Introduction
- A child is like a seed with potential to grow into a full-fledged tree if given the right environment.
- The environment includes teachers, school, home, and community.
- Children's development is influenced by social and cultural environments, both consciously and unconsciously.
- Socio-cultural environments significantly impact young children's impressionable minds.
Concept of Malaise
- Definition: Malaise (from French 'mal' meaning bad + 'aise' meaning ease) refers to a feeling of unease or depression, mild sickness, or complex problems affecting society.
- Context: Modern society is afflicted by several socio-economic malaises.
Education and Development
- Education aims at the total development of an individual:
- Social
- Psychological
- Physical
- Moral
- Economic
- Intellectual
- True education helps individuals interact meaningfully with the environment, benefiting both self and others.
- Value education is essential to develop citizens who can combat social evils.
Objectives
- Describe: Major socio-cultural malaise in Indian society today.
- Illustrate: Mere acquisition of knowledge and skills is not enough for being educated.
- Relate: Major causes of erosion of human values in society.
- Justify: The need for value-oriented education in current circumstances.
The Malaise of Indian Society
- Materialistic Pursuits: Focus on accumulating wealth, power, and status at the cost of humanity.
- Cultural Contradiction: Proud of ancient culture prioritizing spiritual development, yet current reality contradicts these values.
- Mental Health Issues: Declining social environment leads to mental health problems.
- Social and Economic Issues: Poverty, overcrowding, unemployment, job insecurity, broken relationships, man-made disasters, wars, ethnic violence, and violence against vulnerable groups.
- Neglected Lives: Poverty, family conflicts, neglect, and abuse lead to a vicious cycle affecting young people's lives and spiritual well-being.
- Child Malnutrition: Many children suffer from malnutrition and lack access to basic education and proper living conditions.
- Corruption and Crime: Rapid urban growth, weak institutions, and economic crises lead to crime, affecting all social classes, especially marginalized sections.
- Violence Against Women and Children: Physical, sexual, and psychological violence prevalent across all social classes.
- Religious Hypocrisy: Religious teachings advocate humanity, equality, and non-violence, yet often lead to violence and intolerance.
- Social Injustice: Persistent social inequity, untouchability, and exploitation for political gains.
- Value Crisis: The gap between theoretical social justice and actual practice results in moral and spiritual vacuum.
- Corruption: Widespread and deep-rooted corruption driven by greed for wealth and power.
- Substance Abuse: A serious social malaise affecting the fabric of society.
- Loss of Bonding: Breakdown of family structures and weakening of community bonds.
Social Malaise in Education
Key Points
- Contradictions in Education:
- Education is intended to promote worthwhileness but often falls short in practice.
- Private schools are often inaccessible to the poor, deepening the social divide and eroding the value of equality.
- Delors Commission’s Report (1996):
- Education is crucial for addressing societal tensions.
- Identified tensions include:
- Global vs. Local: Balancing global citizenship with local and national involvement.
- Tradition vs. Modernity: Adapting to change while respecting the past.
- Competition vs. Equality of Opportunity: Balancing competition, cooperation, and solidarity.
- Spiritual vs. Material: Promoting universal values and self-transcendence.
- Empowerment Through Education:
- Education can create social consciousness and promote equity, transcending differences of caste, creed, religion, and wealth.
- Acts as a catalyst for social change and eradication of social malaises.
- Role of Teachers:
- Teaching has shifted from a noble profession to a means of livelihood.
- Effective education by dedicated teachers is essential for resolving current social issues.
Relationship Between Education and Value Education
Definition and Aim of Education:
- Education aims to develop good human beings.
- Value education and moral education are essential components of true education.
Necessity of Value Education:
- Without value education, the aim of developing good human beings is unfulfilled.
- Knowledge, skills, intelligence, or competence alone do not make one educated.
- True education includes the development of socially worthwhile attitudes and behaviors.
Behavioral Transformation:
- Education transforms an individual from a biological to a human being.
- It is contradictory to call someone educated if they lack values in thoughts and actions.
Attributes of an Educated Individual:
- An educated person possesses a set of values influencing thinking, feeling, and behaving.
- Without values, education is merely about developing literacy and arithmetic skills.
Cognitive and Psychomotor Skills:
- These skills are important for becoming well-adjusted in a humane society.
- They serve as means to the end of creating inclusive and peaceful coexistence.
Peaceful Coexistence:
- Achieved through education deeply rooted in a value system.
- Human values consider the interests of both self and others without sacrificing either.
Need for Value-Oriented Education
Contradictions in Society:
- Society faces issues like violence, terrorism, theft, tax evasion, pollution, and heinous crimes.
- These problems stem from an ill-conceived educational system and child-rearing practices.
- Current education produces efficient individuals but not good human beings.
