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Arts Aesthetics Authentic Education

Arts Aesthetics Authentic Education paper is an observational rational interpretative analytical report on Education

Acknowledgment:

First and foremost I’m gratified and grateful to Azim Premji University for giving awareness on varied subjects in multiple dimensions and also for giving me space to reflect and develop on my traits.

Furthermore and eminently express my thankfulness to “The Valley School” for giving me this free precious opportunity to become part of the organization as an “Informal Intern Associate”. 

I respect my mentor Mr. Amman Madan for guiding and supervising my internship. I do appreciate him, for sharing his knowledge and thoughts, by questioning me and guiding me on the right path in my internship process.

I convey my gleeful gratitude towards Professor Kaustuv Roy, my friends, and also all participants in the internship site, children, teachers, management, etc. for their support in completing my internship “Arts, Aesthetic and Authentic Education”.

Rationale:

I felt I was the victim of the formal education system in my school days. I saw some problems in myself and in the Education system also. Now I want to be critical and skeptical on the Education system and my perceptions on Education, to know the reality of education based on my cognitive development. After listening to discourses and reading books throughout my M.A.Education Program, I was exposed to different ideologies in education and fascinated by the philosophical ideologies on education, by the writings of different philosophers like John Dewey, Rousseau, Rabindranath Tagore, M.K. Gandhi, Aurobindo, Vivekananda and J. Krishnamurti sayings on Education. These ideologies helped me, for being skeptical and critical on education and made me understand some problems in the education system and in myself also. Previously I had some conventional experiences in normal schools, now I am interested in experiencing the philosophical and ideology-based informal setting of alternative schools and how they are trying to solve some problems in the Education system.

Introduction:

In this report, I have taken Education itself as an Art, with Aesthetic Teaching and Authentic Learning. And tried to explain my personal experiences and reflective analysis, rational interpretations, and understandings of Education with the perspectives of art aesthetics and authenticity.

At the field site, I tried to experience the phenomenal aspects of the Curriculum “Languages (Kannada/English), Mathematics, Science, Social” from the students and teachers. I tried to focus on the phenomenal source of these subjects i;e observation (Science), expression/communication (language), understanding of self and society (social), and Simple logic (Maths) from Teachers teaching and students learning in the School.

Conceptual Framework: 

This Arts, Aesthetics and Authentic Education report paper is trying to say that Education itself is art with aesthetic teaching and authentic learning to solve some mechanical problems in the students' and teachers' life.

Here I mean Education as an “Enlightening Experiences”, which means being conscious of our life experiences. ‘Conscious of life experiences means aware of the source of the knowledge that means intelligence, not on product of the knowledge that means on textbook’, through the teaching of subject and learning of knowledge by sharing. The main characteristics of Education are teaching and also learning. Here I have taken teaching means as making realizing knowledge through activities and by questioning. And learning means discovering knowledge through activities and reflections.

Here I mean art as a creative skill. Aesthetics means concern with the beauty of work. Authentic means undisputed origin. 

Art means creative skill which means bringing something into existence to solve problems. I am putting knowledge in that something. Here in this educational context, art means bringing knowledge into existence to solve some mechanical problems in education.

Aesthetic means concern with the beauty of work without concluding & judgmental attitude, but by encouraging attitude for developing self-esteem. Here aesthetics means concern with the beauty of teaching without concluding and judging the students learning, but by encouraging, guiding, and facilitating the student’s learning. The characteristic of aesthetics teaching is to develop the process of student’s learning by encouraging, not by concluding the things and making the knowledge past. “If we make the knowledge as past, it will be called dead knowledge” (Roy 2017). If the knowledge is past, then how the knowledge will help in the present and future? If you conclude knowledge, then how it will become education, because education is a process of both teaching and learning, not the conclusion of both teaching and learning the knowledge. Aesthetic teaching needs to help and encourage learning knowledge and that knowledge needs to help in our present life and make a future path.

Authenticity means undisputed origin, which means discovering the knowledge from the self. “Expression and communication for Language; Observation and Experimentation for Science; Logic and Pattern for Math’s; Understanding of self and society for Social; were the undisputed origin of these subjects. Record of Life Live Experiences is the source/undisputed origins of the curriculum. Authentic learning will come from the self without any alienation of self. “We need experience and intelligence to discover the knowledge, this process of learning is called inter experiential space. (Roy 2017). Without the interjection of experience and intelligence, knowledge will become a non-figurative subject.

Generally, one of the prime/fundamental reasons for going to school is to get an education. Education through ‘teaching and learning knowledge, knowledge means ‘A familiarity, awareness, understanding of the subject facts, information, description, skill, etc. which acquired through experiences either theoretical experiences or practical experiences. One of the main sources of forming knowledge is done through the collective experience of individuals in society through their intelligence (Krishnamurti, 1974), the collective experiences are mostly based on human sociological experiences. Ex. Most of the Native Telugu-speaking people view the paper as “Kagitham” only, if I am an English native I view the paper as paper only. It depends on the collective sociological experiences of individuals. The Telugu people know this paper as ‘kagitham’ because of their collective sociological experiences carrying through their intelligence. These sociological experiences are not inherent in nature, they are acquired through the collective experiences of society through language. How it is carried by intelligence means if I say this is paper, the paper object is outside, but the name and image of “PAPER” is in mind/intelligence. This name and image are created and maintained by society only through their intelligence the theoretical experience. So many anthropologists say that only social animals/humans have intelligence which is ontogenetic in nature. Society means “Collection of Individuals” including you and me. The paper object is outside and knowledge about the paper is inside us through the intelligence by theoretical experience. These are all names that were created and maintained by society through some collective theoretical/abstract experience. Theoretical experience is good, but only theoretical experience is not good, because it is not inherent in our human nature. After the practical experience, this theoretical experience will help in remembering this knowledge. 

