Research on education for human unity
How do we define educational research in the context of Auroville?
The purpose of Auroville, as a living laboratory is to have a clean slate to co-create a new way of living and being, different to that which has become norm, to do what can not be done elsewhere because of past conditioning, habits, and society's expectations. It is a place created for humanity to be free to try, explore, develop and work with a deep research-oriented self-reflection, questioning, and allowing for the trial and error needed when leaving all the outdated practices of the past behind. Only as our human consciousness evolves will we open up to its possibilities and understand how education needs to transform to serve human unity.
How is education for human unity different to alternative and mainstream education?
Education for human unity emphasizes the progressive evolution of human consciousness, setting it apart from alternative and mainstream education practices. Here's how they differ:
. Holistic Development Focus: • Education for human unity: Focuses on the holistic growth of individuals, integrating spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical aspects. It aims to help individuals realize their inner potential and achieve self-transcendence, contributing to a collective consciousness. • Alternative Education: While also emphasizing holistic development, it typically focuses on specific aspects such as cognitive, emotional, or social skills. The spiritual dimension is often less emphasized or approached differently. • Mainstream Education: Primarily focuses on academic achievement and the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills, often neglecting the spiritual and emotional dimensions of development. Evolution of Consciousness: • Education for human unity: Aims to foster the evolution of consciousness from basic to higher-order ways of thinking and being, encouraging students to achieve self- transcendence. • Alternative Education: Primarily addresses immediate developmental needs, focusing on nurturing creativity, independence, and community engagement without explicitly aiming at progressive consciousness evolution. • Mainstream Education: Concentrates on standardized curricula and measurable outcomes, with less emphasis on the evolution of consciousness or personal growth beyond academic performance. Integration of Spirituality: • Education for human unity: Integrates spiritual growth as a core component, fostering a sense of unity and purpose in students. • Alternative Education: May approach spirituality differently or not focus on it at all, often rooting practices in specific philosophies rather than a broader evolution of consciousness. • Mainstream Education: Generally secular and does not typically include spiritual development as part of the curriculum, focusing instead on intellectual and practical skills. Systemic and Holistic Integration: • Education for human unity: Emphasizes the integration of all aspects of life and knowledge, promoting interdisciplinary learning and adapting methods to the evolving needs of the learner. • Alternative Education: Employs innovative methods within specific educational frameworks, which might not aim for an integrative approach across all areas of development. • Mainstream Education: Often compartmentalizes subjects and focuses on content delivery and performance in individual disciplines, lacking a holistic, integrative approach to learning. Collective Consciousness: • Education for human unity: Aims to contribute to the evolution of a collective consciousness, encouraging students to see themselves as part of a larger whole and work towards societal betterment. • Alternative Education: Focuses on individual and community development but may not explicitly aim at evolving collective consciousness in the same integrative manner. • Mainstream Education: Typically emphasizes individual achievement and preparation for the workforce, with less focus on fostering a sense of collective consciousness or global responsibility. The purpose of Kalvi is to explore practices, research and share on the topic of education, support practitioners in their learning journey both in theory and implementation, towards transforming education to become integral.
Kalvi’s programs and activities may put you out of your comfort zone, allow you to question the existing world, and especially how mainstream education methods, structures and practices are continuing to reproduce the value-base that is causing all injustice and harm we see in the world.
The aim of our work is to open up the mind to new ways of defining the purpose of education, growing children towards human unity and a striving to live in harmony with nature. Research is essential, as its our attempt to reflect on, understand and put words to what we discover along the way and share it with others.
Research can support us to find the courage to educate our children not for our past but for their future.
LEARNING AND GROWING
ONGOING RESEARCH: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Children through The Learning Community, Auroville (2008-2024)
This research proposal aims to investigate the lived experiences of children who have been a part of TLC (The Learning Community) in Auroville between the years 2008 to 2024. Auroville, an extraordinary international township in India, was founded with the vision of creating a universal city where people from all backgrounds can live in peace and progressive harmony. At the heart of this vision, TLC emerged as a groundbreaking educational initiative, passionately dedicated to education as a lived experience, individual growth, holistic development, community engagement, and nature oriented and sustainable practices. Founded in 2008, by a group of inspired parents and educators, TLC created a space to explore education as the practice of freedom, and children/youth could explore their potential beyond traditional boundaries, with an active and ongoing research orientation. Over the years TLC moved to being led by a team of inspired educators from around the world, and became renown in the international educational context for it's groundbreaking practices. TLC took part in several large international conferences sharing it's research and practice. Unfortunately, TLC was closed by SAIIER in 2024. This research study aims to capture the essence of TLC’s educational practice during 2008-2024, delving into the rich tapestry of experiences that defined the lives of its children. The study is being conducted by TLC alumni, and will be presented at IDEC 2025 (International Democratic Education Conference) in Belgium, to which they have been invited as key-note speakers by QUEST (network based that connects pioneer schools and organisations from 27 countries to promote change in education to promote research, policies and practices that support democratic, inclusive and sustainable education). Research Question: How did the educational practices and community environment at The Learning Community in Auroville (2008-2024) shape the lived experiences, personal development, and social identities of children and youth?
