Rabindranath Tagore was an influential Indian philosopher, poet, and educator born in 1861 in Bengal. He received some formal education in India but also studied independently in England. Tagore went on to become a renowned poet, dramatist, and writer who won the Nobel Prize. He established Visva-Bharati University in 1921 based on the philosophy of internationalism and universal brotherhood. Tagore believed education should be natural and help develop students physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually. He advocated teaching students through activities, discussions, and connecting them to nature rather than rigid book learning. Tagore's progressive educational ideas emphasized creativity, freedom, and connecting education to real life.

1. Rabindranath Tagore

2. Life History
Tagore was born on 6th may 1861 in Bengal in a prosperous family.
At primary level his father provided him education in Sanskrit language, Indian
philosophy & Astronomy.
For higher edn he was sent to Bengal Academy where in he developed an
aversion to the prevalent dull rigid and dull education.
He was then sent to England where in he left it and further studied on his own.
He gradually started writing in magazines etc.
He turned into a poet,dramatist,philosopher and painter. He was then awarded
the title of Gurudev.
He got the Nobel prize as he translated Gitanajali in English.
The Indian govt.awarded him with the degree of Doctorate in1915 which he
eventually gave away after the Jalyanwala bagh incident.
He established Vishwa bharti on 22nd sept,1921 whose aim was to create a
synthesis of he east and west.
He died in 1941

3. His Philosophy
• He imbibed the idealistic philosophy of life and adopted the highest ideals
of truth, beauty, goodness.
• As an idealist he believed in the supremacy of god. He emphasized the
adjustment between nature an human soul i.e. is man.
• He advocated unity among all the people of the world.
• He wanted to inculcate dignity &self respect in manhood and elevate his
soul.
• Tagore was not only a philosopher and social reformer but also a great
nationalist to the core.
• To make his country free ,he emphasized the need for economic &
industrial development social reforms, integration& removal of
untouchability together with social reforms & social decimation in all its
forms , belief & actions.

4. Philosophy of Education
• True edn should promote the fellow feelings, love in the
humans,nature,international relationship.
• Edn at the time of Tagore was so rigid,lifeless,logical that it did not confirm to the needs
of the individual and the demands of the society.
• According to him edn should acquaint the child with the voice and mission of individual
as well as international life and achieve a harmonious balance between all the factors
which he achieved in his Shanti Niketan.
• Acc to him a child should remain active(full freedom) in the class. He prescribed natural
education for the child but believed education as a vehicle for social reforms.
• Tagore believed in international brotherhood ,hence by society he meant world society.
• According to him education should be according to the realities of life i.e. education
should involve both the nature and needs of a man in a harmonious programme.
• Acc to Tagore, "Next to nature the child should be bought into touch with the stream of
social behaviour.”

5. Concept of Education
• According to Tagore, God reveals himself through nature more
effectively than through man made institutions. Hence ,the
education of the child should be under natural surroundings
so that he develops love for all things around him.
• According to Tagore, "That education is highest which not only
imparts information and knowledge to us, but also promotes
love and follow feeling between us and the living beings of
the world.”

6. Aims of Education
Physical
development
To include
activities like
swimming,divi
ng,climbing
trees, plucking
flowers,e.t.c.
Mental
Development
Acc to Tagore ,”In
comparison with
bookish
leraning,knowing
the real living
directly is true edn.
It not only
promotes the
acquiring of some
knowledge but
develops the
curiosity & faculty
of learning and
knowing so
powerfully that no
class room teaching
can match it.”
Moral &Spiritual
Development
Edn should strive
for a number of
moral and spiritual
qualities like self
discipline,toleance,
courtesy,and inner
freedom.
Development of all
faculties
Chief aim of edn
shd be the drawing
out of the latent
faculties of the
child.
To him a child is
more important
than himself
problems hence he
opposed the
crushing of the
child's individuality.
Hence he should be
given full freedom.
International
Brotherhood
Though Tagore was
a individualist yet
he believed in
socialism,internalis
m.
Acc to Tagore
individual should
develop to the
fullest extent and
then he should
contribute his best
to the promotion of
international
welfare.

7. Curriculum
• According to him the curriculum should be such as to develop the individual
physically,mentally,morally,socially,spiritually to the utmost limits.
• A curriculum based on activities, and broad experiences will develop the
personality of the child to the fullest extent.
• Hence the curriculum shd contain activities, subjects for the development of the
personality of the individual.
• In Vishwa Bharti subs like History,Geog,nature study, agriculture and practical
works likehoticulture,gardening,field study,laboratory,original
creations,arts,sculpture,vocational,technical are taught.
• Dancing,singing,painting,designing,sewing,cutting,knitting,cooking,are taught as
co curricular activities in Vishwa Bharti are taught.
• It is known for its wide and varied studies,hobbies,cultural refinements
synthesizing the ancient and modern achievements of the Indian people In all the
fields of human activity.

8. Methods of Teaching
• .
•
• Teaching by
Walking
• The mind in the
C.R does not
remain active
• Hence by
walking the
mind remains
active awake
,hence the child
easily grasp
tings.
• “Teaching by
walking is the
best method of
education
•
Discussion&
QA
• Real edn Is
based on real
problems of life
hence question-
answer method
is effective
wherein the tr
put the que &
ask a the sts to
participate in
discussions.
• Thus they gain
essential
knowledge.
• Activity
Method
• This method is
of great
importance
because it
activates all the
faculties of the
body& mind. In
Vishwa Bharti
he made
compulsory the
learning of
handi craft.
• He allowed any
physical exercise
or activity even
during the class
teaching

9. The Teacher
• Tagore gave an important place to teachers and asked them to
carry out the following activities.
1. Believing in purity and in his own experiences, innocence of
child, the teacher should behave with him with great love
and affection ,sympathy, affection.
2. Instead if emphasizing on book learning, the tr should
provide conducive environment to the child so that he
engages himself in useful and constructive activities and
learn by his own experiences.
3. The tr should always be busy with motivating the creative
capacities of the children so that they remain busy with
constructive activities and experience.

10. Evaluation of Tagore’s Philosophy
• Tagore considered nature as the powerful agency of for moral and spiritual
development of the child.
• Hence he exhorted that the children should be taught in Forest Schools as
in ancient times.
• According to Radha Krishnan –”Rabindranath did not claim to produce
any original philosophy. His aim was not to analyze or speculate about
the Indian tradition .He expressed in his own vivid phrases and homely
metaphors, and showed its relevance to modern life.”
• In the words of H.B.Mulherji –”Tagore was the greatest prophet of
educational renaissance in modern India. He waged ceaseless battle to
uphold the highest educational ideal before the country, and conducted
educational experiments at his own institutions, which made them living
symbols of what an ideal should be.”

11. THANK YOU