Ex. My Parents named me “Bharghava Shyam”. I feel, I am Bharghava Shyam & I use to pretend like a Bharghava Shyam. But in reality, Bharghava Shyam is not me. It’s just the name of this body. By seeing my appearance and by hearing my name, it is very much rigorous to know and learn from me. If you and I need to learn from me. First, we both need to observe my experiences/interactions with others. Then only it will be comparatively easy to know and learn from me. And we need a name (a social feature) & body (a physical feature) for our social purposes. If I/you want to study me, my name and body are required, but my interactions and experiences are much more important to study me. Studying me is about my past, present & beyond this (future) also. “I AM EXPERIENCING MYSELF AS A WORLD EXPERIENCING MYSELF IN A CERTAIN WAY”. And every person will get different experiences and interactions with/from others, these experiences can be easily distinguished between people. Experience and intelligence are unique to everyone. Intelligence will develop through constant questions/skepticism. So authentic learning is about knowing one own experiences and intelligence through constant skepticism.

Based on this, I want to say the source of Education is to get knowledge from practical experiences with intelligence, in other words, we (I) can say “Education through Experience”. If we focus on intelligence (fundamentally an instrument to think) through the experience then automatically we get knowledge authentically. When I say the word ‘paper’ without any experience of ‘paper’, then this word “paper” will become nonfigurative knowledge. So instead of focusing on theoretical knowledge, I want to mostly focus on practical experiences and later theoretical experiences.

Names/conclusions/abstract/theoretical knowledge are also required for social purposes because we are living in society as a sociological being, but there is no need for these names/conclusions/abstract/theoretical knowledge for psychological purposes because it is not inherent in nature; we need to accept this theoretical knowledge sociologically, not compulsory to accept psychologically.

I have taken phenomenal aspects of “Arts, Aesthetics and Authentic Education”. Not the image/product of these arts, aesthetics, authentics, and education, but the process of phenomenal arts, aesthetics, authenticity, and education. For me, a phenomenon is like a situation that is observed to exist.

I took these phenomenal aspects in this internship to understand how to solve some mechanical problems in Education through the conscious on life experiences/ education with the help of realizing (teaching) and discovering (learning) the knowledge.

Mechanical activities are mostly focused on temporary outcomes than individual work and concerns. For example core of the Social subject is understanding of individuals and society, and it explains Nature/roles/duties. The temporary outcome of any subject is to score marks, if we understand mechanically we may secure marks by by-hearting or repeating the matter from the text/theoretical knowledge, it might give a good temporary outcome, but if we focus on understanding of the core of any subject that is understanding the nature of the subject then we will understand the subject. Mechanical activities might happen in a very formal setting, when they are focused completely on the outcome, we may feel pressurize, because we are bothered only with outcome/marks not more on education. Most things in mechanical education will depend only on the temporary marks/grade/outcome, then on the Education/individual efforts, if we focus on the outcome then the education might become mechanical and later it causes frustration in later life. In the mechanical process, if we lose anything, nothing will affect us (but we pretend like affected) e.g. If I change the position of the table in the room, nothing will happen, but I feel disturbed, but nothing is might happen. But in the organic process, if we lose/change something that affects us a lot e.g. If I get misplacement of my hands from shoulder to chest I feel disturbed/reversed. In Education without marks/formal-education also we can live, which means there is a mechanical relationship. But without communication, observation, and understanding, it’s very difficult to live. There is an organic relationship with these phenomena of these subjective parts in education. 

Focusing on the source of the subject means phenomenal aspects of the curriculum and considering the individual efforts/works/concerns, then it might help in achieving the long-lasting outcome of the knowledge, which includes temporary outcomes also. This most probably happens in an informal setting, not in a formal setting nor casual setting.

In a formal setting, you (I) will be under the control of some authority, there you need to complete your work by the given time, here some fixed expected outcome will be there, here is there is no value for individual concerns. The second is an informal setting, here also you (I) will be under the control (guidance) of others, this is also like the formal setup but individual concerns will take into consideration. The third is a causal setting, where no one will control you, if you are interested only, then only we can work without any consideration of outcomes, this casual is not outcome-oriented nor process orientated. I selected the informal setting school. 

Informal culture will be there in formal and casual settings also, and formal and casual settings will be there in informal settings also. It is very difficult for me to find a genuine informal school, that is why I selected informal cultured named school. {{This focuses on the outcome by considering individual concerns that can happen in every setting when the teacher and students are connecting to each other artistically by considering each other experiences.}}.

I selected the literature in which the authors/philosophers/practitioners are interested in art education which means focusing on long-term outcomes by considering individual interests and concerns. Through the classroom discourses, I got to know about this informal type of schools. In the class with the help of facilitators I was exposed to Tagore, Gandhi, Aurobindo, Krishnamurti, Vivekananda, Rousseau, John Dewey, etc. philosophies/ideologies on Education.