coming soon
ONGOING RESEARCH: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Children through The Learning Community, Auroville (2008-2024)
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HARMONY - AURO.GAMES
SCHOOL PROGRAM
Creative thinking, concentration, spatial intelligence with Harmony puzzles 2022-24
Starting with inspiration from the original unfinished prototypes and sketches, extensive participatory research and development has shown us the potential and possibilities of this material. The past three years moved the research from an explorative stage towards understanding the deeper values of the material both as a mindfulness activity, and as a tool to develop creative thinking. During 2022-2023 over 100 teachers explored Auro.Games, giving valuable feedback that has been integrated. We are during the year 2023-2024 taking the research to its next level, doing an in-depth study with 500 children and their teachers in different school settings. We are investigating how we can bring our puzzles as an integrated part of the school curriculum in India, taking the experience of Auro.Games into the mainstream classroom (NEP2020) by offering an enriched educational program. Through this research we aim to more clearly identify the benefits of Auro.Games in areas like teacher and student motivation, joy of learning, concentration, creative thinking / problem solving and spatial awareness. Using imagination (mental visualization), the materials explore geometric concepts such as rotation, symmetry, mirror images, pattern construction and deconstruction, can be included as a part of the mathematics curriculum, and work through art-integration.
AGENCY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION AT SECMOL, LADAKH
Exploring SECMOL: A Documentary Research on Community Dynamics, Leadership, and Self-Esteem 2023-24
This research paper explores the unique educational model of SECMOL (Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) and its profound impact on the students and community. SECMOL aims to equip young Ladakhis, particularly those from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds, with the knowledge, skills, perspective, and confidence needed to choose and build a sustainable future. This paper delves into various aspects of SECMOL's philosophy and practices, including community dynamics, leadership, self-esteem, conflict resolution, sustainability, and the preservation of its heartfelt philosophy. Research Questions 1. How does SECMOL foster a sense of agency among its students?- How does the program encourage students to take initiative and make independent choices?- How do students develop personal responsibility and self-motivation? 2. What methods does SECMOL use to manage and resolve conflicts among students? 3. How does SECMOL cultivate a positive community dynamic and enhance students' self-esteem and leadership skills? 4. How has SECMOL preserved its philosophy of simplicity, sincerity, and heart over the years, especially when working with adolescents? Methodology This research is based on immersive experiences at SECMOL, including film shooting, interviews with students and teachers, and direct observation of daily activities and interactions. The findings are supported by qualitative data gathered through these methods.
HARMONY PUZZLES
Puzzles that challenge our mind to become conscious. 2015-25
Prototypes were created by AuroCulture (Helga Ahy). Her adventure in puzzle creation began in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Puducherry in the 1970's and continued in Auroville where she moved in the 1990's. She worked on inspiration until a puzzle materialized, and created over 40 beautiful handmade educational material prototypes and sketches, she called Aurogames. AuroCulture's wish was for these materials to be shared with the children of the world and of the future. She expressed that her role had been to create the seeds for this work through the prototypes, but did not have the knowledge or ability of how to take it forward beyond that. For many years she stored the game prototypes, waiting for "the people who will be a part of realizing this project to come together at the right time". In 2015 she put the game prototypes in the care of Maya from Kalvi, who built a team to start to explore how to take the project forward. After an initial few years of experimenting with the games and trying to understand the prototypes, Ishay joined Kalvi as creative director, to build the strategy needed to share Aurogames with the world. During the past years Maya and Ishay (both working as volunteers in Auroville) have taken the games far beyond the original prototypes to create HARMONY - a puzzle material for peace and human unity - a variety of different activities for people of all ages, everywhere, as well as schools in India and beyond. AuroCulture followed the work and development with enthusiasm until her passing in 2020. HARMONY is an educational material created to promote inclusiveness and an experience of unity in diversity through colourful and creative puzzles. To use the puzzles as a metaphor for life and learning, a kaleidoscope of systems and forms in evolution. HARMONY explore self-awareness, working through the operations of consciousness, to develop acceptance of differences, mental flexibility and attention to detail, to widen and deepen our awareness. Activating both right and left hemispheres of the brain, the puzzles engage reasoning, imagination and emotions alongside each other. The plasticity of the brain will begin to form new structures, expanding mental abilities, helping embrace unity in diversity, a quality that humanity is now adapting to. This is why we call it a YOGA FOR THE MIND. When we think of Yoga we think "exercise for the body”, meaning sequences of movements, stretches and breathing for flexibility, focus and strength. HARMONY creates flexibility, focus and strength for our minds, and in the process, we develop the power of our consciousness. The puzzle pieces show infinite solutions, and all solutions can create harmony. Two people playing with the same puzzle pieces will create two different patterns. Both solutions are possible and at the same time, different. Building a pattern together opens up possibilsities to accept the choices and decisions of the other, and set the intention to include rather than reject when opinions or emotions differ. HARMONY puzzles challenge our minds to become conscious of multiple solutions and find harmony in the diversity.
