A Holistic Education Paradigm based upon Vedic Epistemology:

An Approach to Developing the Whole Person

KUMAR LAXMAN

Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore

haribol.kumar@gmail.com

ARISTOTLE MOTII NANDY

SPIRITON Renaissance International

Singapore

aristotlemotii@spiriton-ri.com

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Abstract

The Bhaktivedanta Dharma School* (BDS) (http://www.bdschool-bali.sch.id/) provides quality but yet affordable holistic education to the local Indonesian community in Bali. Its educational orientation is inspired by the Vedic (Hindu) goals of fruition of knowledge (Vedanta or the essence of the Vedic scriptures) and devotion (Bhakti) to God (Krishna). The curriculum integrates the best of both the eastern and western approaches to enriching young minds. The strengths of both value systems were seen to be crucial in the all-round, dynamic development of children. Not only is academic excellence emphasized but character development and awareness of the higher spiritual purpose of life are also imparted to the kids. The role of the teacher extends beyond the taught curriculum and s/he plays a vital role in the character development of the child, through his or her own personal example. The study described in this paper attempted to examine the pedagogical effectiveness of the implemented framework of holistic education at BDS based upon the perceptions and experiences of the teachers working in the school. An ethnographic approach was employed as the main research methodology with participant observation and open-ended interviewing the primary means of data collection and analysis. A total of six teachers working at BDS were interviewed in this study. The findings of the study provide deeper insights on the differences between BDS and mainstream, traditional schools in terms of their structural and curricular characteristics. The key challenges participant teachers faced in orientating to the alternative learning culture of BDS are also explicated at length in this paper.

* About the School: www.bds2.on.to

Videos and photos of the school: www.bds1.on.to, www.bds3.on.to, www.bds4.on.to, & www.bds5.on.to.

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Introduction and background

Bhaktivedanta Dharma School (BDS) was started by the inspiration of Dr. T. D. Singh (1937 – 2006), the International Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute and pioneer in the field of science and spirituality interface, with the aim of providing a holistic education of an international standard, albeit affordable to the local Indonesian community in Bali. The educational philosophy of the school lies in the fundamental principle that life comes from life. A corollary principle of the school’s philosophy is the fostering of an understanding of the common principles of the major faiths in Indonesia, which is reflected in its religion curriculum.

As the nomenclature Bhaktivedanta suggests, the BDS curriculum is propelled by the goal of fruition of knowledge (Vedanta or the essence of Vedic scriptures) and devotion (Bhakti) to God (Krishna). The word Dharma indicates the development of the natural propensities of each child in line with the principles of spirituality – the beginning of which is the basic understanding of the difference between life and matter - that matter comes from life and not life from matter. The maxim of the school janmady asya yatah epitomizes the spirit of its curriculum – to inquire into the source of everything, and to understand the unseen hand of the Supreme Living Being or God behind the workings of nature, and everything that be. Janmady asya yatah simply translated from its original Sanskrit means that from which everything emanates.

BDS started as a preschool offering a dynamic early childhood curriculum by integrating the best of both the eastern and western approaches to enriching young minds. The strengths of both value systems and approaches to education were seen to be extremely important in the foundational development of children. For instance, free expression of one’s feelings and emotions, and the ability to be spontaneous and creative is seen as a hallmark of the western system of education, while strong mental and intellectual discipline in terms of the following of rules and academic rigor are normally the focus in the schools in the east.

The role of the teacher in modeling ‘expert’ or ‘expected’ behaviour is extended beyond the taught curriculum; the teacher plays a vital role in the character development of the child, through his or her personal example and character. Based on the BDS values system, teachers and other adults working with the school have to embody or are trying to develop high standards of personal discipline and character embodied in the core values of the school: Trust and Integrity; Compassion and Objectivity; Cleanliness and Safety; Excellence and Humility.