Literature Review: 

Problems in Education from philosophers' view & their thought/approach to Education

Rabindranath Tagore:

Problem: Tagore was unsatisfied with the western age of enlightenment and Education which is driven by only purpose and profit, not by truth. Western enlightenment has scientific laws, rational systems, and a certain kind of humanism that doesn’t focus on individuals. He says that children are flourishing flowers with open-mindedness with acceptance in the nest and the Adult mind is like ripening fruit with close-mindedness in the cage. These scientific laws and rational systems in school is making children ‘Mini Adult’, forcefully making flower into fruit, which destroys children's innate capabilities (Tagore, 1947)

Philosophy: The Highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence. Through the principles of freedom, which are freedom of mind, freedom of heart & freedom of will we can achieve harmony. "Freedom of mind" talks about the ability to arrive at independent decisions. "Freedom of will" tells about in making authentic goals and aspirations. Freedom of heart says about becoming more creative in your relations with nature than the world. For this, we need to make an environment with openness. (Tagore, The Teacher, 1931)

Swami Vivekananda

Problem: Swami Vivekananda states that “The Character of any Human is but the aggregate of his/her tendencies”. S/he limits their selves to their physical things, with that their esteem, is finite. With that, they feel weak, dead without achieving. 

Philosophy: Vivekananda says that “Education is the Manifestation of Perfection”. All the Knowledge is in self itself, we need to manifest that’s all and also states that “Our Mind infinite power of gigantic intellect”. we are not limited to our body, we are more than that called spirit. With unflinching Bharmacharya for 12 years, we can get concentration with the integration of thoughts, words, and deeds. With that, we can achieve perfection, which is already in us. (Vivekanada, Education, 1958)

John Dewey: 

Problem: John dewy was disappointed with the education system which is sugar coating the poison, here poison is false pedagogy that makes children and curriculum separate beings/things. In the false pedagogy, there will be only abstract knowledge, curriculum is making contract effect with education, after some time for this education there will have no value/use. 

Philosophy: Education is the process of living by synthesizing the child and curriculum, and not a preparation for future living. For him, the child is like a psychological being and the curriculum is like a logical being. The Child/Psychological being is driven by personal experiences, emotions, natural curiosity, etc. these are raw instincts in child/psychology. And curriculum/logical being is driven by facts, abstracts, etc. these are fragmented and beyond the experiences. Here synthesizing means we need to “Logicizing the child's innate capabilities” & “psychologize the curriculum”. (Dewey, 1902) 

Aurobindo Ghosh:

Problem: Aurobindo was unhappy with the focus on the product of the knowledge, fixed curriculum, and work from far to near. He says these as received things in education which is making the individual as a physical, political, and biological being with the interaction of an efficient nation-state that deals with economic and trade transactions.

Philosophy: Education is that which provides a free and creative, mental, moral, and aesthetic sense that finally leads to spiritual growth. Through the 3 principles, the first one is “True teaching can’t be taught”. The second one is “Mind has to be consulted in its own growth” and the third one is “Education is to work from near to far”. These all can be done when you know about your own Human mind power. The power of the Human mind is “Antahah Karana”. Antahah Karana has four layers that are  

Manas – Sensory data- Translating of collected data/actions to mind 

Bhuddi- Memory- To record everything in the mind

Chitta- Intellect- A real instrument to think.

Ahamkara- Ego- Process of I Making in the mind (We make universal self- I)

These all are focused on instruments of knowledge that helps in training the senses which mean the mind focuses on its own growth for becoming free. “Works from near to the far”. This means working from personal knowledge to abstract knowledge. (Aurobindo, 2003)

M.K. Gandhi:

Problem: Gandhi opposed the British literacy training with only symbolic learning in India from the west. He told that western thought is an imitation, which is based on representation, hierarchy, and social contract. These state policies are controlling the self. He says that self-control is very much better than state controlling you. 

Philosophy: Education is the physical, intellectual, and moral development of the individual by medium Head, Heart, and Hand coordination in handicraft work, by following the ideology of “Swaraj”. The science of ideas of Swaraj means self-rule. With the values of Swadesh, Sarvodaya, and Satyagraha in Education. 

Swadesh: It is the spirit in us that restrict us (our psyche) to immediate surroundings for service through craft education.

Sarvodaya: It means welfare/upliftment of all, through Ahimsa (Non-Violence) in Education. Ahimsa means looking for the truth of others (the whole universe). We need voluntary suffering for attaining the Sarvodaya.

Satyagraha: It means grasping/asking the truth of the situation and being. For grasping the truth with self-suffering. (Pattery, 2001)

This Swaraj is a process of willingness to suffer ourselves, giving profit to others. Nai-thalim consists of bodily activities which consist of 3H (Heart, head & hand) coordination. Swaraj helps in character building than literacy training. Learning through authentic experiences (Gandhi, 1937)

Jiddu Krishnamurti: 

Problem: J. Krishnamurti discussed that modern education is moving around conclusions and security with authority, competition, discrimination, learning from only books, memorizing the facts, etc. He says these are the problems in education. Because of this, you will not enjoy life as a fresh, innocent, young, ever acceptable mind, because of a stagnant and concluded mind. Which makes and restricts us to mechanical life without enjoying life and nature.

Philosophy: Education is the understanding of oneself by bringing the change in your mind through observing the observer, which means observing one own activities and nature without any conclusion. Ex. Watching a tree without any image means this is a tree, you need to observe each part of the tree and its surrounding creatures. This will help you in understanding self without any conclusion. (Krishnamurti, 1974)

Jean Jacques Rousseau:

Problem: Rousseau says that adults are meddles for children's development because of adults' hypocrisy/dualities and also by giving unnecessary knowledge to children.

