Rabindranath Tagore

Life HistoryTagore was born on 6th may 1861 in Bengal in a prosperous family.At primary level his father provided him education in Sanskrit language, Indian philosophy & Astronomy.For higher edn he was sent to Bengal Academy where in he developed an aversion to the prevalent dull rigid and dull education.He was then sent to England where in he left it and further studied on his own. He gradually started writing in magazines etc.He turned into a poet,dramatist,philosopher and painter. He was then awarded the title of Gurudev.He got the Nobel prize as he translated Gitanajali in English.The Indian govt.awarded him with the degree of Doctorate in1915 which he eventually gave away after the Jalyanwala bagh incident.He established Vishwa bharti on 22nd sept,1921 whose aim was to create a synthesis of he east and west.He died in 1941

His Philosophy

• He imbibed the idealistic philosophy of life and adopted the highest ideals of truth, beauty, goodness.

• As an idealist he believed in the supremacy of god. He emphasized the adjustment between nature an human soul i.e. is man.

• He advocated unity among all the people of the world.• He wanted to inculcate dignity &self respect in manhood and elevate his

soul.• Tagore was not only a philosopher and social reformer but also a great

nationalist to the core.• To make his country free ,he emphasized the need for economic &

industrial development social reforms, integration& removal of untouchability together with social reforms & social decimation in all its forms , belief & actions.

Philosophy of Education

• True edn should promote the fellow feelings, love in the humans,nature,international relationship.

• Edn at the time of Tagore was so rigid,lifeless,logical that it did not confirm to the needs of the individual and the demands of the society.

• According to him edn should acquaint the child with the voice and mission of individual as well as international life and achieve a harmonious balance between all the factors which he achieved in his Shanti Niketan.

• Acc to him a child should remain active(full freedom) in the class. He prescribed natural education for the child but believed education as a vehicle for social reforms.

• Tagore believed in international brotherhood ,hence by society he meant world society.• According to him education should be according to the realities of life i.e. education

should involve both the nature and needs of a man in a harmonious programme.• Acc to Tagore, "Next to nature the child should be bought into touch with the stream of

social behaviour.”

Concept of Education

• According to Tagore, God reveals himself through nature more effectively than through man made institutions. Hence ,the education of the child should be under natural surroundings so that he develops love for all things around him.

• According to Tagore, "That education is highest which not only imparts information and knowledge to us, but also promotes love and follow feeling between us and the living beings of the world.”

Aims of Education

Physical development

To include activities like

swimming,diving,climbing

trees, plucking flowers,e.t.c.

Mental Development

Acc to Tagore ,”In comparison with

bookish leraning,knowing

the real living directly is true edn.

It not only promotes the

acquiring of some knowledge but develops the

curiosity & faculty of learning and

knowing so powerfully that no class room teaching

can match it.”

Moral &Spiritual Development

Edn should strive for a number of

moral and spiritual qualities like self

discipline,toleance,courtesy,and inner

freedom.

Development of all faculties

Chief aim of edn shd be the drawing

out of the latent faculties of the

child.To him a child is more important

than himself problems hence he

opposed the crushing of the

child's individuality. Hence he should be given full freedom.

International Brotherhood

Though Tagore was a individualist yet

he believed in socialism,internalis

m.Acc to Tagore

individual should develop to the

fullest extent and then he should

contribute his best to the promotion of

international welfare.

Curriculum• According to him the curriculum should be such as to develop the individual

physically,mentally,morally,socially,spiritually to the utmost limits.• A curriculum based on activities, and broad experiences will develop the

personality of the child to the fullest extent.• Hence the curriculum shd contain activities, subjects for the development of the

personality of the individual.• In Vishwa Bharti subs like History,Geog,nature study, agriculture and practical

works likehoticulture,gardening,field study,laboratory,original creations,arts,sculpture,vocational,technical are taught.

• Dancing,singing,painting,designing,sewing,cutting,knitting,cooking,are taught as co curricular activities in Vishwa Bharti are taught.

• It is known for its wide and varied studies,hobbies,cultural refinements synthesizing the ancient and modern achievements of the Indian people In all the fields of human activity.

Methods of Teaching

• .•

• Teaching by Walking

• The mind in the C.R does not remain active

• Hence by walking the mind remains active awake ,hence the child easily grasp tings.

• “Teaching by walking is the best method of education

• Discussion&QA

• Real edn Is based on real problems of life hence question-answer method is effective wherein the tr put the que & ask a the sts to participate in discussions.

• Thus they gain essential knowledge.

• Activity Method

• This method is of great importance because it activates all the faculties of the body& mind. In Vishwa Bharti he made compulsory the learning of handi craft.

• He allowed any physical exercise or activity even during the class teaching

The Teacher

• Tagore gave an important place to teachers and asked them to carry out the following activities.

1. Believing in purity and in his own experiences, innocence of child, the teacher should behave with him with great love and affection ,sympathy, affection.

2. Instead if emphasizing on book learning, the tr should provide conducive environment to the child so that he engages himself in useful and constructive activities and learn by his own experiences.

3. The tr should always be busy with motivating the creative capacities of the children so that they remain busy with constructive activities and experience.

Evaluation of Tagore’s Philosophy

• Tagore considered nature as the powerful agency of for moral and spiritual development of the child.

• Hence he exhorted that the children should be taught in Forest Schools as in ancient times.

• According to Radha Krishnan –”Rabindranath did not claim to produce any original philosophy. His aim was not to analyze or speculate about the Indian tradition .He expressed in his own vivid phrases and homely metaphors, and showed its relevance to modern life.”

• In the words of H.B.Mulherji –”Tagore was the greatest prophet of educational renaissance in modern India. He waged ceaseless battle to uphold the highest educational ideal before the country, and conducted educational experiments at his own institutions, which made them living symbols of what an ideal should be.”

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