The holistic education delivered by the school is not only represented by the spiritual and character development of the children or the adoption of the best of eastern and western paradigms of worldviews; rather it is the inclusion of these fundamental principles in every sphere of the curriculum: in Art, Science, Language, Music, Physical Education, Mathematics, in all subject areas, during and outside formal curriculum time. For instance, the understanding of the presence of God can be encompassed in observing the intricacies of creation such as flowers

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and insects; the creation of a beautiful piece of artwork bears testimony of the artist, and this can be related to the beauty of the natural landscape and the hidden intelligence of a Superior Being.

A vital element in the holistic education system of BDS is the adoption of a pure vegetarian diet for the elevation of the level of consciousness. Students are served free vegetarian meals cooked in-house. According to the Vedantic paradigm, such vegetarian foods bring about a change of heart in the individual, relieving him or her of the lower modes of nature – qualities such as anger, greed and envy. Adoption of such a diet helps children develop compassion in their hearts and reduces the level of violence in their play and other activities.

Also pivotal in the curriculum design is that every child is different and thus needs to achieve success in the beginning stages of learning. Hence, there is a need for a differentiated approach to teaching that allows the child to develop close to his or her ability. In the preschool, this takes place during learning centre time, where the teacher works with small groups of students to develop according to their ability, while the co-teacher interacts with the rest of the children at different learning centres. In the primary school set up, the teacher prepares extended learning materials in the form of worksheets for students who are of more advanced ability. Meanwhile, students who are developing at a slower pace have additional classes after school to help them in their development. BDS also adopts a novel approach to assessment where there are two sets of tests: basic and advanced. All students will sit for the basic paper while only those selected by the teacher will sit for the advanced paper. As for non-academic subjects such as Art, Physical Education and Music, students are assessed by the provision of cycles of feedback on their progress by their respective teachers, highlighting areas which they have excelled as well as areas in which they need to work on.

Foremost on the list of mission statements of BDS is the importance of children being able to understand their emotions and express them in an appropriate manner. BDS believes that learning does not begin until stability of emotions is achieved. A frightened child, or one who is depressed or overly excited will not be in a proper state to be a constructor of knowledge. Hence, the paramount role of the teacher is to help children to be in the right frame of mind to learn. The administration of rules and regulations by force undermines the education process; hence, the importance of allowing children to question in a respectful and gracious manner, thus developing an inquiring mind. This is also applied during lessons where questions by children are acknowledged and addressed. Blind acceptance by students of rules or otherwise does not help in their progressive development and search for the ultimate truth. This also fosters the value of objectivity in being open to learning and asking questions. On the part of the teacher, it requires exercising humility to acknowledge that there are questions to which he or she is does not have the answers.

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BDS hopes to provide children with the opportunity to explore a subject area from many fronts. Teachers are encouraged to prepare lessons using a variety of tools and catering to differing learning abilities. By employing different tools and styles, children will be exposed to new learning methods and be likely to engage in such methods during play with their peers. A relaxed environment with music and humour also facilitates creativity in the classroom. A caring approach where the child develops empathy for others and reflects upon the consequences of his actions is crucial in the child’s social-emotional development. Situations where children end up fighting or in tears are seen as opportunities where learning takes place. The provision of a safe and caring learning environment includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual safety. While care for the physical well-being of children is obvious, it is important to note that BDS looks into ways to safeguard the mental and emotional well-being of children through the words used and ways in which inappropriate behaviour is addressed. The use of threats, sarcasm and demeaning language that causes embarrassment, fear or humiliation to the child is shunned.

Literature Review

Holistic education is an eclectic and inclusive movement that emerged as an alternative to mainstream education that tends to be reductionistic and fragmented in character, reflecting “Cartesian-Newtonian” worldviews. It is an educational paradigm that integrates the ideas of humanistic education with spiritual philosophical ideas. It incorporates principles of spirituality, wholeness, and interconnectedness along with principles of freedom, autonomy, and democracy. Rather than being concerned with basic knowledge and skills acquisition, holistic education is concerned about the wholesome development (physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual) of the individual (Rudge, 2008).