Ideology: Jean Jacques Rousseau says that the source of child (Humans) learning is from nature, man (Human), and things (Experiences). But these 3 things contradict each other for most of the time because of man’s hypocrisy (Dualities). Children are naturally good, adults are meddle and destroy their innate goodness. We need to protect the child's innate goodness from this hypocrisy and unnecessary knowledge. Children are naturally good learners, observers, investigators, artists, etc. we/adults need to develop their innate characters instead of destroying those qualities. The children need to know their personal capacities from us. They can learn naturally, nature promotes their development. Rousseau explained how children from nature by making an imaginary role of Emile. He completes his education through experiences. (Rousseau, 1911)

Philosophy/ideology will arise when the people will be more critical and skeptical in understanding the problem or situation. If the situation or the problem is clear, I think there is no need to be skeptical and critical in approach. Philosophers Dewey, Tagore, Gandhi, Vivekananda, Krishnamurti, Aurobindo, and Rousseau found the problems in education and gave their own philosophies on education to solve the problems in Education. Here art is there. Art means creative skill, Create means bringing something into existence and skill means work used to solve the problem. Education is the art to solve some mechanical problems in life. Here these philosophers say their philosophy in artistic/creative skill way, by bringing that philosophy into existence to solve some problems in education.

These all philosophies have been skeptical and critical on the problems of Education. When Education is only focused on reading, writing, and repeating knowledge. Tagore views Education through freedom of work which means freedom of mind/heart/will. John Dewey viewed Education through synthesizing works which means synthesizing the child's innate capabilities and the curriculum. Mahatma Gandhi says Education through 3H (Head, Heart & Hand) coordination work. Aurobindo says Education through training of senses and mental facilities. Jiddu Krishnamurti says Education through observing the observer and nature. Rousseau says education through and from humans, nature, and experiences.

I feel these all philosophies are saying similarly about education that “Education through work”, not the Education and work & Education for work; Whenever there is a relation between self and knowledge then education will happen, that means enlightening experiences will happen, which means we will become conscious on our source of experiences. 

Methodology of selecting School: 

Based on this I selected the philosophical ideology-based school, which is focused on learning-centered means “Education through Work”, than marks grades centered. That means focusing on Education through work, not the Education and work & Education for work; 

I selected and went into the alternative school which is working on the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti, This school gave the permission to be part of the school and also near to my locality.  

By reading the Jiddu Krishnamurti literature only I understood that “The school wants to solve some problems in Education”. Based on the literature review, I went to that school, with prejudice that “Here they will use Education as Art only, I just need to experience it”.  

My Objectives of the internship:

1. To experience Education as art with aesthetic teaching and authentic learning to solve some mechanical problems.
2. To know how aesthetic teaching helps in authentic learning of the students in an artistic manner.
3. To know how this institution is managing the social plane and phenomenon plane. The social plane includes how individuals relate with society through Knowledge and the phenomenal plane relates one with own self through intelligence.
4. To explore and develop my innate capabilities of self for learning the social and phenomenal knowledge for teaching to the children and learning for self.
5. To know expose and experience myself to/in the alternative ways of education.

Nature and setting of the junior school: 

(Through Orientation, Observations, and interpretations)

I selected and went into the alternative school which is based and working on the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti on Education. This school was constructed on the outskirts of the forest area on more than 100 acres with trees, water buns, lakes, an art village, agriculture fields, retreat center, hostels, guest houses, cottages, etc.

Junior school subjects are English, Kannada, and Hindi; Mathematics, Games, Environmental Science, Land care, Nature walk, Yoga, Library, and Art village with music, dance, pottery, painting, carpentry, and theatre.

In Each junior classroom, there are only 20 children with mixed age groups. The classroom has there with five small tables 4 people sit at each table in different directions while doing classroom exercises. For only reading the text, they sit in different places in the room. The room is with some fine arts drawn by the students, and timetables with different chart papers. It is a kind of aesthetics in a class by balancing diversified conditions. In all junior school classes, the same curriculum is there with different pedagogies by the teachers. Each junior school teacher has a mentor, to guide them in teaching. 

Their curriculum is focusing on activity and reflective-based learning, in all conventional subjects that means Hindi, Kannada, and English language classes, Mathematics classes, and Environmental classes there are activities inside and outside classrooms and they need to reflect in class and also in notebooks. Activities are most common, but each student’s reflections are different, here reflections will come from self, each self is unique know, their learning is also authentic, and the teacher is not judging/concluding the students' work, these activity-based reflections mean some aesthetic teaching is also there.

In school and classrooms, there is informal nature between students and teachers with flexibility and freedom. Students call teachers as Aunty and Bhaiya/uncle; and staff as amma and uncle, not only in this but also in learning they are considered individual too.

In each junior school, classrooms diversified culture students are there mostly based on languages, castes, religions, slightly different classes, etc. there the students are coming from Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Odiya, and Kannada & teachers are also from Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali back grounds. Hindu’s Muslims and Christians are there, without discriminating others beliefs and not judging this is good and bad among students also. Here aesthetics are there. Here they are balancing self with world/diversity with informal nature.

This school is concerned on education with its characteristics teaching and learning. And helping teachers and learners to discover a whole way of living with freedom and flexibility. The students don’t have formal exams till the 8th class.

In each junior school classroom, I observed students’ writing, drawings, paintings, and craft works which includes paper works, woodwork, etc. Every child has a rack to keep their class notebooks, from the library they use to get books, keep in their racks, and reads during their circle time. 

While the teacher is writing on the board in class, there no one will write on their in their notebook, they only listens and participate in discussions. Teachers will write their discussions on board, and after the discussions, the students will write in their notebooks.

