The Integral school is a conscious attempt at evolving newer ways of learning and thinking. At The Integral School, children learn more by doing, observing and reflecting. Founded in 2012, The Integral School brings fruition to a long-cherished aspiration to have an integral school as articulated by Sri Aurobindo and based on the deepest principles of Indian spiritual wisdom of Integral Yoga (Sri Aurobindo). Every pathway to learning at Integral is interdisciplinary and envisioned as nurturing the spirit of enquiry, exploration, research and self-mastery.
The Integral School is an attempt at going beyond structured schooling into the joyful freedom of inner growth. Through a single project the child often trains the body, mind and intellect, awakens the psychic being (soul-being), and learns language, mathematics, science and other topical or need (of the child) based subjects.
A shift from pedagogies of discipline and conformity to freedom and choice would then be the defining characteristics of an Integral school. The Integral school, in its holistic and integrated vision, would work towards an integration of life, for the children and facilitators alike.
The Integral School's Objectives;
• To realize and actualize Integral Education
• An active preparation to live a conscious life
• Building a learning commune ​​​
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We follow the integral education thought as given to us by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. This system is called integral because it addresses the whole being. We aim to educate not only the body, emotions, and intellect but also to connect these with our divine essence, the psychic being, called the Chaitya purusa.
Unlike holistic education, integral education sees the head, hands, and heart as interconnected instruments. A child is a complete being with a head, heart, senses, body, soul, and cosmos.
The Integral School (TIS) and Integral education is not to be confused with holistic education
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Integrated learning through project work. Genuine learning is interdisciplinary, revolving around the integration of subjects within a specific topic or theme. The significance lies not so much in individual subjects but in the context within which learning takes place. For instance, constructing a hut and immersing oneself in reading or having a spontaneous discussion provides the context for building the hut. Exploring various types of wood, dimensions, measurements, angles, etc., becomes incidental within this context.
What is project-based learning?
Project-based learning at TIS primarily focuses on the mind's capacity to expand and connect with various aspects of life and education. PBL liberates students from a narrow curriculum perspective, enabling multidisciplinary learning. Whether working individually or in a group on a specific topic, a student enhances:
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Judgment skills, such as comparing and contrasting and making choices.
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Reasoning abilities, including formulating theses and antitheses.
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Capacity for expansion, studying diverse subjects related to the project theme.
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Discovery of central ideas through questioning the 'why.'
Project-based learning (PBL), essentially awakens interest and love for learning in the child.
Why project-based learning?
A particular curriculum restricts and confines learning, including the content, to the bare minimum in a predetermined linear fashion. Project-Based Learning (PBL), on the other hand, fosters the simultaneous development of various mental faculties such as observation, memory, judgement, imagination, and reasoning. It also integrates the cultivation of creative pursuits like arts and music, achieved through individual work, promoting the development of will and confidence, or collaborative group work, fostering team spirit and the ability to manage interpersonal dynamics.
Project-Based Learning not only encourages but also equips a child for research and provides the essential tools and training for interdisciplinary studies – a vital aspect of future learning in higher education.
What does project-based learning seek to accomplish?
The significant advantage of PBL is the cultivation of various skills in a child, including the ability to conduct research, read, write, express opinions, embrace diverse perspectives, develop an aesthetic sense, and engage in art and craft. Project-based learning also fosters systems thinking by enabling children to differentiate ideas and objects, consider parts and wholes, connect related concepts and objects, and adopt multiple perspectives on life, objects, and thinking.
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Effective learning can only occur in a tranquil mind, as a mind capable of reaching a state of quietude is better equipped to…(Know more)Effective learning can only occur in a tranquil mind, as a mind capable of reaching a state of quietude is better equipped to process life experiences, engage in reflection, and make conscious decisions.
The incessant noise from traffic, construction, conversations, television, and music affects our children's nervous system. Sitting quietly each day allows their nervous system to calm down; these moments can be more beneficial than extensive textbook reading and lectures, as a mind attaining a degree of quietude becomes receptive, discerning, and thoughtful, fulfilling the need for rest in the body, mind, and emotional and psychological well-being simultaneously.
Quietude leads to living mindfully, in a growing self-awareness, capable of perceiving the overt or covert motivations and intentions of one’s actions and reactions, ideas, judgements, preferences, desires etc.,
At The Integral School, children develop a daily ten-minute habit of sitting quietly in the morning, aiding them in maintaining focus throughout the day; given the diminishing attention spans over time, this practice is critical for concentrating, gathering consciousness, and creating a separation from the surrounding noise.