Miller (2000) views holistic education not to represent a single pedagogical approach or method but an ecological paradigm of assumptions and principles that can be applied in diverse and flexible ways. He defines holistic education as a democratic pursuit concerned with both individual freedom and social responsibility. He is of the opinion that children should be given freedom to develop their potential according to their own individual natural, spiritual inclinations and yet be critically engaged in a constructive social milieu. His relationistic worldview of a holistic curriculum endorses an intrinsic connection between thinking and intuition, mind and body, self and society, the internal and external aspects of existence. Overall, Miller characterizes holistic education according to the following broad attributes:

It nurtures the development of the whole person It revolves around egalitarian, open and democratic relationships It is concerned with life experiences It recognizes that cultures are people created and can be changed rather than being

mechanistically conformed to It is based upon a deep reverence for life and the transcendent source of life.

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Phil Gang (1990) posits that the purposes of holistic education, either directly or indirectly are related to the concepts of wholeness and interconnectedness. He argues that holistic education would enable students to inculcate a better sense of harmony and spirituality and develop a global perspective on issues by appreciating the interrelatedness of all disciplines of learning. Besides the core themes of spirituality and interconnectedness, Rudge (2008) quoting from Education 2000, states ten basic tenets of holistic education:

Nourish the inherent possibilities of human development Honour the individuality and creativity of each student Design learning to be experience-centric Embed the concept of ‘wholeness’ as the foundation of the educational process Situate educators to be facilitators of the learning process in an organic manner Present students with opportunities to making choices at every stage of the learning

endeavour Empower learning to be participatory and democratic in orientation Mentor students to become global citizens by appreciating the diversity of human

experiences and commonality of human interests Revere life in all forms and nurture the relationship between living beings and the natural

world Appreciate every person as a spiritual being and guide the healthy growth of his/her

spiritual life to connect with his/her soul/deeper self.

In essence, Miller (2000) frames holistic education to be the transformation of an individual and society to become more balanced and inclusive in their behaviours, thinking and activities. Nava (2001) in describing holistic education within the framework of four key elements involving scientific, ecological, social and spiritual aspirations, emphasizes the dimension of spirituality to be the core of educational efforts as it allows a student’s innate potential to grow. He argues that it is only through spirituality that a human being comes to know his/her true nature. Rudge (2008) argues that in fact spirituality is what that differentiates holistic education from all other alternative approaches to education. Holistic education is grounded to spiritual values and beliefs that support the inner transformation and spiritual evolution of humans. Unlike reformers such as Dewey, Holt etc who advocated greater democracy and freedom but kept spirituality separate from education, contemporary holistic educators promote the integration of spirituality in education. It ought to be noted that this conception of spirituality espoused within the holistic education movement is usually broad, inclusive, non-sectarian and detached from any particular faith or creed. It may not even involve a belief in a personal God. Forbes (2004) defines spiritual perfection as reaching a consciousness of “ultimacy,” - the highest state of being that human existence can aspire to in attaining grace, self-actualization and enlightenment.

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Research Methodology

The main aim of this study was to examine the pedagogical effectiveness of the implementation of a framework of holistic education inspired by the Vedantic (Hindu) conception of epistemology. The following were the main research questions that scaffolded the design of this study:

1) What are the key attributes and curricular structures of schools practicing holistic education that significantly differentiate them from those of traditional, mainstream schools?

2) What are the perceptions of teachers functioning in a holistic education environment modeled upon Vedantic ideals on the strengths and drawbacks of working on a day-to-day basis within such an environment?

An ethnographic research approach was determined and adopted as the best means of data collection, analysis and interpretation. This was to allow for greater flexibility and openness in seeking answers to the postulated research questions. It is an attempt to comprehend intentions, beliefs, experiences and actions in terms of the frames of reference of those being studied (Burns, 2000). Participant observation and open-ended interviews were employed as the techniques for carrying out ethnographic fieldwork. Participant observation enables the researchers to take part in the daily activities of the individuals being investigated to gain in-depth first-hand accounts of the themes that appear in the observed contexts (Burns, 2000). Open-ended interviews solicit detailed responses of the participants’ perception of social reality as they experience it in their daily lives.