For junior school & middle school, there is no hostel facility in school, the junior school students are coming from home itself. Only breakfast and dinner they do in home’s, remaining food that means snacks in the morning at 9:30 AM, Lunch in the afternoon at 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, Snacks in the evening at 3:30 PM will be provided by the School itself. (The school provides breakfast at 7:30 AM, Evening snacks at 6:00PM, and Night dinner at 7:30PM are extra for intern students, hostellers & some faculty). 

My Daily Activities in the school:

The school management gave me a timetable based on my concerns; Attending assembly. Participating in classes according to the given timetable. Helping teachers in arranging tools and helping students in their work by clearing and raising the questions. Being part of the children's games as an umpire and referee. Interaction with students and teachers. Participating in nature walk period. Art village/Study center visit along with children on Friday and Wednesday. Personally participating in open seminars based on Jiddu Krishnamurti Philosophy, especially on every Thursday and Saturday in the study center, Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI).

Experiences in an internship on Education as art with authenticity and aesthetics 

(Findings through observations interpretations and reflections).              

Note: This is an experiential internship, in which findings/conclusions are based on my personal opinions with some certain rationality, which I tried to explain in the conceptual framework.

I participated in all subjects of junior school classes, based on my given timetable in school. There the subjects are English, Hindi, Kannada, Mathematics, Games, Environmental Science Land care, Nature walk, Yoga, Library and Art village with music, dance, pottery, painting, carpentry, and theatre. To experience education as art to solve mechanical problems for not alienating from the self. 

In assembly except for Tuesdays and Friday, all the students use to sing five songs in all different languages such as Sanskrit, English, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi songs. In Tuesday’s junior school and Friday’s Higher schools will play skits which are countable to their languages classes. Here I experienced aesthetics by balancing different cultures without judgment. I feel they are trying to show the beauty of other cultures also. I observed the smile of the students while singing the songs. With whom I interacted and discuss on assembly, they are happy and we like these assembly sessions.  

There are different cultural backgrounds in children, where the common language is English, I feel there is unity in diversity through the English language. By making common language English, I feel the school is not discriminating against other languages, that is why I think different language songs are there in assembly, for Kannada and Hindi special learning classes, are there.

Every Tuesday and Friday the junior, middle, and senior school students use to act in skits based on Hindi, English, and Kannada languages which are related to their subjects. In each language, they need to perform play for once. Here also I experienced aesthetics concerned with the beauty of work in each language without any judgment. 

I feel they give equal priority to conventional subjects as well as unconventional subjects along with circle time. I only categorized these into two buckets based on taking notes.

Conventional Subjects- English, Kannada, and Hindi; Mathematics, Games; Unconventional Subjects- Environmental Science, Land care, Nature walk, Yoga, Library and Art village with music, dance, pottery, painting, carpentry, and theatre.

In junior school in all classes, the teachers follow the same curriculum, slightly at the same time. According to the classroom performances the teachers have the flexibility to change things.

In junior school, in the English language class, the teachers are teaching ¾ of the lesson and making them complete the story with their own imaginations and later tell them to write in their book, and later they need to share their concluded story in the class. These all process was done in all 4 classrooms in primary school. Here authentic learning is there from their self-intelligence. In later classes, the teachers ask them to write words on small paper chits and make them to pronounce properly and making them to arrange in order based on phonetics, and make them learn and sounds and spellings of English words. First children will arrange in a format, based on their cognitive development. Later teacher/me also by asking questions they only correct their paper clips and later they need to write spellings in the notebook, later I use to say words, they use to write- Dictation, and if they wrote wrong spelling we need to make them to think and correct the spelling. For remembering phonetics and spelling the teachers and I also pushed them to think about getting the answer through the questions, even though it’s easy to say the direct answer, they are pushing them to think for authentic learning.

Here students are learning mostly authentically only because one of the main sources of language subject is expression and one of the main sources of knowledge is one own intelligence. Here there is a balance between the social and the self plane that means communicating with others and communicating with self very hopefully. So many children asked expressed their inner doubts to me without any hesitation. When the students saw me for the first time in the classroom all students came near to me and asked for my name, and bio-data without any blocks or hesitations, not only the junior school students but middle and senior school students. If I will be there I use to keep distance because of my psychological blocks which are somewhat filled with hesitation, fear, etc. Here they are learning in the language/expression they are trying to do. Some did this.

For language knowledge expression and intelligence, both are coming from individuals only, they are not giving only knowledge, they are making them to create their own expression and communication.{Knowledge through the intelligence- the instrument to think}. Here activity is to express through some passive reflections a thought process.

Here I feel the junior school is using Language as an art, by making them to think, express, and communicate by presenting their thoughts, communicating their ideas, criticizing and presenting their arguments, etc. Here authentic learning is happening from the student’s intelligence.

I attended mathematics classes when they are teaching multiplications and divisions. They are teaching multiplications as repeating additions and divisions as repeating subtractions. While teaching multiplications the teachers are giving seeds and small stones to children and making them to add the stones to learn basic multiplications, by putting two times three stones they are making the children to say the answer 6, later the students writing in note book by marking dots in the book on 2nd to 7th tables. In notebook there will be some questions on multiplications, by doing the repeated-additions through seeds they need to write the answer in the book. While teaching the divisions that means repeated subtraction, the teachers are teaching divisions in the name of “Sharing the things equally”. Here also they will give the certain quantity of seeds and ask the students to share the seeds equally by making into sit in different groups. This is also authentic learning through the activities, without judging/concluding the students that she is doing firstly and he is doing lastly, the teacher are allowing for their own growth. 

