Empowering Value Education Teachers : VIV Workshops

P.L.Dhar

Essence of Value Education

• Value Education = Emotional Education + Spiritual Education

• How to refine the emotions ? …..How to actually purify the mind of baser tendencies, the mental defilements ?

• How to develop insight, not mere intellectual knowledge, about the nature of human reality ?

Attributes of a Good VE Teacher

Ability to inspire : Role Models-- Intellectual clarity-- Emotional maturity-- Visible integrity : Living values

Interacting with students with compassion and respect

Accepting shortcoming gracefully

Empowering teachers through a comprehensive workshop

Workshop Format

VIV Workshop Day 1 - 12

• Day 1 : Discussion Essence of Value Education • Day 1 evening to Day 12 early morning : 10-day

retreat of Vipassana Meditation– Training in self observation – [A] : observation of breath– [B]: observation of sensations and feelings/ emotions– [C] : Practice of metta ; loving kindness

• Day 12 : outing till evening 5 pm

• Day 12 : Meditation 6-7 pm followed by Feedback on “ Was interaction with people today different from earlier days?”

VIV Workshop : Day 13 - 14

• Every day meditation : 5- 6: 30 am ; 8-9 am; 2:30 – 3:30 pm ; 6-7 pm

• Rest of the time discussions on :– Challenges of Value education– How to handle the issue of ‘secularism’– How to provoke students to analyze their own

experiences from value perspective– FAQ on Meditation and how to answer these

• Day 13 morning : shramdaan

VIV Workshop : Day 14

• Discussions continue • Understanding Vipassana and its role in Value

Education– Clarification on the practice of Vipassana Meditation

• Evening after dinner : Listening to discourse on meditation given to teachers and parents

VIV Workshop : Day 15

• Practical Demonstration of a Anapana Course for children ( 9am to 1 pm)

• Teachers participating in the workshop act as volunteers

• Q&A• Workshop ends after practice of

meditation from 2:30 to 3;30 pm.

Feedback

• Consistently positive feedback• Many teachers start teaching Anapana

meditation to students in their classes / schools

• Increase in confidence of VE teachers• ……………………………………………..

• Some Colleges have started regular 10-day retreats for their students

T HANK YOU !