development
 Curriculum should be in such a way which child find as
interesting.
 It should include those entire subjects which promote
mental and spiritual development.
 It should motivate children to attain knowledge of the
whole world.
 It should contain creativity of life and constructive
capacities.

SRI AUROBINDO:
CURRICULUM TRANSACTION
Curriculum for Different Stages of Education
 Mother tongue, English, French, Literature, National
History, art, painting, General science, Social Studies
should be taught at primary stage.
 Mother tongue, English, French, Literature, Art,
Chemistry, Physics, Botany, physiology, health
education, social studies at secondary stage.
 Indian and western Philosophy, history of civilization,
English Literature, French, Sociology, psychology,
history, chemistry, physics, botany at University
Level.
 Art, painting, photography, sculptural, drawing, type,
cottage-industries, mechanical and electrical
engineering, nursing at vocational level

SRI AUROBINDO:
TEACHER-TAUGHT RELATIONSHIP
Principles of Good Teaching
 The first principle of true teaching is “nothing can
be taught”; the teacher is not an instructor or
task-master but a helper and a guide.
 The role of the teacher is to suggest not to
impose; he does not train the pupil’s mind, he
only shows how to perfect the instrument of
knowledge within.
 A teacher does not impart knowledge; he shows
him how to acquire knowledge for himself.
 The teacher does not call forth the knowledge that
is within; he only shows students where it lies
and how it can be habituated to rise to the surface.

RESOURCES/REFERENCES
Jayanta, Mete, Swami-Viveknanda, Iternational: Some
Reflections on Education, Journal of Multidisciplinary
Educational Research, Volume 1, Issue 3, August
2012
Ajit, Mondal,Ghandi on Education and the Masses, A
Research Journal, University of Kalyani 2012
Vandama, Tripathi, Rabindranath Tagore’s Views on
Education, A Research Journal, Volume 3, Issue 3,
March 2013
Singh, Deepshika, Aurobindo’s Contributions on
Educational Thinking, A Research Journal, April 9,
2013

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