Here is one fascinating aesthetic thing I experienced through the observation in the classroom that, “one girl didn’t do anything for half-an-hour when madam noticed that she is not doing, then she went near to her asked what you are doing, she replied that I am thinking, them madam replied ohh good, you are in the right path, then say about your thoughts, she didn’t give any reply, madam interfered and said okay what ever happened is happen, now you work”. This is the thrilling aesthetic experience I found in the classroom. 

In school, I didn’t see a teacher either scolding or praising the students individually with the conclusions/judgments by comparing with other student's work, like you failed, you are last, bad work, poor work (or) first, best, success. This might not give any inferior or superiority complex to children there is an environment trying to treat every student as special. Here I felt/experienced aesthetic teaching in classroom.

There the teachers are not trying to cover the knowledge by just giving a parcel of knowledge that means by giving direct answers, but they are making the children to discover the knowledge through intelligence by asking the appropriate questions. Here there is an interrelation between the social plane and the phenomenal plane, here they are observing nature according to their priorities, in the social plane, they are trying to make notes of those observations for social purposes teachers are to correct those notes and actions also without giving any conclusions for developing their activities. I use to guide the students by asking questions. And I use to help the teachers in making the activities. When students will not understand the questions in the book I use to make clear the questions, and some of the student’s notebooks were corrected by me under the teacher’s guidance.

I feel mathematics education is giving some Logic, pattern, etc. to children for learning some multiplications and divisions with the kind of aesthetic satisfaction and authentic expressions.

In Environmental Science class in the junior school, there the teachers are saying water through some activities on water conservation. The students need to wash their own glasses during break time by conserving water and asking the students to say the sources of water to nature and home. Uses of water and conservation of water. All these points were written by the teacher while students are saying only. After this class they discussed rivers particularly regarding Cauvery River, for that in the classroom, the teacher only draws the diagram of the Cauvery River map on the board with major cities behind it, dams, power stations, etc., and how these all are helping them in their life, through the questions the teachers are trying to get the answers instead of giving direct answers here aesthetic teaching is there by concerning with the beauty of work without troubling other students by troubling others. Authentic learning is also happening, all answers are getting from individual only, not from the teachers. Management has taken the students to a place where purification of Cauvery River water and circulation takes place in Bangalore, for giving exposure to the students on how they are getting the water into their homes, etc. In class 1st the students said their reflections and later teacher also. Finally, in the last two classes, they made the Cauvery River journey module project, under the supervision of the Teacher and me. We gave some suggestions to them on how many different ways we can make modules like drawing, making with mud, card boards, etc. finally students only decided by overlapping things by selecting mud for paddy fields and dams, trees they with by rolling papers, water flow they made with card board pieces, etc. While doing the Cauvery river module they were very happy, I experienced their happiness by seeing their smile I feel it is one of the symbol of aesthetics, and for aesthetic teaching, teachers is not saying you need to do in this way only, she created options to select, 

While teaching “Motion/Movement” in the junior school, 1st the teachers told the students to explore the school, to find the moving things in the school, after this, the teacher made them to say the different motions that they observed, later the teacher made them to say the different motions and also made them to segregate the things which are moving voluntarily, forcefully, the interjection of both, etc. Here also teacher didn’t say answers directly by making them to listen forcefully, the students told these things authentically after experience by using their intelligence.

Here also they are connecting the social plane and the phenomenal plane, by making them to think about the situation that is observed to exist, this is the phenomenal plane is connecting with the social plane by understanding the concept which is sociologically accepted as Movement, motions, and dynamics.  

For me for authentic learning there need to be two triggers from outside that triggers are experience and teacher. Experience from inner or outer, and the teacher who makes us conscious on those experiences. Ex. Newton discovered the law of gravitation by self only, he only got those thoughts, but the external world supported him to study those previous thoughts and to rearrange those thoughts. When he did this he allowed the mind to its free growth. Science Education for observation, etc. getting and knowing something new or amazing facts is always an aesthetical experience without alienating from self. 

Here I am taking images/products of the art not the phenomenon of art. Authentic learning comes from the body, mostly not from the mind, here art is an image form. Aesthetics is concerned with the beauty of work transforming natural objects like mud, wood, and bodily works like dance and theatre.  

In art village classes I attended pottery classes, there under the guidance of one supervisor the students are making cups and houses in an allotted 40 minutes, and that pottery room is filled with students’ pottery works are pots, jugs, idols, toys, etc. They are collecting mud from the nearby lake. In carpentry class also they are trying to cut the old trees and trying to smooth that tree for making some craft work. (I didn’t see any making of any product there) In the carpentry room, I saw ladders, flutes, painted and coated sticks, idols, pen stand, etc. with the old tree branches, dry bamboo sticks, Coconut stems, tables etc. mostly by the students only. They (school staff) are trying to transform mud into earthenware objects. And old dry branches into the wooden objects. Here aesthetics is there in a different form is to feel the beauty of nature and trying to transform the natural objects. Here Authenticity comes mostly by body work only here because it concerns on transforming the objects/products of nature not mostly on the subject- based on influenced personal feelings nature.

In Paining class students made paintings on the paper with oil colors, based on their own interest like garden, flowers, rivers, trees, water bodies, sky, etc. Here they are following their based on their own interest.

