THE FREE PROGRESS SYSTEM
 

KIREET JOSHI

Registrar, International Centre of Education, Sri Aurobindo Ashram Pondicherry

Pondicherry, India 26th October, 1970

INTRODUCTION

It is universally admitted that the normal system of tests operating in our Country and elsewhere is obsolete and needs a radical change. Tests are, it is said, contrary to the sound principles of the psychological growth of children, and they are in their effects opposed to the right aims of education.

We all wish our children to develop and to enrich their facul- ties; we all wish our children to learn attention and concentration; we all wish our children to thirst for knowledge and perfection.

We do not, however, know how to achieve these desirable things, and our system of tests is a direct result of the human mind's method of solving subtle and complex problems by means of simplification and of reducing living processes to so-called practicable rigid and deadening routines.

We want our children to wish to learn; not knowing how to inspire the children to learn, we give them the threat of exams and force them to learn. We want our children to be regular in their pursuit of studies; not knowing how to instil this precious habit of inner discipline we increase the number of tests, and make the entire process of education a constant process of moving from tests to tests. We want this unnatural system of tests to succeed, and so we propose a fixed syllabus and insist that every child must go through the syllabus even while we all educationists know that there are several different ways of learning the same thing, and that there are variations of speed of learning and variations even in rhythms of interests.

It is so rational to argue that the tests have to be objective; but not knowing how to make the class teacher himself objective and impartial in his judgment, we insist at the child should be examined by someone who has had no contact with him. But even this ,someone' may have his own prejudices, so naturally, we should have still some other one to counteract the former. This vicious circle of checks and counter-checks is, it is admitted, not at all satisfactory. But how practicable and facile it is in practice! And can it be replaced, it is asked, by anything better?

2

Tests are necessary, it is argued; for how else can we judge the progress of the children? The rationality of the argument is so obvious. But we know that there are tests and tests, and yet we rely mostly on written tests; and we know also that the written tests can easily be tests of memory which even a silly, mechanical mind can Without much difficulty acquire. A saner view, however, has tended to give some importance to oral tests, homework and day to day work, but. . . these, it is argued are likely to be so subjective that they could be given only about 20% value or perhaps a little more. The lion's share Must be given to one single Final Written Test.

We have, of course, forgotten to ask how we are to test the growth of sincerity, truthfulness, cheerfulness, prudence, perseverance, benevolence, simplicity, straightforwardness, honesty, justice, Courage, love, and hundreds of such qualities which we as parents and educationist desire most heartily should blossom in our children's tender hearts. These are indeed beyond the purview of the written tests, or most of the other tests. And the pernicious result is that we have tended to banish the development of these qualities from the serious concern of teachers.

And what about the still deeper aims of education? What about the psychic and spiritual dimensions of personality? What about the higher domains of consciousness, and what are we to do to lead the children to aspire for and to climb the hills and mountains of luminous peaks of the Supreme Knowledge and Power?

Once again, shall we omit these sublimest aims of education because they can't fit in With our system of tests?

What is the solution?

It must at the very outset be said that the solution is extremely difficult to find, and even when found, it is still more difficult to implement.

It seems that our attention must be directed to one central thing in education, viz., awakening the child to the mystery and wonder of existence and the nourishment of this awakening leading to the supreme Knowledge and Power and joy.

The entire system of education should aim at providing to the students the inspiration which would aid the process of awakening.

It is needless to say that the real inspiring force is the example and influence of the teacher.

3

But there should also be a new type of structure of the organisa- tion of studies through which the inspiring force could' effectively flow and permeate the breath and spirit of the students.

An attempt has been made at the International Centre of Education of die Sri Aurobindo Ashram to create this new type of structure, and efforts am being made to create still better structures.

SALIENT FEATURES OF THE FREE PROGRESS SYSTEM

The following are the salient features of the present structure of the organisation that has come to be called "Free Progress System":

(a) The structure is oriented towards the meeting of the varied needs of the students, each one of whom has his own special problems of development;

(b) It is not merely the 'subjects' of study that should count in education; the aspiration, the need for growth, experience of freedom, possibility of educating oneself, selfexperimentation, discovery of the inner needs and their relation with the programme of studies, and the discovery of the aim of life and the art of life-these are much more important, and the structure of organisation must provide for them;

(c) In the system, each student is free to study any subject he chooses at any given time; but this freedom has to be guided; the student should experience freedom; but it might be misused; the student has therefore to be watched with care, sympathy and wisdom; the teacher must be a friend and a guide, must not impose himself, but may intervene when necessary. The wastage of opportunities given should not be allowed indefinitely. But when to intervene depends upon the discretion of the teacher.

