Teaching-learning Process at Sri Aurobindo’s Integral School - An Explorative Study

Education brings emancipation from the darkness of ignorance and populates an individual’s personality with the versatility of knowledge, skill, and abilities. In an education system, enthusiasm for learning and clarity in teaching multiply the success of what is a genuine desire of students and the objective of an institution. From western to eastern, from pre-independence to post-independence, the dynamism in the process of teaching and learning has always been acenter of attraction for all the educationists, policy-makers, committees and commissions to provide effective assistance and self-evaluative measures to both learners as well as teachers. Hence, best practices of the teaching-learning process in the context of quality outcomes are always the need of the hour. The researcher conducted a study to explore the teaching-learning practices of one Sri Aurobindo’s Integral School located at Kendupatana village, Khordha district concerning physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual development of elementary students, methods of transaction of curriculum, assessment and evaluation techniques perceived by teachers, perception of the headmaster on supervision and self-cooperation. Twenty-four teachers, one hundred-five students, and one headmaster were selected as a sample through a purposive sampling technique, and data was collected through a self-developed open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interview schedule. Thick description and microanalysis of data resulted that learner-centered approach was strongly followed in classroom transactions, a cordial teacher-taught relationship was developed, task analysis, storytelling, play way, demonstration, group discussion method, songs, and drama were the common strategies adopted by the teachers at the elementary level. Further, the institution focused on regular yoga practice, meditation, and pranayam for the development of student’s physical, mental, and psychological well-being. The headmasterof the institution was always ready and friendly to discuss anything regarding their school’s improvement with their staff and students.