The adventure curriculum focuses on hands-on, experiential learning that encourages students to explore, discover, and learn through real-world experiences. ​
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Modules:
1. Wilderness Exploration
- Outdoor skills: camping, hiking, navigation
- Environmental education: ecology, conservation, wildlife
- Team-building and leadership
2. Cultural Immersion
- Language and cultural studies
- International travel and exchange programs
- Immersion in local customs and traditions
3. Adventure Sports
- Rock climbing, kayaking, or other adventure sports
- Safety protocols and risk management
- Building confidence and resilience
4. Community Service
- Volunteer work in local communities
- Service projects: conservation, disaster relief, social justice
- Reflection and critical thinking
5. Personal Growth and Development
- Mindfulness and self-awareness
- Goal-setting and self-reflection
- Building resilience and confidence
Teaching methods:
- Experiential learning
- Hands-on activities and simulations
- Real-world applications and case studies
- Collaborative projects and teamwork
- Reflection and journaling
This adventure curriculum aims to foster:
- Resilience and confidence
- Global citizenship and cultural awareness
- Environmental stewardship and sustainability
- Personal growth and self-awareness
- Collaboration and teamwork
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By incorporating adventure education into the curriculum, students can develop essential life skills, build confidence, and become active global citizens.
Exposing children to nature and food can help them develop a sense of appreciation for the environment, understand the importance of sustainability, and make healthy lifestyle choices. Here's a rough outline of a curriculum that combines nature and food education for school children:
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1. Exploring Nature's Bounty
- Introduction to different types of crops, fruits, and vegetables
- Understanding the life cycle of plants and the importance of pollinators
- Hands-on activity: Planting a school garden, a small herb garden
2. Food Systems and Sustainability
- Understanding the journey of food from farm to table
- Exploring the impact of food choices on the environment and community
- Hands-on activity: Creating a recycling program or compost bin
3. Nutrition and Wellness
- Introduction to different food groups and their benefits
- Understanding the importance of nutrition and wellness
- Hands-on activity: Preparing a healthy meal or snack
4. Seasonal Eating and Cooking
- Exploring seasonal fruits and vegetables
- Learning basic cooking techniques and recipes
- Hands-on activity: Preparing a seasonal recipe
5. Food Waste and Recovery
- Understanding the impact of food waste on the environment
- Exploring ways to reduce food waste and recover surplus food
- Hands-on activity: Creating a food waste reduction plan
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Teaching methods:
- Hands-on activities and experiments
- Interactive games and simulations
- Guest lectures from farmers, chefs, and nutritionists
- Field trips to farms, gardens, and food banks
- Collaborative projects and presentations
Ekagrata Samavada (undisturbed, one-pointed interaction) is all about engaging in dialogue and interaction. It involves learning to present one’s perspective while gaining insight into the other person's point of view.
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Learning how to engage in dialogue and think critically is an integral part of The Integral School's learning culture. Children learn to debate, engage in dialogue, and pose critical questions. Starting from the age of nine, children develop their thinking skills by looking at ideas, objects, and phenomena from a DSRP thinking model perspective—Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, and Perspectives. This model, developed by cognitive scientist and systems theorist Derek Cabrera, offers a classic approach to systems thinking, helping individuals understand cause-and-effect relationships between objects and phenomena.
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This early approach to developing thinking skills in children aims to prevent the formation of mental models—thinking based solely on one's beliefs and conditioning.
Our human body harbours immense capabilities yet is seldom given the opportunity to unfold in alignment with its inherent genius. The entire year is devoted to enhancing various aspects of the physical body, including stamina, strength, endurance, flexibility, and agility.
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​​At The Integral School, we have a well-defined plan for fostering an awareness of the body.
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We do not have a pre-set curriculum or syllabus. The focus here is on the naturally evolving rhythm of learning. As teachers, we have to be alive and sensitive to the child so that, at every point, we are in touch with the child’s learning process. Out of this process grows the curriculum. Our curriculum remains open-ended and flexible
Board
The Integral School is affiliated with Pearson Edexcel board (IGCSE) vide Centre Number 91161. The school also encourages NIOS (National Institution of Open Schooling) as an option for appearing in the Xth Board examination
Assessment
We do not conduct conventional tests or exams at any stage. Therefore, there is no question of grading or categorizing the child. The child is not an object to be labelled and graded, but a living soul to be guided and this calls for sensitive assessment both by the child, the parents and those of us working with the child to give meaningful and responsible feedback.
The Integral School is guided by individuals deeply committed to initiating necessary changes in how we raise and educate our children. This endeavour, led by a small group, aims not to push children into conformity or shape them into industrial or corporate moulds, nor to blindly follow any social conventions. Instead, it seeks to enable them to develop their unique inner beauty and grants them the freedom to choose their path of evolution in alignment with their innate nature, svabhava.
The initiative explores how this evolutionary vision and life philosophy can translate into educational psychology and pedagogy, ultimately transforming the schools and societies in which we reside.
Lavlesh Bhanot
Lavlesh has been brought up in a free-progress, Integral education learning environment at Mirambika School, Delhi. This has a special and all-important mention of his work and life. His contribution to The Integral School is based on his practice of integral education as an integral education student, teacher-educator and parent. His role at The Integral School is to lead the school to its next evolutionary stage.
