Short Biography of Sri Aurobindo and His Aims of Education

Introduction:

Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) occupies a very important position among the contemporary Indian philosophers of education. He had a wide knowledge in Eastern and Western, ancient and modern systems of education and principles of educational psychology. He presents an integral philosophy of education. Despite being an educationist and philosopher, he was a yogi, guru, poet and nationalist.

Short Biography:

          Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose) was born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, India on 15 August, 1872. At the age of seven he went to England for higher studies. On his return in 1893, he joined Baroda College. At this time, he was fluent with many foreign languages, but less familiar with Indian culture. He spent twelve years in Baroda serving as a teacher, secretary to the Maharaja of Gaekwad and also the Vice Principal of Baroda College. It was only after staying in India for twelve long years that he could understand the harm that the British rule had done to the Indian civilization and he slowly and gradually started showing interest in politics. His initial political activism involved emphasis on the urgency of demanding total freedom from the British government. He finally moved to Bengal in the year 1906 and got in touch with revolutionaries and inspired young revolutionaries. In 1908, the British arrested him in the connection with the Alipore Bomb Case. He was subsequently released after one year of solitary confinement. After the release, he started two new publications: Karmayogi (English) and Dharma (Bengali). In April 1910, he secretly moved to Pondicherry (which was then a French colony) to start a new life. In Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo set himself on a path of spiritual learning and evolution by practicing secluded yoga continuously for four years which he termed as ‘integral yoga’. He proposed the importance of spiritual practices in human transformation into a divine entity.

Aims of Education:

          The philosophy of education propounded by Sri Aurobindo is based upon certain fundamental principles. These principles are triple, as follows:

          First, the child should himself know and develop; the teacher should only be a guide. This is true for everyone without distinction of age and sex.

          Secondly, education must suit the particular qualities, capacities, ideas, virtues, etc. of the person concerned. The second principle in the words of Sri Aurobindo is, ‘that mind should be consulted in its own growth.’ There should be no imitation. Each individual and each community should have a system of education suitable to its nature. Everywhere the basic principle is to follow one’s own ‘svadharma.’ The aim of education is self-realization in the individual as well as in the community. Education should help the growing soul to dram out what is best in itself and to make it perfect.

          ‘The third principle of education’, according to Sri Aurobindo’, ‘is to work from the near to the far, from that which is to that which shall be.’ This is a corollary of the second. Everything should be natural to the student, not only the aim but also the means of education. The national system of education should be rooted in the national language. This, however, does not imply any antagonism to foreign languages.

          The aim of education, as defined by Sri Aurobindo, agrees with the definitions of the aim of education advanced by most of the important philosophers of education in East and West. Education is a process to realize the inner nature of the educand. In this process, the educand uses the different elements of education to realize his own nature. Thus, education, according to Sri Aurobindo is paido- centric.

Means of Education:

          Means of education, according to Sri Aurobindo, should be developed according to human nature. The means of education are determined not only by the psychology of the human individual but also that of human society.

          The instrument of education, according to Sri Aurobindo, is the mind or Antakharan; Antakharan according to Sri Aurobindo consists of the following four layers:

1. Chitta: This is the reservoir of past memories and mental impressions. It is from the ‘chitta’ the active memory selects the needed thing when needed.
2. Manas: Manas is the second layer. It receives images coming from sense organs and translates them into thought sensations.
3. Buddhi: Buddhi or intellect the real instrument of thought, is the third layer. Its functions are of two types as follows:

1. Functions and faculties of the right hemisphere: These include judgement, imagination, memory and observation. Its abilities are comprehensive, creative and synthetic. This part of the mind is the master of knowledge.
2. Functions and faculties of the left hemisphere: These are critical and analytic and include comparison and reasoning. They perform the functions of distinction, comparison, classification, deduction, inference and conclusion.

Both require proper training and development in a sound system of education.

4   .Intuitive perception of truth: Fourth layer of the mind is the power of intuitive perception of truth. This power of the mind has to be developed.

Ideology of Teaching English in Indian Classrooms; Addressing Learner Sensibilities and Learner Abilities in Language Learning and Developing Communicative Competence

English as a Global Language:

Language is the primary source of communication. Of all the languages, English is spoken so widely throughout the world. It has been often referred to as a “world language”, the lingua franca of the modern era. India, though a linguistic paradise, English plays an important role in the country. Though English is a foreign tongue, it has become a part and parcel of common man’s life. India has the largest number of second language speakers of English and also our country has more people who speak or understand English than any other country.

Ideology of Teaching English in Indian Classrooms:

            In the first half of the nineteenth century), English assumed a dominating position in the sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Ceylon and Burma.); and this it could obtain the position of lingua franca of the multi-lingual Indian communities. But in 1935, with the re-introduction of the vernaculars, English lost its prime significance. Today, English does not occupy a privileged position on the school curriculum and it is also losing much of its social value. It is taught either as a second language or as a third language.

