Pramiti School Philosophy of Education by Adithya Ravi

Introduction

In what has been a long journey of 13 years from the start but an infantile step towards the future, Pramiti has introspected, inquired, critiqued and ultimately metamorphosed herself repeatedly to suit the needs of the children that make up our community. In this time, we have also attempted to sharpen our vision of what kind of a society the world is in need of in anticipation of the volatility, sensitivity and fragility of life in the contemporary social fabric. This has led to a shift in our fundamental focus on defining our “pedagogy” towards the definition of our “philosophy” i.e. defining our stance as an institution concerning the purpose of education, its function in the development of the child as a unit and the larger development of a collective consciousness. This document is an offering in this direction.

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Sri Aurobindo once mentioned that an ideal society is like a chariot. We invite you to engage with a similar analogy for education at Pramiti. A vehicle of any sort is a welcome analogy in this regard considering that education and the society it creates implicitly must be one that is progressive and in motion as opposed to a stagnant structure. The four wheels form the base of the entire vehicle. This is the foundation of the human as an individual and as a collective. Built over this foundation, is an embellishment that takes its own form depending on the individual. We shall now unravel each of these elements in greater detail. Astheymanifestmorecovetedcrownjewels.

If any of these wheels are overemphasised in development, they will result in a chariot that is unstable and has a tendency to get caught in the mire of stray pathways in life. Thus, there must be an emphasis on the need for a balanced approach to development of the self and not working on one aspect or a few aspects alone.

The Embellishment

Creation: If every chariot was built perfectly on this foundation, there would be nothing interesting left to achieve. The world would have a number of similar chariots that would all look exactly the same, function in much the same way and might even suffer the same ﬂaws as each other. Pramiti thus emphasises on how essential it is to have a way to allow the mind, the body and the environment to become a canvas or medium through which we create in order to express, with objective beauty, our individual interpretation of the human experience. Needless to say, if the four wheels are not developed with careful craftsmanship, the ability to create stands on baseless grounds, becoming banal transﬁgurations of that which is already known.

The Steering of the Chariot

Every vehicle needs a driver who steers it in the right direction and ensures that the vehicle is on a path. Previously, one would imagine that the teacher would be the perfect charioteer. We, however, believe that the only people worth placing the reins in the hands of, are the children themselves. It is recondite to understand why this is so.

If this is so, then what is the function of the school? Pramiti is a workshop where this chariot can be built and assembled. We provide the tools and enough stimulus to challenge the child as they build each of these wheels. Rather than an environment where knowledge is disseminated, Pramiti now becomes a catalysing force that drives the child to respond and actively participate in their own development and progress. It is incredibly pretentious of any adult to assume that they understand what the world is going to be like in the future. It is tremendously important that we accept with humility and without fear that we do not understand the world completely. Once we are robbed of this delusion, the only thing we have at our disposal to guide our children is the past. However, taking a look around you now, you will instantly realise how different the world that you live in today is from the world that you grew up in. While retaining certain aspects of the past and using them as a compass for navigating the complexities of the future, we must realise that imposing our past without consideration and inspection onto the children only serves as baggage that they must, painstakingly, relieve themselves of in the future. At Pramiti, we believe that we are all better served if we support the child in his or her pursuit of navigating the world as opposed to interpreting it for them and crippling their ability to live and adapt to the life we do not know.

Life and progress on its path is not a matter of choice. We must all submit to the fact that unless we take charge of ourselves and our development, we will never experience ourselves as free individuals. Rather, we will get pushed along by other chariots that have taken autonomous charge and they will steer us on paths that lead to nothing spectacular and creative. At Pramiti, we learn to accept and, as J. Krishnamurthi would say, become choicelessly aware of the need for our active involvement in the development of the self and go on to experience the pinnacle of human potential.

The Development of Character

We have discussed the means and the way forward on the path. But where does this path lead? We are not of the opinion that education has an endless path with many milestones that one must get past. We believe that education is in service of reﬁning and developing character in an individual. However, character development cannot be treated with radical relativism. It must be developed with a deﬁned sensibility of what constructive character means. At Pramiti, character has been distilled into 10 traits. 5 of these traits focus on the intellectual character and the other 5 focus on the socio-emotional character.Thetraitshave been detailed below.

The 5 intellectual traits:

Inquirers: We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life. Pramiti fosters curiosity by encouraging learners to question the nature and complexities of knowledge claims.

Knowledgeable: We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global signiﬁcance. Pramiti broadens learners’ understandingacrossareasof knowledge, enriching theircontent knowledge and perspective.

Thinkers:Weuse critical and creativethinking skills to analyseand takeresponsibleaction on complex problems.We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions. Pramiti engages learners in critical thinking, helping them analyseknowledge claims, evaluate arguments,and makereasonedjudgments independently.

Communicators: We express ourselves conﬁdently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups. Pramiti encourages learners to articulate their insights and share diverse perspectives, honing their ability to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively.

Reﬂective: We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development. Pramiti guides the learners to analyse their beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge, making them more self-aware and thoughtful as knowers.

The 5 socio-emotional traits:

Open-minded: We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience. At Pramiti learners explore diverse perspectives and are encouraged to remain open to viewpoints from cultures, disciplines and experiences.

Caring: We show empathy, compassion and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us. At Pramiti discussions on ethical issues and global concerns foster empathy and a caring attitude, encouraging learners to value shared humanity.