For this study, the two key interview questions that were posed to teachers asked them for their views on the differences they perceived between a school such as BDS that embraced holistic education and other mainstream schools as well as the challenges they faced in working within the alternative learning environment of BDS. A total of 5 full-time teachers at BDS of varying ages, educational backgrounds and teaching expertise were interviewed for this study.

Results

Teacher X

Teacher X, thirty years of age has degrees in tourism and education, both degrees having been obtained from universities in Bali. He has no prior teaching experience and he has been teaching at the Bhaktivedanta Dharma School for the past 2 years. He currently teaches English and Physical Education at Primary 1-3 levels. He started off the interview by mentioning that he was happy working as a teacher in the school though he found the job of a teacher greatly challenging.

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When asked for his views on the differences he perceived between this school and mainstream schools, he prefaced his comments by noting that his experiences in mainstream schools were limited to those of his own schooling days as a student. He pointed out that general feedback from parents highlighted the comfort parents feel in placing their children in the school as they find the educational climate in the school safe and secure for their childrens’ holistic development. He contrasted that with what usually happens in traditional schools where specialized care for the welfare of the students, particularly the weaker ones isn’t always feasible due to the large intakes of student enrollment. Very rarely in these schools is high premium placed on the emotional development of students since overwhelming focus is invested in the academic development of the students, largely due to the grades-driven educational culture of the schools. Teacher X was quick to emphasize that in BDS teachers are encouraged to consider different approaches in relating with and educating each child since the needs of children are unique and vary in nature. In this way, teaching is customized and made more personalized in alignment with the characters and abilities of students. He added that strict values of ethical and theistic behaviours are codified within syllabus structures and imparted to children from an early age to reinforce the essentiality of cultivating proper decorum.

The enacted curriculum in BDS can be differentiated from others in that it promotes holistic education whereby teaching is done in a more complete, connected manner rather than the fragmented, compartmentalized ways in which education is usually delivered. Mr X drew reference to an example of his own teaching to underscore this point – he teaches physical education and English not as separate subjects but as an integrated module to highlight the inter-disciplinary nature of learning. Another notable difference he stressed was the emphasis on the development of God consciousness amongst the children in the school. This was done in a non-sectarian and inclusive manner to appreciate the need to live harmoniously in a pluralistic society. In fact, the chief slogan of the school calls for God to be situated as the centre of all that we do in our daily lives. In fact, BDS has one classroom session set aside in the defined curriculum for spiritual story-telling – historical narratives of the lives, attributes and teachings of stalwart personalities from popular Vedic epics such as Mahabharata, Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavatam are shared and discussed to better understand their relevance and application in contemporary everyday contexts. The children also look upon these stalwart personalities as role models and hence may imbibe their saintly qualities.

On the question of challenges he faced as a teacher in a holistic learning environment, Mr X mentioned that the main one was in applying himself to a different set of expectations as a teacher and competently discharging his roles and responsibilities. Unlike the teacher in normal mainstream schools whose prime duty is to prescriptively teach subject content knowledge mapped out in a fixed, bounded curriculum, here Mr X has to stretch himself beyond and be fully involved in shaping other developmental aspects such as emotional, social, spiritual well-being of the child to facilitate the child’s wholesome growth. Mr X added that he has to constantly remind himself to function as an effective role model to his students to encourage them to learn and observe scrupulous demeanor at all times.

