THE CONCEPT OF INTEGRAL
UPBRINGING AND EDUCATION
For children, the process of learning about life is active and multifaceted. They need to learn how economic, medical, and other civic institutions function. By visiting animal farms, crop fields, planetariums, and other interesting environments, we discuss how all these elements are interconnected. In this way, concrete and fragmentary impressions of the world can be merged into a single, integral picture that will enable children to develop a broader and more complete perception of it.
By dividing environments into parts, we also build up divided sciences and disciplines such as biology, zoology, botany, and geography without establishing correlations between them. Thus, we grow up with a fragmented understanding of the environment, which limits our perception and, therefore, our intervention.
Today, a new generation is developing, and it does not want to settle for what there is, and certainly not for what there was. With the development of technology, information is at the fingertips of this generation. Since their standards and expectations are higher and growing faster than those of previous generations, education needs to be adapted to meet their demands.
Our method offers new perspectives with online courses, classes, workshops and camps for teachers, educators, service providers or anyone connected to education but also caregivers, children, teens, adults, parents, grandparents and anyone who wants to expand their horizons and discover a new way of learning.
TEN KEY PRINCIPLES
1. The social environment builds the person. The social environment is the principal element affecting children. Therefore, we create among them a “miniature society” where everyone cares for everyone else. A child who grows up in such an environment will not only thrive and succeed in expressing his or her creative potential but will also approach life with a sense of purpose, and with a desire to build a similar society in the “eco-school” environment.
2. Personal example: Children learn from the examples we provide them, both from educators and parents and, also, from the media or other forms of communication to which they are exposed.
3. Equality: During the learning process, there will not be a conventional teacher, but an educator who will be as a facilitator. Although the educator is older in age, he or she is perceived by the children as “one of them,” a peer. In this way, the educator can gradually “pull up” the children in every aspect of the study — informational, as well as ethical, and social. Thus, for example, during class, children and educators will sit in a circle and talk, with everyone treated as equals.
4. Teaching through games: Through games, children grow, learn, and deepen their understanding of how things are connected. A game is a means by which children get to know the world. In fact, children do not learn words by hearing them. Rather, they learn through experience. Therefore, we use games as a primary method in working with children. Our games are built in such a way that children see that they cannot succeed alone, but only with the help of others. Then to succeed, they must make concessions to others, and that is a good social environment that can only do them good.
5. Weekly outings: Every week there is a day when the children leave the school and go to a place in the country or some other location, depending on the child’s age. Such places can be parks, factories, farms, movie studios or theaters. Also, children are taught how the systems that affect our lives operate, such as law enforcement, the post office, hospitals, government offices, nursing homes, and any place where children can learn about the processes that are a part of their lives. Before, during, and following the outing, discussions are held regarding what was seen, how the experience compared with their expectations, their conclusions, and so forth.
6. Older teaching the younger: The older age groups “adopt” younger groups, while the younger groups tutor those who are younger still. In this way, everyone feels part of the learning process and acquires necessary tools for communicating with others.
7. “Little court”: As part of the learning process, children act out situations that they encounter in their daily lives: envy, power struggles, deceit, etc. After acting them out, they try to scrutinize them. Through such experiences, children learn to understand and be sensitive to others. They comprehend that others can be in the right, too, even if they cannot accept their views at the moment. They see that tomorrow they might find themselves in a similar situation, that every person and every view has its place in the world, and that everyone should be treated with tolerance.
8. Video recording activities: All our activities are recorded for later viewing and analysis together with the children. In this way, children are able to see how they react or behave in certain situations. They are able to analyze the changes they are going through and develop the ability to introspect.
9. Small groups with several educators: For each group of 10 students, we aim to have a team of two educators and a supporting professional.
10. Parental support: Parents have a vital role to play in supporting the educational process that takes place in school. They need to communicate to the children about the importance of these values that are being fostered in the school, set a personal example of them in their own behavior, and avoid instilling any conflicting values. To facilitate this, we will also have Integral Education (IE) courses for parents.