Question- Explain the Swamiji methods of Teaching and Place of Child & Teacher in the Education?

Answer -

Methods of Teaching

Swamiji prescribed the same ancient spiritual methods of teaching wherein the Guru and his disciples lived in close association as in a family. The essential characteristics of those religious and spiritual methods were as under:

(1) To control Psychological awareness by the practice of Yoga.
(2) To develop the mind by concentration and deep meditation.
(3) To gain knowledge through lectures, discussions, self-experience and creative activities.
(4) To imitate the qualities and character of teacher by intelligent and clear understanding.
(5) To lead the child on the right path by means of individual guidance by the teacher.

"Place of Child in the Education"

As of Froebel, Vivekanand emphasized the education to be child-centred. According to him, the child is the store and repository of all learning-material and spiritual. Like a plant, a child grows by his own inner power naturally. Hence, advising the child to grow naturally and spontaneously, Vivekanand asserted -
"Go into your own and get the Upanishads out of your own self. You are the greatest book that ever was or will be. Until the inner teacher opens, all outside teaching is in vain."

"Place of Teacher in the field of Education"

Swamiji believed in self-education. According to him, each of us is his own teacher. The external teacher only guides and inspires the inner teacher (soul) to rise up and start working to develop the child. Hence, discussing the role of teacher, Swami Vivekanand said - "Teacher is a philosopher, friend and guide helping the educand to go forward in his own way."

"Education of Masses"

In the times of Swami Vivekanand, education was not available to the common people. It was confined to the well-to-do persons only. The poor, the miserable and the lowly placed used to strive and die of hunger. Swamiji yearned to improve the conditions of the masses and thus advocated mass education as the only way to achieve any improvement in individual as well as society. Swamiji exhorted to his countrymen to know -
"I consider that the great national sin is the neglect of the masses, and that is one of the causes of our downfall. No amount of politics would be of any avail until the masses of India are once more well-educated, well-fed and well-cared for."

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