Take it seriously when a child plays, expert says

CHENNAI: Schools are no longer about what they are doing to the child but what facilities they are offering. Two centuries ago, there was only one school for a few villages and schools were an integral part of the community.
A school should become a place where a student could learn how to be happy, according to Sonal Murali, an expert in transformative education.

“The physical environment is important when it comes to early childhood program which is referred to as the ‘third teacher’. A child learns through hundreds of languages, through drawing and sculpting, dance and painting. These languages, or ways of learning, are all a part of the child. Learning and play are not separated because learning happens at subliminal levels. So when a child plays, it has to be taken seriously,” she said, while speaking on “transformative education” at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation on Wednesday.

Sonal said playing has to be taken seriously and although no formal learning is done in those years, a lot of real learning takes place at subliminal levels.

“Respect and reverence for the world around one, brings about the sense of self-awareness which is the first step towards self-mastery which in turn will result in self-culture which will have respect and empathy built into it,” she said.

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence,” said Sonal, quoting poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Sonal has been a member of the Theosophical Society for 40 years. After completing her post-graduation in English, she came to the Society’s international headquarters at Adyar and had the privilege of working there from 1983-1997.

She was involved with the theosophical publications and magazines and was editor of the magazine, ‘Wake Up India’. From 1999, for a decade, Sonal explored alternative education based on Krishnamurti’s educational philosophy.

Thereafter, she became involved in setting up a school for the underprivileged children. She is currently setting up a school at the Theosophical Society based on transformative education.