Educational Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore b.ed notes

Educational thinker : Rabindranath Tagore 

 

Introduction to the life of Rabindranath Tagore 

• Rabindra nath Tagore was born on 7th May, 1861 in an educated rich and respected family of Bengal.

• His father was named Maharshi Devendra Nath Tagore.

• Devendranath taught his son tagore in Sanskrit education as well as in Indian philosophy and astronomy (astrology).

• In 1877, Rabindra nath Tagore was sent to England for reading the law, but he was not satisfied and returned to India without a degree of education.

• Rabindra nath tagore was educated mostly at home through home education and self - study.

• From his childhood he wrote in Bengali journals and started writing among the people. 
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• He wrote poems, novels, dramas etc. From this he became famous only as a famous poet, novelist, dramatist, painter and philosopher. 

• Then he came to be known as the "Rishi" and was called "Guru Dev".

• His first composition "Geetanjali", in which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. 

• He also earned the title " Knighthood " from the government of India in 1915, but returned the title to the wrath of a massacre called jallianwala bagh.

• He founded a famous academic institution called "Visva Bharati" on 22 September 1921. 

• He worked tirelessly for 20 years for the development of this institution. At last his life 's came to an end in 1941.

 

Educational Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore

 

Rabindranath tagore believed that nature should be one of mutual harmony and love in human and international relations.

He wanted to develop through true education the spirit of harmony and love in all things of the present. Tagore believed that in the course of his education, it was essential for the child to have an independent atmosphere.

Like Rousseau, tagore considered nature as the best tool for his education. He (tagore) wrote: "the child must come into contact with the current of social behaviour after nature."

Dr. S.B Mukherjee has written by evaluating Tagore's Education philosophy that Tagore was the greatest prophet of educational revival in modern India. He struggled for establishing the highest ideals of education before his country and made educational experiments in his educational institutions which made him the living symbol of that ideal.

 

The fundamental principles of tagore's education philosophy

The principles of tagore 's philosophy of education are as follows :-

 

1. The child should be educated through his mother tongue.

2. While learning, the child should get freedom.

3. To develop the child 's creative instincts, an opportunity should be given for self - publishing.

4. The child should be educated in nature away from the city.

5. Education should bring about a harmonious development of all the powers of the child.

6. The child should have the opportunity to learn freely in the environment of nature.

 

Concept of Education According to Rabindranath Tagore 

According to rabindranath tagore, the concept of education is that of the body and the soul, which, in the lap of nature, develops in a healthy and peaceful state of happiness.

 

According to rabindranath tagore, the meaning of education is -

Gurudev wanted an education in India which could be brought into close contact with the environment. He felt that the aim of education was to develop a sense of oneness with all nature and all life in the individual. For a well - connected person, he considered the spirit of oneness the most important. He wanted the student to develop through education the ability to adjust nature and to act as a human being with society.

 

Aim of Education According to Rabindranath Tagore

 

 1. Objective of physical development

 2. Objective of mental development

 3. To adjust education and life

 4. Developing a spiritual culture

 5. To develop as former human being

 6. To maintain truth and unity.

 

Curriculum According to Rabindranath Tagore

 

According to tagore, the main aim of education is to complete development of man to attain full life. Keeping this in mind, they have covered a wide range of subjects in the syllabus.

Subject: history, study of nature, geography, literature etc.

Activities: plays, excursions, horticulture, field studies, laboratory work, drawing, original composition etc.

Extra curriculum activities: sports, social service, student self - government etc.

 

Tagore has advised elaboration of the curriculum. According to him, the curriculum should be broad enough to develop all aspects of the life of the child. Tagore did not devise any definite curriculum. He has presented general ideas on the subject of the curriculum and it can be said on the basis of which he attached a very important position to cultural subjects.

In fact, subjects like history, geography, science, literature, study of nature, as well as in the education of acting, field studies, wandering, drawing, original composition, music, dance, etc. were taught in Visva Bharati.

 

If we see the syllabus of santiniketan and visva - bharati which has been setup by rabindranath tagore is concentrated not on the subject centred but on the child centred.

There are different kinds of activities like morning prayer, singing, dancing, drawing, wandering, laboratory work, self - government of students, sports, social service, etc. It can, therefore, be said that visva bharati 's curriculum is a focused curriculum and is attributed to rabindranath tagore.

 

Teaching method of Tagore 

Tagore has given the following principles in his teaching method :-

 

1. Teaching should be based on the child 's natural, interest and passion. In the educational method we should use both the reasoning and the question - answer.

2. In the teaching method, dance - acting crafts should get a place.

3. In the educational method the child 's experiences and senses should be used.

 

Tagore quotes teaching method as the best method "Teaching is the best method at the time of excursion."

The other important principle of the method of teaching is the theory of action. Tagore believed that action is necessary for the education of the body and mind. The child must be trained in a craft. They appear as a necessary technique or tactic to climb a tree, jump, run behind a cat or a dog, break a fruit, laugh, shout, clap and learn how to act. They want to give education to a variety of subjects, biology, science, astronomy, geology, etc., in a natural environment in which the child can learn by - nature, taste and interest. He thus advocated the psychological methods of teaching.

 

Place of the teacher as per tagore:

Tagore was of the view that man can read only man. He gave important place to the teacher in his education scheme and treated the teacher as the mainstay :-

 

1. The teacher, believing in the purity of the child, should treat him with love and sympathy.

2. The teacher reduces the emphasis on biblical knowledge and creates an atmosphere in which the child is active and learns by his own policy.

3. Teachers keep on stimulating the child to do constructive work.

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