The Educational Paradigms in Tagore’s School Through the Lens of Continental Pedagogy

Abstract

In today’s world, the question of the impact of schooling on various aspects of the personality of children and adolescents is relevant and not just a question of the most effective teaching and learning process. For Tagore, the ultimate goal of education is the all-round development of the individual to adapt harmoniously to reality. The purpose of this article is therefore to detail Tagore’s concept of comprehensive education and how it is reflected in the functioning of his school in Santiniketan. In addition, a qualitative theoretical analysis is undertaken to determine which of the four identified factors of education in the continental tradition (teacher, content of teaching, child and social environment) is the key medium of education in his school. The systematic analysis of the characteristics of Tagore’s educational process and its requirements and objectives shows that he succeeded in integrating all four pedagogical factors known in the European continental tradition, which cannot be said of any of the European pedagogical theories presented (Herbartianism, humanistic or cultural pedagogy, reform pedagogy and socially critical pedagogy). Moreover, Tagore succeeded in bringing many theoretical concepts that are still relevant today (e.g., experiential learning, student participation, embodied  cognition, the concept of a hundred languages) into the operation of the Santiniketan School in a very innovative way.