Integral education
Encyclopedia
Integral education refers to educational theories
or institutions which are informed by integral thought.
and especially those of his co-worker The Mother
, Integral Education is the philosophy and practice of education for the whole child: body, emotions, mind, soul, and spirit,. There are several institutions that attempt to use their teachings to inform educational methodology. These include the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, and The Mother's International School
.
Haridas Chaudhuri
, a follower of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and Frederic Spiegelberg
founded the California Institute of Integral Studies
in 1968 in San Francisco .
Author Michael Murphy
, who studied at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
in Pondicherry, India
, founded the Esalen Institute
with Dick Price
in 1961.
Ken Wilber
's Integral University, a part of the Integral Institute
, is a set of programs offered at established schools such as John F. Kennedy University
and Fielding Graduate University
. Sean Esbjörn-Hargens
, whose work uses Wilber's ideas, has written about integral education.
Literary figure William Irwin Thompson
and mathematician Ralph Abraham
, whose ideas about the evolution of consciousness are influenced by, among others, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, designed a curriculum for the private K-12
Ross School in East Hampton, New York
and the Ross Global Academy
in New York City
. Thompson wrote an essay in 1998 entitled "Cultural History and the Ethos of the Ross School". Thompson had also founded the Lindisfarne Association
in 1972.
A humble approach has been sought out by the members of Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore, in the form of the integral Enrichment program. The program aims to inculcate in children and parents the appreciation for the five aspects of education outlined by The Mother - the physical, vital, mental, psychic and spiritual.
Philosophy of education
Philosophy of education can refer to either the academic field of applied philosophy or to one of any educational philosophies that promote a specific type or vision of education, and/or which examine the definition, goals and meaning of education....
or institutions which are informed by integral thought.
Development
In the teachings on education of Sri AurobindoSri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo , born Aurobindo Ghosh or Ghose , was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, philosopher, yogi, guru, and poet. He joined the Indian movement for freedom from British rule and for a duration became one of its most important leaders, before developing his own vision of human progress...
and especially those of his co-worker The Mother
Mirra Alfassa
-Early life:Mirra Alfassa was born in Paris in 1878, of a Turkish Jewish father, Maurice, and an Egyptian Jewish mother, Mathilde. She had an elder brother named Matteo. The family migrated to France the year before she was born. For the first eight years of her life she lived at 62 boulevard...
, Integral Education is the philosophy and practice of education for the whole child: body, emotions, mind, soul, and spirit,. There are several institutions that attempt to use their teachings to inform educational methodology. These include the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, and The Mother's International School
The Mother's International School
The Mother's International School is a public secondary school in New Delhi, India. It is an establishment of the Sri Aurobindo Education Society, an agency of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. It shares its campus with the New Delhi branch of the Ashram...
.
Haridas Chaudhuri
Haridas Chaudhuri
Haridas Chaudhuri , Bengali integral philosopher, was a correspondent with Sri Aurobindo and the founder of the California Institute of Integral Studies . He was born in Kolkata. He studied at the Scottish Church College and later at the University of Calcutta from where he earned his doctorate in...
, a follower of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, and Frederic Spiegelberg
Frederic Spiegelberg
Frederic Spiegelberg was a Stanford University professor of religion. A friend of Paul Tillich, Martin Heidegger, and Carl Jung, he participated in Jung's Eranos symposia and lectured in Jung's institute in Zurich. Paul Tillich helped Spiegelberg escape Germany in 1937 after Spiegelberg was fired...
founded the California Institute of Integral Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies is a private institution of higher education founded in 1968 and based in San Francisco, California. It currently operates in three locations just south of the Civic Center district...
in 1968 in San Francisco .
Author Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy (author)
Michael Murphy is the co-founder of the Esalen Institute, a key figure in the Human Potential Movement and author of both fiction and non-fiction books on topics related to extraordinary human potential.- Biography :...
, who studied at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram
Sri Aurobindo Ashram
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram was founded by Sri Aurobindo on the 24 November 1926 . At the time there were no more than 24 disciples in the Ashram...
in Pondicherry, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, founded the Esalen Institute
Esalen Institute
Esalen Institute is a residential community and retreat in Big Sur, California, which focuses upon humanistic alternative education. Esalen is a nonprofit organization devoted to activites such as meditation, massage, Gestalt, yoga, psychology, ecology, and spirituality...
with Dick Price
Dick Price
Richard “Dick” Price -- co-founded Esalen Institute in 1962.Dick Price was a veteran of the Beat Generation. He ran Esalen in Big Sur for many years, sometimes virtually single-handed. He was an explorer of the Santa Lucia Mountains that define the Big Sur coast...
in 1961.