            Learning of English is now exclusively a formal affair. It is the responsibility of the school where teaching of foreign language is taken up with definite objectives, where expert teachers make use of up-to-date material and methods with accuracy and economy in order to achieve the desired goals without causing much strain to the pupils.

            The teaching of English in India goes back to the Dispatch of 1854 (drafted, it is said by J.S.Mill), which is often described as the Magna Carta of English education in India. The aim of teaching English in India is to enable students to acquire an ability to use English effectively. In our country, teaching of English is carried on at three stages of the school years:

1) In some schools, e.g..: Public Schools, Convent Schools, Montessori and K.G. schools, English is taught from class I, or even earlier. The pupils in these schools study English for a longer period and naturally the standard of English is high. But the number of such schools is very less.

2) In some states there are certain schools where children begin to learn English from class III. Again the number of such schools is very less.

3) The third type of schools is mostly aided schools where pupils begin to learn English in sixth class, immediately after primary education.

Teaching of English at the High School Level:

            The major instructional objectives for this stage are:

1. to make pupils use simple sentences in English to express their ideas
2. to speak short conversational sentences and spell English words correctly
3. to understand spoken English and realize the use of English in social situations

The following materials are to be used for realizing the above objectives:

1. Structures: The first three years should be devoted to the teaching of basic structures of English.
2. Vocabulary: The advocates of Basic English had believed that a vocabulary of minimum 850 words is enough to give a command to use the language.
3. Grammar: No attempts should be made to teach formal grammar during these years. First language, then grammar should be the rule followed in teaching of any language.
4. Composition: Composition means to compose ideas in a language, putting one’s thought or thoughts together with a certain end in view. The ability to put many thoughts together in a logical, coherent and interrelated manner is acquired gradually with systematic efforts from the very beginning.
   
   

Methods to be followed at this stage are:

Selection: By selection we mean what and how much of the language is to be taught.

Grading:  The order in which the matter is presented is called grading.

Presentation: It refers to the manner in which the matter is presented.

Teaching of English at the Higher Secondary Level:

            In our country, the patterns of Higher Secondary Education are of two types:

1. From class IX to XI,  with public examination at the end  of the XI year
2. From class IX to XII, with two public examinations at the end of X and XII grades respectively

If English is taught scientifically at the Junior High School Stage, the learner should acquire all the basic terms of structures during these three years. He should be able to use those structures in speaking and writing. Now, at the Higher Secondary Level he should have opportunities for learning complicated patterns. The junior stage is the stage for laying foundation, for making firm and healthy linguistic habits. The secondary stage is the stage for raising the structure of language and literature.

The linguistic aims of teaching English at this stage are same as that of the initial stage. The literary aim, to develop a taste for English Literature –its various forms, e.g.: prose, poetry, short story, drama etc. is included in this stage. The important instructional objectives of teaching English at this stage are to help pupil acquire a vocabulary of about 2,500 words at the end of this stage, to make them acquire a rational outlook regarding the system of English language knowledge of English Grammar). By the end of this stage, he should compare the structures of English with those of his mother-tongue and should speak English with acceptable pronunciation, proper stress and intonation. The following materials are to be used for realizing the above objectives:

1. Text books: Good course books with variety of materials, useful questions and exercises should be used.
2. Grammar: Grammar courses should be in continuation with what has been learnt in class VIII. They should be taught functional grammar proceeding from simple to complex sentences. Grammar should help the pupils to explain the features of the language.
3. Composition: At the second stage compositional work should have many varieties-writing and speaking, discussions, conversations, précis-writing, theme-writing, translation work, letter writing, describing and producing long answers to questions.
4. Items of Structure and Vocabulary: At secondary level, more complex and compound structures are introduced to make pupils learn increased vocabulary, new idioms and phrases.

Methods to be followed at this stage are:

The techniques of presentation: Teaching of English language involves the presentation of both meaning and form and their fusion into language habits.

The teaching technique: The teaching technique of the individual teacher differs and it depends on the efficiency.

The extent of presentation: The extent of presentation should depend on the meaning and form. Objects, models and pictures can be used.

Learner Sensibilities and Learner Abilities in Language Abilities:

            When it comes to language learning, learner factor is of great importance. Learner factors such as age, aptitude, attitude, motivation and personality traits mean a lot in learning a language. It is said that only after the first language has been acquired thoroughly should the learning of a new language be promoted.

            Aptitude or sensitivity is the ability of a learner that helps him to acquire a new language. A positive attitude is desirable for learning the language. The teacher should act as a motivator or inspirer.

Developing Communicative Competence:

            The true goal of a language course is to make the learner communicate properly in that language. The focus of second language teaching has moved from purely teaching grammar and vocabulary, to providing the skills for effective communication. In linguistics terminology, a language course should not only have “linguistic competence” as its goal, but “communicative competence” in general.