(d) A great stress falls upon the individual work by the students.

This individual work may be a result of the student's own wish to follow a particular topic of interests; or it may be a result of a suggestion from the teacher but accepted by the student. It may be of the nature of a follow-up of something explained by the teacher, or it may be of the nature of an original line of inquiry.

This 'individual work' may be pursued in several different ways:

4

(i) by a quiet reflection or meditation;

(ii) by referring to books or relevant portions of books suggested by the teacher;

(iii) by working on "work sheets" prepared for the students by the teachers;

(iv) by consultation or interviews with the teachers;

(v) by carrying out experiments;

(vi) by solving problems;

(vii) by writing compositions;

(viii) by drawing, designing, painting, etc, or

(ix) by any other work, such as decorating, cooking, carpentry, stitching, embroidery, etc.

(e) There are topics in each subject where lectures are useful; and for these topics, lectures are organised; but these lecture classes are comparatively fewer than those obtained in the classical system. This necessitates the announcement of time-tables every week.

(f) There are also classes of discussions between teachers and students and between students and students. These discussion classes again are not compulsory. However, the discussions do not pertain merely to academic subjects; they often centre round the individual needs of growth, and thus they provide an opportunity for guiding the students in their inner search.

(g) In each subject, there are topics which more easily yield to the project system; teachers therefore announce a few projects in each subject, and students according to their choice select some of the projects for which they collectively or individually work and produce charts, monographs, designs, etc. which are periodically exhibited for the benefit of the whole school.

(h) The role of the teacher in this system may be summarised as follows:

To aid the student in uncovering the inner will to grow and to progress-that should be the constant endeavour of the teacher;

To evolve a programme of education for each student in accord-

5

ance with the felt needs of the student's growth; to watch the stu- dents with deep sympathy, understanding and patience, ready to in- tervene and guide as and when necessary, to stimulate the students with striking words, ideas, questions, stories, projects and program- mes; this should be the main work of the teachers.

But to radiate inner calm and cheerful dynamism so as to create an atmosphere conducive to the development of higher faculties of inner knowledge and intuition-that may be regarded as the heart of the work of the teachers.

(i) An adequate organisation of the above working of the Free Progress System would need the following:

(1) A Room or Rooms of Silence, to which students who would like to do uninterrupted work or would like to reflect or meditate in silence can go as and when they like;

(2) Rooms of Consultations, where students can meet their teachers and consult them on various points of their seeking;

(3) Rooms of Collaboration, where students can work in collaboration with each other;

(4) Lecture Rooms, where teachers can hold discussions with their students and where they can deliver lectures- short or long-according to the need.

The study of each subject can be so directed that it leads ulti- mately to the discovery of the fundamental truths underlying the subject. These fundamental truths form ultimately a unity, and at a higher stage a philosophical study of this unity would itself contri- bute to the deepening of the sense of Truths which directly helps in the maturity of the psychic and spiritual or yogic aspiration.

The sense of the unity of the truths would also contribute to the reconciliation of the various branches of Knowledge, thus leading to the harmony of Science, Philosophy, Technology and Fine Arts. In the spiritual or yogic vision, there is an automatic perception of this unity, and in the teaching of the various subjects the teacher can always direct the students to this unity. In the words of Sri Auro- bindo: "The Yogin's aim in the sciences that make for knowledge should be to discover and understand the workings of the Divine Consciousness-Puissance in man and creatures and things and forces, her creative significances, her execution of the mysteries, the symbols

6

in which she arranges the manifestation. The Yogin's aim in the practical sciences, whether mental and physical or occult and psychic, should be to enter into the ways of the Divine and processes, to know the materials and means for the work given to us so that we may use that knowledge for a conscious and faultless expression of the spirit's mastery, joy and self-fulfilment. The Yogin's aim in the Arts should not be a mere aesthetic, mental or vital gratification, but seeing the Divine everywhere, worshipping it with a revelation of the meaning of its works, to express that One Divine in gods and men and creatures and objects. The theory that sees an intimate connection between religious aspiration and truest and greatest Art is in essence right; but we must substitute for the mixed and doubtful religious motive a spiritual aspiration, vision, interpreting experience."