I participated in only two Nature walk period’s, in nature walk period the students and teachers is to go for a walk in the school premises like mini-forest, lake, bund, agriculture field, retreat centre, art village, etc. in this period they need to observe and enjoy the nature. I participated in two nature walk periods, In that I observed that students are watching different insects actions and informing to teacher to watch this scene, the students are swinging on the roots of banyan tree, by taking sticks they are fighting funnily, here madam intervened and said be care full while playing. They are observing spider webs, hearing different birds sound and trying to identity which is bird is this and asking teacher for clarification.  

Nature Walk period for almost all subjects are discovered very casually, that means observing, expressing, understanding logic, etc. They use to observe the nature, 

I observed games period only 3 formal game periods, and daily also the students will play the games in the break period. Game is an activity that one engages in for an experience of finding something funny played according to rules. So based on this google definition I think authentic part of games is an activities through the fun. In one of the game period, madam brought balls and poured the balls on the floor and told the students to put the balls in bucket without using hands. Here the students activities came from their self, and some students followed the activities of others. Different authentic activities of the students is taking ball through the mouth and putting in the bucket, another authentic activity is taking ball with two legs and throwing in the bucket by jumping. Some students with the pair taking the ball between their legs and holding their hands walking and throwing in bucket. Some students just followed the other’s activities. In break time the students is to play cricket separately, I also be the part of game as an umpire. Here I experienced fascinating aesthetic experience while they are playing the cricket game in that both teams are the integration of both girls and boys with different rules for girls & boys, for encourage the girls to participate in cricket. There is no wide, no dead balls and one pitch catches are there for girls, while batting boundaries lines are small for them, 1st time I feel I saw the game with gender-equality game for encouraging girls to participate in the cricket game with the integration of both genders. Games are there for health and enjoyment, means doing bodily and mind activities. Here I feel there is body and mind activities are there, that means authentic part is there along aesthetics.

In land care period I feel they are trying to make them sensitive on agricultural products. They only need to cultivate the land under the guidance of one farmer. By this I feel they are make them emphasize them on others work, particularly the farmers work, for not wasting the food to make them to feel the value of food, the basic need. 

I feel here students in junior are not mostly alienated in class, if they feel any problem, directly they are informing/expressing to teacher without hesitating and fear. If they are not alienating then there is authenticity will be there. In circle time they are saying their problems formally to the teacher, the teacher tries to solve the problem and trying to make to not repeat that problem. In English class one student asked to explain “Shut”, I intended to explain with practical example by saying “Shup up your mouth” he understood this example. But other students who are little bit far from me immediately complained on me to the teacher that I am scolding him. They treat me with respect, when I did mistake there, they immediately expressed my mistake, when I explained the situation, then they were calm down. It is one of the example for not alienating. Generally those are alienating, they behave upset, when are not alienating they use to work very happily.

I feel till now this school has Education that means enlightening experiences. And teaching is there with aesthetics and learning is there with authenticity 

This school mostly focus on activity and reflective based learning in an informal way without any punishment neither verbal nor physical, with non-judgmental attitude towards both teachers and learners. Activity learning Reflective learning means focusing on series of thought and intelligence which is one of the main source of knowledge (Which I told in conceptual framework).

Summary of this internship experiences with Education as art, with aesthetic teaching and authentic learning.

Experience of Aesthetic teaching: I strongly feel, there aesthetic teaching is there and it is helping in solving some mechanical problems in education. There the teachers are guiding the students without judging but by correcting and encouraging the students to learn the knowledge (Getting awareness on subject information through the experience), through the activity and reflectivity. Teachers are mostly trying to un-cover the knowledge that means they are trying to make them to think, not by shutting up their questions. Teachers are focusing the student’s intelligence by questioning them. 

Experience of Authentic Learning: I feel, there authentic learning is there and it is also helping in solving some problems in education. Students are constructing the knowledge very happily, learning without putting much boundaries for receiving knowledge. There is no such competition between children (Self-competition is there) in academics. The students are skeptic on their learnings and on the teacher’s teaching also. 

I feel, there the aesthetic teaching is helping the students in creating hope for their life. Teachers are also very happy to teach the children in an aesthetic approach. Authentic learning is there which helping the students in becoming more conscious on their knowledge (Thoughts and experiences). 

Aesthetic teaching is there which is helping to share education. Authentic learning is helping to receive the knowledge. 

Reflections:

If I am focusing on phenomenon of all these subjects that are logic, expression, understanding and observation these all are not separate, they all are interlinked with each other in the “self” subjectively. In each subject these all phenomenon is coming out, if we are teaching one subject we are getting a chance to expose for other subjects also. How means science is from observation, Language is from expression, Mathematics is from logics, I think these are not separate things because these all are coming from our inside-self, Inside-self means here psyche, there is no particular boundaries for all these things observations, expressions, logic in psyche. So I feel Aesthetic teaching and Phenomenon of teaching both are similar & authentic learning and phenomenon of learning both are similar. 

This type of teaching and learning happens in informal culture. Informal culture helps in learning better because it focus on balancing individual efforts and outcome both. In casual culture there is no need to concern on outcome, in formal settings we need only fixed outcomes. But in name of formal and casual cultures also, the institutions have informal culture, in the name of informal culture also formal culture or casual culture will be there. So it is very difficult to define this school is informal/good. There is no such thing called this type of school with particular names is good for education and this types of schools have bad setting. 

Here I feel this school as like nest not as a cage for education. The school is treating children as like flowers, by exposing to different surprises with care and to without any force, I feel, here no one is forcing them to learn and teach, all teachers and students are doing education happily, their smile, their work are the evidence for me.

I feel their learnings and teachings in school are not restricted to classroom only, in classroom what they are trying to say, they are trying to follow that in school also. 