On the issue of possible areas of improvement to further enhance the educational quality of BDS, Mr X was of the opinion that generally BDS’s curriculum was rigorous and well-

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organized based upon Vedantic progressive principles. However, he felt that one area that the school management might want to focus on would be in provisioning for a comprehensive training road-map to better prepare teachers in the school to perform effectively in the alternative educational environment of BDS. This becomes more so critical since the educational systems in general in Indonesia are not very robust and teacher-training not widespread to produce pedagogically well-grounded teachers. So Mr X’s wishlist included initial and on the job training on various aspects of student-centric educational design.

Teacher Y

Teacher Y, who is in her 20s has a diploma in education and has undergone a few months of teacher training. She has one year of prior teaching experience in a Catholic kindergarten and she has been working for the Bhaktivedanta Dharma School for the past 3 months. She currently teaches English to the kids at Primary 3 level.

When asked to comment on the differences between the educational systems of BDS and traditional schools, teacher Y highlighted the smaller class sizes at BDS in comparison to the average of forty students in a class in mainstream schools. This greatly lightens the teaching load of teachers at BDS since the reduced number of students in a class makes teacher attention more focused and personalized. In addition, usually two teachers are assigned per class in BDS which makes teaching a more collaborative effort and classroom management an easier task to handle. Unlike her previous teaching stint at the Catholic kindergarten where students were only exposed to the tenets of the Catholic faith, teacher Y noted that here at BDS students are familiarized with the fundamental principles of the major religions of the world in their religion classes to foster an ecumenical and universal perspective on spirituality.

In responding to the question on the strengths of the educational environment of BDS, teacher Y observed that students at BDS were generally better behaved than their peers in other schools. Students were polite and courteous in their mannerisms and interactions. She added that learning in English at BDS was definitely a plus factor in improving students’ educational potential and developing a more global outlook. On the challenges she faced as a teacher in a school such as BDS that has embraced an alternative orientation to curricular design, teacher Y reflected that the high level of English language proficiency of students meant that she had to improve on her own English competency to ensure a smoother flow of communications with her students. In her lessons, besides imparting subject content matter, she also has to adroitly weave in the teaching of values in her teaching to facilitate students’ learning of not only discipline-related knowledge but higher morals as well.

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Teacher A

Teacher A is an American Caucasian in his fifties who is currently teaching as a volunteer at BDS the subjects of English conversation, religious studies and music at primary 1, 2 and 3 levels singing and story-telling at playgroup/kindergarten level. He doesn’t have any prior formal teacher training experience and taught for four years as an ashram (Vedic seminary) teacher. His only previous exposure to alternative mediums of instruction was not as a teacher but as a parent when he sent his two kids to a Waldorf school for four years. Hence, he was familiar with some of the principles underpinning holistic education due to his interactions with the Waldorf educational system where arts and craft is infused in the teaching of the different disciplinary subjects and there is less preponderance over grades-based assessment. He was familiar with the other concepts associated with the Waldorf system such as the less emphasis placed on theoretical rote learning and greater focus on hands-on experiential learning with the same teacher accompanying students through all levels up to 8 grade.

When asked for his views on the differences between traditional education and the holistic education offered by BDS, teacher A was quick to point out that a wide chasm exists between the two. At BDS, premium is not placed on academic/technical development alone but on a broad-based curricular agenda involving personal, moral, social and spiritual development. The guiding key goal of the educational ethos of BDS is to inspire students to reawaken their higher consciousnesses and become connected with their inner selves. Teacher A explained that while normal schools hone students’ skills to improve their employability prospects, students at BDS are primed for more wholesome development including character enhancement and ecological awareness. Students are consciously taught to imbibe proper manners and mutual respect for fellow human beings and animal species. He pointed out that BDS serves only pure vegetarian food during the school break hours and students are encouraged to say a prayer of thanks to God (Krishna) before consumption of the food. Teacher X observed that the two significant aspects of the curriculum of BDS that differentiates it from others are the dedication exhibited by its teachers towards achieving the holistic educational vision of BDS and the priority given to the spiritual invigoration of its students. During the religion classes which he regularly conducts, an overview of the fundamentals of the beliefs of different major world religions is presented. Questions such as who is God are addressed in a simplified way befitting the young ages of the students. Teacher A mentioned that he also shares with his students the narratives of the life histories of the main characters depicted in popular Vedic epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana to inspire his students to emulate the saintly personalities and adopt a more noble mind-set.