There are golden reaches of our consciousness, and from them and from the reaches intermediate between them and our ordinary mental consciousness there have descended, forces and forms which have become embodied in literature, philosophy, science, in music:, dance, art, architecture, sculpture, in great and heroic deeds and in all that is wonderful and precious in the different organised or as yet unorganised aspects of life. To put the students in contact with these, eastern or western, ancient or present, would be to provide them with Me Or and atmosphere in which they can breathe an ins- piration to reach again to those peaks of consciousness and to create still newer forms and forces which would bring the golden day nearer for humanity.

The teachers and scholars at the Ashram are preoccupied with this work, and their research work in this direction is contained not only in their published or unpublished books, but also in the actual contents of their day-to-day work and lectures and in their organisa- tions of exhibitions, of dance, drama, music, and numerous. other educational activities. An adequate account of this work would fill a volume.

It is in the context of this vibrating and powerful process of the psychic and spiritual education that the activities of the physical, vital and mental education are set and worked out at the Ashram. In each of these fields, again, there are specialists in the Ashram who are engaged in various activities of experimentation.

THE PLACE OF TESTS IN THE FREE PROGRESS SYSTEM

It is not true to say that there are no tests and no assessments in the Free Progress System, Written or Oral tests are indeed useful

7

in relation to certain areas of intellectual development. But these tests must be individual and adapted to each student, not the same mechanical test for all of them. Tests must be spontaneous and un- expected leaving no room for pretence and insincerity.

There are periods of intense interest and enthusiasm. During these periods, tests would very often tend to dampen the enthusiasm and would lead the student to turn to artificial or mechanical pro- cesses of learning. There are periods of dullness, during which tests in the form of challenging or stimulating questions would help the student to come out of mental inertia. There are again periods when the student needs revision, and then broad questions involving some panoramic view or comparative study would be very suitable. Students also need often to be precise and accurate about what they have read or understood. And there, questions involving short and precise answers would be welcome. And thus there are varied needs at different, times, and the Free Progress System provides the facilities to the teachers to give to each individual the type of the test that lie needs.

The syllabus in this system is evolutionary. It grows and deve- lops with each individual's pace and need of development. It should once again be stressed that we wish, during the 13-year School Course (Kindergarten, primary, secondary and higher secondary), to awaken the child to his soul, that is to the existence in him of a Divine Spark, as a living Presence to whom lie can refer and from whom lie can draw guidance, comfort and help in dealing with the problems and difficulties of daily life. This is our aim.

If we can succeed in providing the child with an educational environment and the individual attention of spiritually awakened teachers so as to enable him to work in full freedom with interest and joy-both always go together-during these thirteen long years, we feel sure that the best in him will be brought to the surface and made active. Even if it does not bring him any academic recognition, be will have acquired concentration, the capacity of learning, self- confidence and poise. Whatever knowledge he now has is certainly well understood and assimilated. At this level the "quantity" of factual knowledge in the child's mind is of little importance. Gaps may be filled easily later when the need arises, as he will have learnt how to use documentation. And certainly his contribution to society and the world will be the best that he can make. This is truly our programme.

8

if the child-now about adolescent-chooses freely to pursue his studies, our Higher Course offers him a comprehensive set of subjects from which he may select as many as he wishes, to give a wide and solid base to his knowledge. In each of the selected subjects, the student will work projectwise under the individual attention (not leadership: the leader is the student's soul not the teacher, however, learned he may be!) of capable guide.

In the matter of assessment of the progress of the students, a great stress is laid upon the behaviour, concentration, regularity, promptness to understand and openness of intelligence. The teachers are asked to take it as a discipline to rely more on inner contact, keen observation, and impartial outlook.

Records of the progress of each student are maintained. Students themselves fill up their own progress records, and teachers testify to these records or make their own comments. The teachers who are in charge of the over-all progress of the students meet and discuss the progress of the students and make recommendations to the students as to how and in what direction they should develop. The remarks and comments of various teachers pertaining to each student are compared and a final judgment is passed whenever necessary by taking into account all the relevant data of the progress.

Each topic is studied as a flexible and ever-widening subject, and the student is permitted to move onwards with tests as and when necessary. Promotion is not an annual feature, but it is a constant process. Students may move fast or slow according to their capacity; they may move faster in regard to some topics or subjects, slowly in regard to the others. They may stop for the time being a given topic or give it up entirely if the interest wanes. But students are being watched, and the teachers consult the students and advise them whenever necessary and endeavour to put them on the right road to perfection.