Lavlesh is a postgraduate in Business Management and brings with him more than 24 years of work experience. Apart from committing full time at The Integral School, he is a faculty at IIT-Delhi teaching Professional Ethics in Engineering.
Chella Prakash
Prakash has 23 years of work experience in HCM (Human Capital Management). He is a graduate in business management from XLRI.
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Prakash aspires to revive Indigenous education that can help evolve the human race.
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He practices Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga and is a keen researcher of Indian History and yogic sciences.
Arun Raj
A traveller who likes to indulge in different arts, architecture, farming, adventure and sports, with a keen interest in learning about the indigenous tribes and their way of life. He dwells in the vast curriculum of Nature, Culture and Adventure as a pathway to human learning.
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With over 26 years in Product Design, Project Management, and Learning & Development engagements across diverse fields of IT, Telecom, Green Energy Solutions and NGOs, he has modelled his career in experiential and holistic learning. In the last decade and a half, he has designed and conducted experiential learning programs for schools and corporations.
Subathra
Subathra loves engaging herself with ten to twelve-year-old children at The Integral School. Her passion lies in offering a variety of learning options to her children covering various subjects like mathematics, geography, history, sciences etc. She does not believe in a ‘one size fits all’ learning approach and therefore gives a lot of personal attention to each of her children in her group.
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Subathra did her graduation in civil engineering at Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu and has worked as an auto cad designer in Chennai for a few years.
Munisha
Munisha doubles up as a facilitator and an administrator at The Integral School. She engages herself with the age group seven to eight years.
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Munisha brings fourteen years of diverse work experience in consulting, teaching and administration out of which she has spent eight years teaching at Mirambika, Delhi- a free progress school based on Sri Aurobindo’s and The Mothers Integral Education.
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She is a Postgraduate in Public Health Nutrition from Lady Irwin College, New Delhi and has been a nutritionist by profession before exploring Integral Education at Mirambika.
Sunita
Sunita is a very passionate outdoor person. Adept in rock climbing, river crossing, Trekking and many other sports like volleyball and basketball, Sunita loves to engage children in play activities. She has four years of experience of teaching experience.
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Sunita is a bachelor’s in physical education and a bachelor’s in arts. She has done foundation and advanced courses in Yoga science for wellness and other vocational courses.
Jyothsna
Jyothsna holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Master's degree in Social Work. Her passions span a diverse range of activities, from drawing and crafting to teaching and travelling. She finds joy in dancing, cooking, and playing badminton. Above all, she loves spending time with children, finding immense joy and fulfilment in their company.
Sonia
As the English language coordinator at Integral School for the past two years, Sonia focuses on empowering children to communicate effectively. By emphasising practical communication skills, she creates an engaging and enjoyable learning environment, helping students express themselves clearly and confidently in their personal lives.
Janet
Janet Orlene has been a Learning Experience Designer across India for the last ten years. A National Geographic Certified Trainer, she holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Sciences and a Diploma in Experiential Education and Practice. She works with both children and audiences, including highly specialised experiences for some of the top investors, Entrepreneurs and artists in the world, various governments, and corporate think tanks. She is also a recipient of the Grounded Imaginaries Fellowship with the University of Sydney, Australia as a researcher on Climate Crisis, Communities and the Environment, an ethnobotanical researcher working with over nine tribes of Tamil Nadu.
Meenu
Meenu is a seasoned furniture design professional with twelve years of experience in interior project management and sales. Proficient in CAD detailing, prototyping with various materials, and passionate about woodworking, she also enjoys exploring art forms like origami, clay work, sketching, and values cleanliness and organisation. Meenu works with older children at Integral School perfecting their experiential geometry as a part of the mathematics curriculum.
Ankush
Ankush is a go to person at The Integral School. He is an administrator and manages everything at School. He is very fond of everyone at the school and gives his heart out to everything that he does at the school. His connection with the children is exemplary and he is slowly identifying the hidden facilitator in him.
Sanjay
Sanjay takes care of everyone’s belly at the Integral School. Extremely meticulous in managing the Kitchen and diligently aware of everyone’s taste. He doubles up as a keen learner at the school, so whether it is morning games or any event at school, he would be happy to volunteer. Basically, Sanjay is available for anything that requires help at The Integral School.
The school provides transport on specific routes. Lunch is served in the school.
At no point are standard textbooks used. Children use the library/resource centre for their reading material.
The school does not have any uniforms.
TIME
ACTIVITY
09.00 AM - 10.00 AM
Physical Education
Morning Session
10.30 AM - 10.30 AM
Fruit & Quiet Time
10.30 AM - 12.30 AM
Project Work / Study
Afternoon Session
12.30 PM - 01.30 PM
Lunch & Free to Play
01.30 PM - 03.00 PM
Skill Based Activity/
Subject Specific Activity
03.00 PM - School Ends