Recognition of the Problem:
- New Education Policy (1986) acknowledges the need for value-oriented education.
- Education must be holistic, not just focused on knowledge and skills for livelihood.
Corruption and Social Ills:
- Corruption is rampant in Indian society, affecting all sectors.
- Examples include medical negligence, adulteration of food, and availability of spurious drugs.
- Human Development Index of India is low (134th out of 196 countries).
Need for Educational Reform:
- Education should enlighten and promote justice and empathy.
- The current system fails to instill these values, necessitating an overhaul to include value education.
Global Unity and Environmental Preservation:
- Emphasis on global unity and preserving the planet for future generations.
- Need for equitable consumption patterns and overcoming hatred, greed, and jealousy.
Holistic Education:
- Must address multiple dimensions: physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.
- Essential for combating social malaise and fostering global awareness.
Collaborative Efforts:
- Social malaise requires a holistic approach and national consensus.
- Involvement of religious leaders, professionals, activists, political thinkers, and civil society.
- Parents and stable family environments are crucial for the healthy growth of children.
Integrated Development:
- Education should aim for the integrated development of students.
- Focus on physical, mental, moral, and spiritual growth alongside academic knowledge.
- Aim to create ideal citizens capable of national reconstruction.
The Role of Teachers in Value-Oriented Education
Central Role in Student Learning:
- Teachers guide individual and team improvement in students.
- Teachers must be oriented to human values to provide legitimate instruction in them.
Setting Examples:
- Teachers should exemplify human values through their actions.
- Respect, care, and love for students as individuals are crucial.
- Teachers should avoid actions causing injustice or discrimination.
Teaching-Learning Process:
- Value orientation should be integrated into the entire teaching-learning process.
- Teachers should demonstrate simplicity, austerity, economy, politeness, and take a stand against injustice.
Cultural Diversity:
- Teachers must respect and build upon the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of their students.
- Effective teachers:
- Develop knowledge of other cultures.
- Have high expectations for all children.
- Create a welcoming environment affirming all children.
- Work with family members and the community to promote learning and cooperation.
Culturally Informed Teaching:
- Supports learning needs of all children, regardless of background.
- Positive classroom environments and interactive teaching foster positive values.
- Helps society combat social evils.
Activities for Value-Oriented Education
Key Points
Discipline:
- Create a positive, inclusive classroom ethos.
- Promote a sense of equality and security, allowing children to share their thoughts and feelings.
Reflection:
- Encourage children to sit still and silent for 1-4 minutes.
- Benefits: regulates breath and heartbeat, calms and relaxes the body, quietens the mind, focuses attention, increases concentration, develops awareness and intuition.
Storytelling:
- Use stories to teach values.
- Stories capture attention, inspire, and help children find parallels in their own experiences.
- Stimulus for lessons can include stories, discussions, experiences, or artifacts.
- Clear learning objectives (e.g., understanding the importance of honesty).
Discussion:
- Teacher-led discussions to deepen understanding of values.
- Careful questioning to translate values into students' experiences.
Enjoyment:
- Engage students with enjoyable activities related to values.
- Aim for enjoyment in value lessons to positively impact other areas of school life.
Specific Activities for Value Inculcation
Narration of Stories:
- Relevant stories, poems, texts from scriptures of different religions emphasizing good deeds.
- Narrations can be done by both teachers and children.
Role Play:
- Engages students in acting out scenarios to understand values.
Drama:
- Staging dramas based on stories and epics to illustrate values.
Festival Celebrations:
- Celebrating various festivals to understand cultural values.
Environmental Protection:
- Activities like planting trees to teach care for the environment.
Caring for the Less Privileged:
- Teaching out-of-school children, helping the needy.
Community Visits:
- Visits to localities where children can contribute positively.
Summary of Key Points on Value-Oriented Education
Introduction
- Objective: Emphasize the need for value education in elementary school teachers.
- Context: Highlight contradictions in society between professed ideals and actual practices.
- Problem: The current value crisis stems from these inconsistencies and the spiritual vacuum present today.
Issues in the Current Education System
- Weakness: The education system's failure to instill values.
- Teacher's Role: Teaching has become a mere vocation rather than a noble profession.
- New Education Policy (1986): Recognized the need for value-oriented education to develop socially competent individuals.
Importance of Value Orientation in Education
- Essential Values: Care for others, compassion, love, justice.
- Teacher's Role: Teachers should embody values in their interactions, both inside and outside the classroom.
- Value Context: Needs to be reintegrated into the education process.
Recommendations from Delors Commission
- Learning to Live Together: Identified as a pillar of education.
- Global Social Malaise: Properly conceived and practiced education is the remedy.
- Teacher's Example: Simplicity, austerity, economy in using resources, and politeness should be exemplified by teachers.
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