In elaborating upon the strengths of the educational practices at BDS, teacher A noted that character development was one key deliverable to be achieved in the educational processes of BDS. Anchored to a God-centric curriculum, teaching is modelled based upon the defining theme of “Keeping God in the Centre”. Prayers are recited by chanting the holy names of God (Hare Krishna Mahamantra), both at the start and end of the day at school to invoke

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transcendental auspiciousness and create a more conducive environment for learning. Unlike the other schools he has previously liaised with, teacher A found the teachers at BDS very committed and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities - often going above and beyond the normal call of duty and putting in long hours at work in nurturing the kids to their fullest potential. He added that subjects such as Mathematics traditionally seen as ‘dry’ and ‘rote-based learning’ are delivered in a less mechanical, more fun-filled manner and the excitement in the classrooms are palpable in the classes by the high energy levels of both students and teachers.

On the challenges faced in working in the holistic educational system of BDS, teacher A reflected that one important issue was the larger emotional weight teachers carry in having to offer personal attention and care to each student in tending to his/her growth as a thoughtful individual and dynamic global citizen. This can emotionally be draining for the teachers and take up a lot of their time. On a personal note, teacher A pointed out that due to the diverse religious backgrounds of the students, he has to constantly be vigilant that discussions in his religion classes are facilitated mindful of the sensitivities involved. He has act as a good role model in ensuring that exchanges on religious topics are conducted in a dignified and respectable manner so that no undue tensions between students prescribing to different faiths rise.

Teachers M and N

In this interview session, two teachers, M and N were simultaneously interviewed. Teacher M in her twenties has been at BDS for about 3 years now and has no prior teaching experience. Teacher N who has been at BDS also for about 3 years has undergone 2 months of a crash course on basic teacher training and has worked in a few international schools in Jakarta and Bali for the past 6 years. On the first question on the observed differences between the educational structures of BDS and mainstream schools, teacher N with her extensive working experiences in schools was able to provide meaningful comparative insights into the question. She remarked that the curriculum at BDS was far more creative and innovative than those of the schools she had been previously employed with. Essentially, the teaching orientation at BDS is student-centric where the student comes first and the different abilities of students are acknowledged and a variety of ways of instructions employed to accommodate the different learning styles of students. Since two teachers are overseeing classroom proceedings, it is possible to a good degree to segregate students according to their abilities into smaller groups and learning more effectively facilitated within these groups. This teacher M pointed out made the curriculum at BDS more flexible and empowering unlike those of other schools where curriculum tends to be fixed and static. Similar to what the other teachers interviewed mentioned, teacher N stated that the emphasis on BDS wasn’t solely on academic achievements but in personal grooming and character building. Teachers have to exercise a greater personal touch in their dealings with students and consciously train their students to observe good manners and be at their best behaviours. Teacher M concurred with the views expressed by teacher N and added that one important different in the teaching methods was the stipulation that English is the sole

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language of instruction at BDS. Teachers were also encouraged to the extent that it would practically be possible to use English as the conversational language in communicating with their students, both during and after school hours.