Risk-takers: We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to encourage new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change. Pramiti encourages learners to step out of comfort zones by questioning assumptions and exploring unfamiliar ideas. We push learners to question assumptions, embrace ambiguity and complexity.

Balanced: We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives – intellectual, physical and emotional – to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and the world in which we live. Pramiti encourages learners to critically weigh diverse perspectives, helping them remain receptive to varied viewpoints and fostering a balanced understanding of complex issues.

Principled: We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences. Pramiti guides learners to act with integrity, take responsibility for their work, and respect the ethical standards of knowledge creation and sharing.

Reaching the point where such a character is developed requires one’s chariot to be well crafted. Only if the instruments for the journey are well prepared, will the journey be complete. This does not however imply that the journey will be free from perils, trials and tribulations. At Pramiti, these only serve to help us understand where our chariots need to be fortiﬁed, thereby bringing us closer to our destination - a holistically, well-rounded character embedded in a responsibly creative individual. Every element of our pedagogical identity contributes to these ten characters.

How We Learn

From the previous segments it is quite clear that learning, at Pramiti, is a process of building perception through action, practice and service that contribute towards the development of responsible, creative and thoughtful character in individuals. While this is the philosophical backdrop we must examine and understand how this takes place at the tangible level of a child’s life at Pramiti. A closer glimpse at some of the daily activities of the child will help us understand how these philosophical ideas come together and fortify the child’s learning everyday while they are at school.

EarlyYears

The primary focus of the Early Years programme at Pramiti is to ensure that the children develop their physical faculties and initiate the process towards socio-emotional maturity within a sensitive and scaffolded environment. These are in turn used as sensorial stimuli to develop their cognitive faculties.

CircleTime

A structured sharing of personal experiences and emotions that help the children and adults express themselves without barriers.

SnackTime

A short break allows the children to refresh themselves before they begin their work.

Activities

The children are guided by the adults to engage themselves in activities ranging from storytelling, reading and writing to painting, cooking and crafts.

Lunch

Lunch is transformed to more than just a meal at Pramiti. Through food, the children become culturally aware and learn to develop a strong sense of communal bonding over the shared meal.

FreePlay

Through unstructured and learner-initiated play, the children learn to draw their own boundaries and recognise differences in their environments consequently learning to work with them.

HandWork

Beyond the regular activities, the children spend time building things with their hands to support their need for tactile engagement through gardening, puzzles and building blocks.

AdolescentCommunity

This period is utilised to transform the learner’s mind. At this stage, they are ready to recognise, question and critically analyse their thoughts and beliefs. The learners spend time developing their thought process using cognitive reasoning while also becoming more articulate and efﬁcient in their communication. Ultimately, the learners become ready to think critically, evaluate the world around them and take constructive action.

PramitiprovidesanAdolescentCommunityenvironmentthat:

* Generates an interest in the world outside the learner’s mind, body and life.

* Encourages them to examine the ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘how’ of everything possible.

* Enables them to identify key issues in the world and question, discuss and debate.

KeyobjectivesoftheAdolescentCommunityProgramme:

* Development of self-learning abilities

* Development of the will to learn and will to persevere

* Bringing an awareness of the world

* Facilitating interaction with the world

* Reinstating a connection with Nature

* Revealing the innate power to change

* Imparting purpose to life

* Guiding towards exam-readiness

* Discovering various means of expression

* Navigating pathways towards discovery of The Self

Assembly

A mixture of activities ranging from singing to quality circle time are utilised to bring the children together and collect their energies before they start learning.

In-DepthLearning

Each subject has a touchpoint on each day of the week. The child is initiated into concepts as outlined in the syllabus prescribed by Cambridge International and exposed to challenges to fortify their understanding and prepare them for examinations.

Sports

The development of the physical body and mental tenacity are emphasised along with exclusive skill training. The children are also exposed to constructive competition that helps us identify ﬂaws and improve our skills.

Culture&Festivals

We embrace global cultures by celebrating the change in seasons through explorations of folkdance, music, clothes and food. Festivals allow the learners to showcase their interpretations of culture.

Panorama

In order to facilitate the development of the character traits, the adolescent community is presented with myriad courses that help them learn creative skills and train their mindset to seek opportunities and start creating impact on the world around them.

PAC&ProgressReports

A written report tracking the child’s progress is published twice a year. Parent Adult Conversations are used as a platform to raise general concerns about the children as a community as well as discuss any clariﬁcations in the report.

FieldTrips

For the adolescent community, curated travel experiences to unfamiliar locations help the children embrace ambiguity, multiculturalism and also break previously held stereotypes about the world and themselves.

Interships

As children begin to start formulating ideas on their learning journeys post school, we facilitate internship programmes based on the child’s interests with companies and organisations to help them understand the realities of building a career in a certain discipline.

At Pramiti, discipline, rigour and structure are blended with freedom, inquiry and expression on a daily basis, allowing the children to learn not just subject areas but learn about themselves and their environment, thereby affording the development of character and an optimum environment for the building of their chariots.

Ultimately, the goal of education at Pramiti is always to build character in the people who decide to come through our gates. We are a workshop for the construction of beautiful chariots, a training ground for charioteers who are individuals of tenacious and resilient character and ﬁnally, a place where learning, teaching and education is given a haven to survive, nurture and create.