Pedagogy
The pedagogy of SSEHV is integral education based on a holistic approach, which touches all aspects of the Human Personality and addresses every aspect of life. It combines secular and spiritual education.
The aim of SSEHV is therefore to integrate the human values in the curriculum, thus eliciting the human values through all aspect of education, including the process of learning and the process of teaching. Most importantly it is done through creating an environment and culture of Love. Here the teacher has a key role to play by being an example of Love.
The programme does not suggest or recommend any change or alteration of the existing curricula. It only seeks to achieve the reinforcement and enrichment of the existing curriculum to impart a new dimension of values.
The means are the Five Teaching Techniques Meditation/Silent Sitting, Prayers/Quotation, Storytelling, Group Singing, Group Activities and other compatible techniques, which provide a full range of learning activities and embrace body, mind and spirit.
The aim of Storytelling is to awaken interest, imagination and spirit of inquiry, to promote curiosity and ability to visualize, to create understanding, empathy and tolerance, and to improve discrimination and memory. It captures the heart and mind in a dynamic process, giving meaning and significance to one's life by developing models for behaviour.
Prayers and/or inspirational quotations improve memory and concentration, sharpen intuition, and lift the spirit and the heart to the highest ideals.
As Prayer can be a preparation for being silent inside and creating peace within, Meditation or Silent sitting helps to connect to the Love energy within and develops peace. It helps to control the senses, encourages introspection and the spirit of inquiry. It sharpens the intellect and promotes development of intuitive power as well as improvement of memory and concentration power.
Group Singing furthers concentration, cooperation and team spirit. In addition it promotes balance, harmony, joy and love. Research shows the healing effect of music, because it brings heart and breathing into rhythm – but it also develops musical sense and harmony of body, mind and spirit.
Group activities such as group dialogues, creative activities, theatre and role playing, projects of social commitment and service to the society allow the children to find a direct way to transfer the understanding of the values into daily life situations. Being active enables the children to experience what has been understood. The activities promote creativity and imagination, develop discriminative power and abstract thinking. They facilitate self-discipline and the understanding of social rules and obligations, as well as understanding of the environment.