On the strengths of the BDS educational system, teacher N commented that students are regularly reminded to imbibe exemplary attributes such as being compassionate, spreading love and warmth to others and being kind to animals. She recounted that some parents had told her that their kids had become vegetarians of their own accord after joining the school – a development that was pleasantly surprising to her given that in BDS there is no compulsion to be a vegetarian to be an enrolled student or employed teacher. On the challenges faced in adapting to the alternative educational climate of BDS, teacher M related that the greatest one lay in raising her own levels of pedagogical competency and customizing instructional strategies to better address the learning needs of her students. BDS being a new educational start-up modeled on Vedic paradigms of education was the first of its kind in Bali and probably the world as well. Hence, there was little or no access to samples of successful curriculum design plans implemented elsewhere mirroring similar educational values. In sharing her thoughts on the main challenges she encountered in her classes, teacher N spoke about the constant need to review and reconceptualize instructional methods to ensure teaching is carried out in more personalized and individualized ways to meet the differentiated needs of her students. She added that kids in her class were a bit too young to understand or actualize the ideals of Vedantic spirituality – it’s too abstract for their young minds to grasp. What they needed were simplified ideas that can be applied more concretely in everyday life. She observed that her students better related to modern fiction-fantasy personalities such as Cinderella and Pinocchio rather than role-model characters such as Dhruva and Pandavas portrayed in Vedic literature.

Discussion

Substantive literature exists on the distinctive attributes of a wholesome educational system – one that places emphasis on the uniqueness of every person, promotes the essentiality of development of both body and spirit, provides students with a wide spread of opportunities to grow as learners according to their individual capacities and encourages learning that not only embodies acquisition of knowledge but its application in ethical ways as well. Such literature deals with a range of related topics such as character/moral education (Nucci, 1997), authentic education (Larimer, 2008), spirituality in education (Zohar & Marshall, 2000), holistic/humanistic education (Martin, 2003). The focus has been on designing pedagogy to be delivered in a nurturing, high-fidelity learning environment meant for educating the whole person. This paper is a contribution to this growing corpus of literature by providing its own take on holistic education but from the unique perspective of Vedic spirituality. In so doing, this paper could probably be the first of its kind. Viewed through the lens of Vedic paradigm of epistemology, learning is limited not just to paying attention on furthering knowledge pertaining to the physical, temporal world but going beyond in facilitating development of all dimensions of human nature, particularly in cultivating the inner innate spirit. As Walsh (1999) rightly argues

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attention then tends to be focused on spiritualizing educational processes by harmonizing the symbiotic interaction of the domain of the spirit with the physical realm to foster optimal learning. The study elaborated in this paper attempts to operationalize the different aspects of holistic education through the application of a hermeneutic framework rooted to Vedic principles of authentic education. The contextual experiences of teachers at BDS in enacting a holistic curriculum on a day-to-day basis in their classrooms sheds light on how instructional practices that integrate intellectual, altruistic, ethical, creative and spiritual elements of learning can be modeled.

Most of the teachers at BDS interviewed for this study agreed that character building was an essential component of any form of holistic education. Unlike in traditional mainstream schools where grade-based learning cultures predominate, they found the educational approach adopted by BDS towards facilitating the development of the whole person to be enlightening. All of them were fully committed towards upholding and promulgating universal principles of morality and proper behavior. The goal as Larimer (2008) states in her doctoral thesis is optimal development or “maximization of each student’s unique potential within an ethical/moral framework oriented towards service” and not merely an obsession with grades as the cornerstone of academic accomplishments. Optimal learning is a dynamic process involving progressive change in thought and behavior with resultant positive impact on the socio-moral character of an individual. The attempt is not to develop one dimension of a student at the expense of others but empowering the student to grow to become a responsible citizen of society who is able to function intelligently, effectively and morally. Hansen (2007) has pointed out that the main defect of the traditional educational system has been that it is morally deficient from the perspective of ethics since it encourages teachers to pour material into students’ brains as if though they are empty vessels. No opportunities are provided to actively engage the mind. The mind as the operating system is the interface between the body-spirit nexus. So the emphasis is not merely on knowledge but wisdom as well since wisdom can be defined as the ethical application of knowledge. A permanent positive change in the moral thought patterns of students can best be effected when they are encouraged to engage in self-introspection and reflections based upon concrete experiences. Hence, teachers at BDS appreciated the diverse range of instructional strategies they apply in their classrooms (such as story-telling, dramas, use of arts and crafts to teach core disciplinary subjects) to foster experiential learning environments to bolster the educational potential of their students. There was greater ambit for these teachers to flexibly experiment with innovative teaching methods and express their own teaching styles due to the absence of an overzealous focus on learning outcomes tied to grades.