            Communicative competence is a term coined by Dell Hymes in1966 in reaction to Noam Chomsky’s notion of “linguistic competence”. Four components of communicative competence are:

1. Linguistic competence: It is the knowledge of the language code, i.e., its grammar and vocabulary. It also includes phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics.
2. Sociolinguistic competence: Second language learners must learn how to produce and understand language in different sociolinguistic contexts, taking into consideration such factors are the stats of participants, the purpose of interactions, and the norms or conventions of interactions.
3. Discourse competence: Discourse competence is the knowledge of how to produce and comprehend oral or written texts in the models of speaking, writing, listening, reading respectively.
4. Strategic competency: It is the ability to recognize and repair communication breakdowns before, during, or after they occur.

Seminar on Scope of ICT in Teaching-Learning Process

Introduction:

ICT stands for "Information and Communication Technologies." It refers to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications. It is similar to Information Technology (IT), but focuses primarily on communication technologies. This includes the Internet, wireless networks, cell phones, and other communication mediums. UNESCO has defined ICT as “forms of technology that are used to transmit, process, store, create, display, share or exchange information by electronic means. It includes not only traditional technologies like radio and  television, but also modern ones like cellular phones, computer and network, hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing.”

The phrase ICT has been used by academic researchers since the 1980s. ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. Information and Communication Technology can also be defined as the combination of informatics technology with other, related technologies, specifically communication technology. ICT has no universal definition, since the concepts, methods and applications involved in ICT are constantly evolving on an almost daily basis.

Significance of ICT in Education:

          The ever-growing computer-centric lifestyle has resulted in the rapid influx of computers in the modern classroom. ICT has become a major factor in shaping the new global economy and producing rapid changes in society. Within the past decades, the new information technology tools have fundamentally changed the way people communicate and do business. They have produced significant changes in industry, agriculture, business, engineering, administration and other fields. It also has the potential to change the nature of education. Thus computer has a unique role to play in the life of modern man. Modern man has to be educated in ICT, if he wants to reap its benefits. So computer education becomes indispensable for the men of our age. ICT can contribute to:

v  Universal  access to education,

v  Equity in education,

v  The delivery of quality learning and teaching,

v  Teachers’ professional development,

v  More efficient education management, governance and administration,

v  Lifelong learning.

Any educational program that is purely delivered through ICTs, or with ICT delivered content as the primary backbone of the teaching-learning process, such as online courses through the web, is ICT enabled education. This form of education requires ICT access and requires that the learners use ICTs as a primary or basic medium of instruction.

Scope of ICT in Teaching-Learning Process:

              ICT has great potential for improving the teaching-learning process. Effective learning is possible by five sensory means. According to Psychological study, humans can grasp 80% knowledge visually, 15% through hearing and 5% with the rest of the sensory items. So it becomes necessary to present the content by attractive ways. Through ICT tools, rich presentation can be provided. Various components like text matter presentation, animation, graphic presentation, audio presentation, video presentation etc. can be made used of, in order to provide rich presentation.

The following are the benefits that teachers and students can gain using ICT tools:

v  Interactive Sessions: Through ICT, teachers are able to create interactive classes and make the lessons more enjoyable, which could improve student attendance and concentration.

v  Simplification of Complex Ideas: ICT makes it easy for the teachers to explain complex instructions, ideas and concepts. ICTs such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine text, sound and colourful, moving images can be used to simplify complex portions or contents. It also ensures students' comprehension and makes them engaged in the learning process.

v  Wide horizon of knowledge: More so than any other type of ICT, networked computers with internet connectivity provide a wide horizon of knowledge. They can increase learner motivation as it combines the media richness and interactivity of other ICTs with the opportunity to connect real people and to participate in real world events.

v  Live Activities: Live activities are teacher led activities conducted in a class environment, where the teacher is present, and orchestrates the activity. These activities are managed from the Smart Class platforms. Students here get an exposure to the technological world through which they can learn things quickly and with much interest.

v  Learners’ Autonomy: The basic underlying concept behind ICT enabled classrooms is to enable students to learn themselves without the help of teacher. Through visual classrooms, teachers can also interact with students through teleconferencing and it is not necessary that the teacher should be in the class. Here, teacher takes the role of a facilitator and helps students to learn things by themselves.

v  Multimedia Exercises: Multimedia is a content that uses a combination of different forms such as text, audio, images, animation and video. Various applications of multimedia are found in art, education, entertainment, medicine, business, scientific research etc. Today’s generation of students gets excited about using interactive multimedia exercises as part of their learning curriculum.

Conclusion:

          In the present technological era, ICT occupies a vital role in the teaching-learning process. It develops the capabilities of both the teacher and the learner. Therefore, all the advantages of ICT should be efficiently used in order to make the teaching-learning process a relaxed as well as a refined one.