Varnasrama Education

[Guest guest]

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

> Now we are working in curriculum development...that has two components,

> one is the knowledge and the other is practice...We are open to hear ideas

> for curriculums outlines (preferibly addressing both of the components).

I have an idea of a school made like small village. First of all a piece of

land, now we the students and the teachers have to develop it. To develop it

we will need skills. The first good thing about this is, that it gives us a

real goal and meaning with our activities of learning and a measureable and

real scene for us to see and feel and experience our progress.

 

All that which are normally there in a school, could very well be connected

with practice and while developing the project the students could also

become teachers themselves by writing books or making films or other medias

about for etc. building a house, making a good compost, a garden, a windmill

and so on.

 

Similarly as the village gets build there will be a need for

rules/governement. One could let the students try different methods and

study and write about the results. One could practise different methods of

defense/sports and also train in strategy and practical survival.

Call it gymnastics if you want, but now with a goal. History would be a

natural part of the information in that subject since most of it concerns

wars. A part of it would also be how to help others with wounds, broken

legs, first aid and so on. How to put out a fire. Rescue someone drowning

and so on.

 

In building different houses of different materials, both math, fysics and

practical abilities would be needed, included naturally would be also

Geography since, people build differently depending on their climatic

circumstances.

 

Making a garden is the best way of learning biology.

And what will we do with the flowers and fruits of our labour?

Deity-worship.

Sewing clothes, making jewellery, singing and praying.

 

> This is our humble grain of sand for "Practical Varnasrama" in the field

> of Education.

 

 

The poor kids destroy their backs and lungs and looses their vitality by

having to sit still at a table all day long for 10 years or more. Why not go

back to learning by both theory/practice and experience? I think it is a

very good idea and I wish you all good luck. It is very much my dream of a

school. Naturally the students will find their interests and become experts

in some fields as times goes by and they grew older.

 

y.s. Gunamani d.d.