Another common theme that nearly all interview participants spoke about at length was on the centrality of spirituality to the processes of curriculum design and implementation at BDS. Conscious awareness of the presence of God (Krishna) in every sphere of life and acknowledgement of His grace was a fundamental precept that is the cornerstone of the educational approach adopted by the management of BDS. Teachers were quick to point out that

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though the spiritual inspiration is drawn from Vedic scriptural sources, spiritual practices at BDS were carried out not in a sectarian or chauvinistic manner but in a more syncretic way reflecting the pluralistic character of Indonesian society. The basic doctrinal tenets of major religions and the historical narratives of the lives of key personalities who feature in these religions are discussed in an open spirit of sharing and learning. In addition, the strict policy of a pure vegetarian diet in school also forms an essential part of spiritual safety, in the form of abstinence of violence to animals. This spiritual dimension to education is a topic that merits highlight since Larimer (2010) highlights that there does not appear to be a methodical approach to developing the qualities of the spirit – qualities that are directly related to behaviours optimizing human development and educational outcomes dealing with the problems of society. BDS has attempted to address this conundrum with a systematic approach to engage teachers and students in contemplative inquiry and reflection on the higher purposes of life with a view to moving away from stereotypic biases and becoming more open-minded in their outlook. Laying such a spiritual foundation to educational practices is well-supported in empirical research literature. Zullig, Ward and Horn (2007) found that there exists a connection between spirituality and life satisfaction. Muller and Dennis (2007) concluded in their study that educators should help students to increase their spirituality for learning development to occur more effectively. Lindholm and Astin (2008) found that student-centric learning pedagogy was more common amongst spiritually inclined teachers.

On the problematic areas faced in the implementation of a holistic curriculum at BDS, most teachers raised the issue of having to shoulder greater responsibilities and meeting a different set of expectations as the greatest challenge. Unlike in other schools, where academic excellence is the single most priority, here at BDS they have to go beyond the normal scope of teaching duties and foster necessary support systems for the optimal intellectual, cognitive, moral and spiritual development of the students. Some of the teachers felt that they were not well-equipped with needed pedagogical skills to be able to accomplish these objectives and desired more training to become more competent teachers.

Conclusion

The main strengths of Bhaktivedanta Dharma school as reflected by the teachers interviewed for this study were the approach to implementing a holistic pedagogy based upon the Vedantic perspective of education, emphasis on character development together with academic excellence, the curricular focus on developing a scientific mindset alongside spiritual wisdom, adoption of English language as a practical working language in day-to-day communications and an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. Since the worldviews underpinning holistic education are spiritual in nature, the delivery of disciplinary subject content matter is interspersed with narrations from the lives of saints and other noble personalities found in Vedic canonical texts such as the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Srimad Bhagavatam. The school also attempts to function not only as a centre for learning for the children enrolled, but also for parents and all teachers, staff and the community at large.

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Some of the main challenges faced by teachers at Bhaktivedanta Dharma School included adjusting to a new mode of curricular structure and delivery, lack of teacher training to be prepared for working in a holistic education environment, absence of pre-existing sample templates of lesson plans for reference and orientating to the new role of a teacher who goes beyond the normal teaching responsibilities in moulding the wholesome being in kids.

Overall, the teachers felt that despite the challenges faced in working in a start-up school such as BDS anchored to a Vedic model of holistic education with no precedent exemplars to refer to, the school was progressing in the right direction of development in guiding children to fully develop their intellectual capabilities in tandem with growing their spiritual potential, through a spirit of inquiry. In summary, the curriculum of BDS supports, fosters and promotes children’s physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being; positive attitudes and dispositions towards learning; social skills to cooperate and work harmoniously amongst one another; communication, creative and logical thinking skills and ecological awareness of the world.

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References

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