Ken Wilber
Ken Wilber
Kenneth Earl Wilber II is an American author who has written about mysticism, philosophy, ecology, and developmental psychology. His work formulates what he calls Integral Theory. In 1998, he founded the Integral Institute, for teaching and applications of Integral theory.-Biography:Ken Wilber was...
's Integral University, a part of the Integral Institute
Integral Institute
The Integral Institute is a think-tank founded in 1998 by American author Ken Wilber. The purpose of the Institute is to gather and attempt to integrate the various viewpoints found in a number of major fields of knowledge...
, is a set of programs offered at established schools such as John F. Kennedy University
John F. Kennedy University
John F. Kennedy University is a nonprofit, private university located in Pleasant Hill, California, with satellite campuses in Campbell, Berkeley, and Costa Mesa. It was founded in 1964 to focus on providing continuing opportunities for non-traditional higher education. Enrollment is approximately...
and Fielding Graduate University
Fielding Graduate University
Fielding Graduate University, previously Fielding Graduate Institute, and The Fielding Institute, is an accredited, nonprofit post-graduate institution of higher learning based in Santa Barbara, California, USA....
. Sean Esbjörn-Hargens
Sean Esbjörn-Hargens
Sean Esbjörn-Hargens is an integral theorist associated with Ken Wilber's integral approach. He is a founding member of Integral Institute. Esbjorn-Hargens is a professor of Integral Studies at John F. Kennedy University...
, whose work uses Wilber's ideas, has written about integral education.
Literary figure William Irwin Thompson
William Irwin Thompson
William Irwin Thompson is known primarily as a social philosopher and cultural critic, but he has also been writing and publishing poetry throughout his career and received the Oslo International Poetry Festival Award in 1986. He describes his writing and speaking style as "mind-jazz on ancient...
and mathematician Ralph Abraham
Ralph Abraham
Ralph H. Abraham is an American mathematician. He has been a member of the mathematics department at the University of California, Santa Cruz since 1968.- Life and work :...
, whose ideas about the evolution of consciousness are influenced by, among others, Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, designed a curriculum for the private K-12
K-12
K–12 is a designation for the sum of primary and secondary education. It is used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand where P–12 is also commonly used...
Ross School in East Hampton, New York
East Hampton (town), New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
and the Ross Global Academy
Ross Global Academy
Ross Global Academy Charter School, or RGACS, was a public Charter School located in Lower Manhattan. It opened in September 2006 with 160 students and closed June 2011. The school was developed in collaboration with New York University's Steinhardt School and Ross School in East Hampton, which...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Thompson wrote an essay in 1998 entitled "Cultural History and the Ethos of the Ross School". Thompson had also founded the Lindisfarne Association
Lindisfarne Association
The Lindisfarne Association is a group of intellectuals of diverse interests organized by cultural historian William Irwin Thompson for the "study and realization of a new planetary culture"...
in 1972.
A humble approach has been sought out by the members of Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore, in the form of the integral Enrichment program. The program aims to inculcate in children and parents the appreciation for the five aspects of education outlined by The Mother - the physical, vital, mental, psychic and spiritual.
See also
- Saybrook Graduate School and Research CenterSaybrook Graduate School and Research CenterSaybrook University, a San Francisco, California based 'distance learning' institution , is geared to providing a personalized, mentored educational experience for graduate students...
- Waldorf education
- http://www.i-edu.org/ Next Step Integral's Integral Education Seminar
Further reading
- Raghunath Pani, Integral Education: Thought and Practice 1987 Ashish Pub. House ISBN 81-7024-156-1 Comprehensive study on the new approach of the education policy of the Government of India, in comparison with the integral education of Aurobindo Ghose, 1872–1950
- Indra SenIndra SenIndra Sen MA, LL.B., PH.D. was a devotee of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, psychologist, author, and educator, and the founder of Integral Psychology as an academic discipline....
, Integral Education: In the Words of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother 1952, Sri Aurobindo International University Centre - Sri Aurobindo Institute of Research in Social Sciences, Integral Education Series: A New Approach to Education. Pondicherry: Sri Aurobindo Society, 1996.