I feel, Even though we learn knowledge authentically through the aesthetic teaching, if they/we lose sensitivity, there will be no use, because in olden “Gurukula System day’s”, the students use to learn authentically through the intelligence, if they (students) don’t have sensitivity then their knowledge will become more dangerous. While reading Krishnamurti’s article on intelligence and sensitivity, I understand about sensitivity in education.

Ex. Lord Sri Rama, the prince of Ayodhya kingdom, and Ravanasura, both are good learners of knowledge through the intelligence, but Ravanasura doesn’t have sensitivity that why he kidnaps other wife by cheating. So I feel, sensitivity need to be there in education.

Generally if we are feeling sleepy or hungry, we may not focus on work. Maslow theory of hierarchy also says about this. I believe in Maslow’s theory of hierarchy, I also experienced mostly according to this theory, whenever I am feeling sleepy or hungry, I am not thinking/worrying about any works and on others also. According to Maslow theory of hierarchy, whenever, we clear our basic needs then we can go the next stage. One of our basic need is food, they are giving slightly more than enough food, I feel, the students are not worrying about hungry at all. They are getting food 3 times in a daytime by leaving breakfast and lunch, 

I feel slightly more enough food is encouraging them to work and learn more, here is also aesthetics is there with arts education (bring more enough food into existence to avoid problems in education). Here the students, instead of worrying about hunger and sleepiness, they are learning and working very happily. In school I didn’t see (feel) any student who are feeling sleepily and hungry in school. In school, they are giving slightly more than enough and tasty food for children, and I also observed no student and faculty with fatness or obesity, so it means (I feel) the food is not creating much problems to them.  

I went with the prejudice that “This school is using Education as an art” and I feel, my prejudice was right according to my perceptions in the whole internship. 

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Limitations: 

These experiences-based reflections and interpretations came from personal experiences, interpretations and feelings.

I think this internship report paper is transcendental for me and might be abstract for you. This Arts, Aesthetic & Authentic Education internship is mostly based on the phenomenon of all knowledge, not on the product of the knowledge. This phenomenon is like a situation that is observed to exist. So mostly my internship on arts, aesthetics and authentic, education, knowledge are transcendental for me because I took the phenomenon of this things.

Based on my short term experiences I am giving my personal reflections and interpretations as conclusions.

I viewed this phenomenal aspects based on my own perceptions/cognitive development with some close mindedness. This close mindedness came from my past experiences.

I didn’t much, expose myself to sensitivity in education in this school, which is equivalent to intelligence in education. (Krishnamurti 1974) 

Problems:

This school is mostly serving one type of social class that is upper class & upper middle class and that too who are mostly interested and having awareness on philosophical paradigm of education. I feel this is the major problem in internship site.

Complexities in pedagogic planning and choosing of materials. Finding a new activity for teaching in classroom. I feel, for every topic in each subject choosing an activity is very difficult task for teachers and mentors in the school.

From some students, I heard that, there is a diversified culture between school environment and home environment that is slightly creating problem in their parents mind and their mind also. In students home, they have maids, they only clean home, but in school they only need to clean their classes, plates, glasses, etc. In home certain kind of food, language is there, and in school certain kind of food & language is there. 

Learnings:

Knowledge is inherent in us; environment and experience is trigger to bring that knowledge out to educate us to solve some mechanical problems. 

If teacher is the better learner, then the student also will learn better.

I feel/learnt that, if student loose intelligence, then there might be no knowledge, because intelligence is the main source of knowledge. If student will loose sensitivity then there might be no valve for that knowledge. “Knowledge without sensitivity is more dangerous to the self and society” (Gandhi).

Creative-Skill/Art {Aesthetics and Authenticity} will help in solving mechanical problems of individuals. Creative skill with sensitivity will help in solving some social problems   

Conclusion:

In my internship school, I experienced Enlightening-experiences/Education, with concerned with beauty of teaching by supporting and undisputed origin of learning in this school for solving some mechanical problems of the students and teachers too. 

NOTE: This is the thought process in the name of conclusion. Because including me most of the people believe that “Nothing is Permanent”, so everything will change. Including my thought process also, so be cautious while judging this report

References:

Aurobindo. (2003). Early Cultural Writings (Journals). 

Dewey, J. (1902). The Child and the curriculum. In J. Dewey, The Child and the curriculum. 

Gandhi, M. (1937). Towards New Education. In B. Kumarapa, Towards New Education . 

Gandhi, M. (2010). Hind Swaraj. Delhi: Ralpal and Sons.

Krishnamurti, J. (1974). On Education. Chennai: Sudarsan Graphics.

Pattery, G. (2001). "Pluralistic Society: A Gandhian Perspective", in Civil Society in Indian Cultures. The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 10.

Rousseau, J. J. (1911). Emile or Education. 

Tagore, R. (1931). The Teacher. In R. Tagore, Religion of Man (p. 16). New York: The Macmillan Company.

Tagore, R. (1947). Thoughts on Education. The Visva Bharati Quartarly, 8.

Kaustuv Roy’s class lectures in “Teacher & Curriculum” Course 3rd Semester in Azim Premji University 2017.

17-Feb-2017- Only theoretical knowledge as dead knowledge (Dewey)

17-July-2017- Subjective reality

14-August-2017- Inter-experiential spaces

18-September-2017- Phenomenal teaching and curriculum

Declaration:

I declare that my internship work entitled “Art, Aesthetics and Authentic Education” is an experiential internship with the record of personal observations, rational interpretations, reflective analysis and experiences of the Bharghava Shyam in the alternative school.

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