“The Learning Community (TLC)”

Through community, create real life opportunities for adults and children to learn about themselves, others and the environment .

The education of a human being should begin at birth and continue throughout life. – The Mother –

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Integral Education in TLC

Auroville

“Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.”

TLC

To realize the vision of Auroville, TLC aims to implement a living and growing research into Integral Education as envisioned by Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. TLC is constantly evolving, and each passing year points us in the direction of deepening for the coming year. Sri Aurobindo’s three principles guide us in this process, and the children show us the way.

TLC strives to build a community where children and adults can grow more conscious of themselves, each other and the environment, by learning and working together. We implement ways to practice the concept of Integral Education where each part of the being is helped to grow into its full potential and the psychic being becomes the leader of one’s life and growth through an unending education. Communication skills, collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, ethical decision-making, action-oriented practices, accountability, responsibility, as well as creativity and imagination are the foundation of practices and methods used.

Volunteer run initiative

Now on its 15th year, driving this research project we have a passionate and highly qualified team of educators/researchers, with deep interest in Integral Education as a foundation for Human Unity. All the people holding and facilitating this project are volunteers living in Auroville, dedicating their inspiration, professional expertise, knowledge, creativity, time, energy, and goodwill to co-create this internationally unique initiative. Unending education is the foundation, through contemplative practices, sharing, reflecting together and thinking critically. Trust, perseverance and courage boldly take the research forward, one step at a time.

How it started

The history and context

Inspired by the vision of a living experiment of research on education for human unity, TLC was formed in 2008 by a small group of diverse yet like-minded people around this common vision. It included 7 children, their parents and other Aurovilians interested in discovering the practice of Integral Education. Erasing the traditional conditioning of education as “school”, children, parents, and facilitators step out of the comfort-zones of the known, joining a journey of research, both inner and outer, individual and collective.

Why TLC?

The “L” of TLC
Learning is an intensely personal affair and a function of necessity. It is an inner dialogue that one has with life. Through the varied dynamics of this dialogue, one grows as a human being through life long explorations, discoveries and understandings. The process of learning is of equal importance as the product. We aim at integrality and cannot involve only one part or function of our being.
We aim to keep alive the deeper potential of the individual, and prepare him/her as integrally as possible for the future. This way each can grow into a balanced and harmonious being, who can contribute to the making of a reflective and integral society. We wish for each individual to come to an understanding of the true purpose and significance of human life, both children and adults. This purpose serves as a lasting source of inspiration that carries us at every stage of our lives. Our work is guided by Sri Aurobindo’s three principles of education through a free progress methodology.

The “C” of TLC
TLC is not a school but a Learning Community because everybody is a lifelong learner, children and adults alike. No one is imparting knowledge to another, but learning happens everywhere and is a continuous process that emerges through interaction, and results in mutual transformation. This goes beyond the boundaries of the classroom and includes the home and larger community. Everyday life and every moment is the best school of all: varied, complex, full of unexpected experiences, problems to be solved, clear and striking examples and obvious consequences. Besides being an ideal platform for learning, the collective at TLC has intrinsic value in and of itself. We recognize the interdependence of all human beings and hold dear the principles of unity in diversity, of harmony, solidarity and care. This is reflected in the way we behave with each other, in how we make decisions, face their consequences and set priorities.

TLC Founding team

Aikya https://spiritandnature.org/about-aikya/

Claudia Giuffrida

Fabrice Deni https://www.fabricedini.com/education-integrale/

Johnny Allen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xrxp5WWtNgs

https://www.facebook.com/lowtechlab/videos/ndm-qui-est-tu-johnny-allen-/1947073738844898

https://auroville.org/page/fertile-memories