Looking within to make choices
Looking within to make choices
dilemmas
www.kathupanishad.wordpress.com
dilemmas
A wellness curriculum pack by
Mrunmayee Gokhale Final Diploma Project– 2011
Introduction Di-lem-ma |di’lemə| – A situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives. The above definition applies equally to both trivial and life changing situations. Children, in their adolescence, may go through a turbulent time with growing pressure from peers, parents and teachers. They often find themselves in situations, where they struggle to resolve their dilemmas and discriminate between two alternatives. Currently, much of the instruction that teachers impart to children to help them hone their powers of discrimination, is rooted in rational thinking. This is possibly because most of our conditioning has come from instruction in English and the writing of western authors. This writing is often based on Descartian philosophy – “I think, therefore I am.” Our approach to problem solving therefore lies in the analysis of a situation. We make lists of pros and cons to arrive at a decision. In Descartian philosophy, the “I” refers to the ‘self’, as in the dictionary meaning- A person’s essential being that distinguishes them from others, a person’s particular nature or personality; the qualities that make a person individual or unique.
Alternatively, in the Upanishad, which comes at the end of the Vedas, the Self is called the indivisible Atman. Basic examples of ‘Sutras’ in the Upanishad are ‘Soham’ which means ‘I am That’ and ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ which means ‘You are That.’ In the statement the Atman (Self) is also known as Brahman (the Cosmic Reality or the Supreme Consciousness from which all the world draws its life). Another Sutra states “Aham Brahmasmi” meaning ‘I am the Brahman (Supreme Self).’ These Sutras are based on the concept that “only when thinking stops, is the Truth realized”, which contrasts the Descartian statement “I think therefore I am.” This is the basic difference between the Descartian and the Upanishadic philosophy. This teacher manual proposes an alternative framework that is intuitive rather than rational in its approach. This framework is based on a repository of stories from the Katha Upanishad, which is universal in its applicability. Through this framework, teachers will be able to work with children’s dilemmas and decision-making. Psychologists such as Erik Erikson have proposed that the emergence of the sense of self and identity is a crucial development in the adolescent. It is in adolescent years that children decide what career to follow, and what religion or moral code to believe in. (From the book Psychology – Science and Understanding)
“The reality is that adolescence is a period of self-examination, re-organization and change, producing an increasingly clear sense of self.” – Barry D. Smith (From the book Psychology – an integrated approach)
With the strong influence of media, children often pick up ideas from peers, people and things around them. They construct views and opinions on the basis of these borrowed ideas. At the time of resolving a dilemma, the child may examine the situation based on these borrowed ideas. Would examining a problem using external factors resolve a dilemma? Or rather, would it be possible for the child to make certain life decisions not from borrowed ideas, but by re-examining and reorganizing from within? The attempt here is to develop a curriculum for the wellness of children in age groups of 10 -13 years with the foundation of an intuitive, experiential text – The Katha Upanishad. The activities outlined in the curriculum attempt to help the teacher create a platform in the classroom to work with children’s dilemmas and allow for a discussion concerning decision-making. ***
Aum Sahana Bhavatu Sahana Bhunaktu Saha Veeryam Karavaavahai Tejas vinaa Vadheetamastu Maa vidvishaavahai Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti May Brahman protect us both – the teacher and student May Brahman nourish us both May we both acquire vitality from the study May we both be enlightened May we not quarrel with each other Aum peace peace peace
What is Upanishad? The “Upa-Ni-Shad” refers to the knowledge being passed on to the student while sitting close to the teacher. The relationship is that of equality, humility and both teacher and student learn from each other in the relentless quest for the Truth.
The knowledge that is sought and gained is of the highest kind – Atmagyaan – the knowledge of the Self. This idea is highlighted in the Shloka which is a prayer for peace within and without Aum Sahana Bhavatu.
The Upanishads are texts that come at the end of each Veda. They are therefore called Vedanta – meaning the ‘end of the Vedas’ – literally and philosophically. The Upanishads contain the ‘end’ to which the Vedas lead and therefore they are ‘Veda-anta’ – ‘Knowledge-end’.
What is Katha Upanishad? The Katha Upanishad is the famous story of the Guru-Shishya: Yama & Nachiketa. In the story, Nachiketa is a boy who receives three boons from the god of death, Yama. In his final boon, Nachiketa desires to know the mystery of death itself. Yama offers him other gifts such as wealth and a long life instead of this boon. Yet, Nachiketa is adamant, saying that all material things come to an end. Finally, Yama has no choice but to satisfy Nachiketa’s request.
Thus the Yama-Nachiketa story is an ultimate Guru-Shishya or a Teacher-student story where Yama transfers knowledge to Nachiketa through the dialogue that takes place between the two. Nachiketa’s burning desire to know what happens after a person dies, does he exist or does he not, leads to Yama revealing the ultimate Truth – the knowledge of the Self. The teachings are in the form of Shlokas written in Sanskrit articulating different ideas such as Will & Desire, Gross and Subtle, Shreyas Preyas, The Chariot Metaphor and so on. The shloka that we focus on in this manual is the shloka of Shreyas Preyas – about making choices and taking decisions.
The concept of Shreyas-Preyas Each one of us is offered a choice between Preyas and Shreyas. Preyas offers us instant gratification – ephemeral pleasure. We often yearn for this pleasure even though we know it will not last. Shreyas, on the other hand, is very painful at times, but has long-lasting benefits and leads to abiding joy.
The shloka of Shreyas and Preyas gives a perfect opportunity to test our powers of discrimination, foresight and right thinking.
This is not simply a tool-kit to enable children to make choices, but to enable children to construct a framework in which to think about choice-making. This process will also make the children aware of the complexity involved in decision-making.
Shloka 1 & 2 from chapter 2 of the Katha Upanishad
Translation of Shloka 1 & 2 from chapter 2 of the Katha Upanishad “The joy of the spirit ever abides, But not what seems pleasant to the senses. Both these, differing in their purposes, prompt Us to action. All is well for those who choose The joy of the spirit, but they miss The goal of life who prefer the pleasant. Perennial joy or passing pleasure? This is the choice one is to make always. Those who are wise recognize this, but not The ignorant. The first welcome what leads To abiding joy, though painful at that time. The latter run, goaded by their senses, After what seems immediate pleasure.” – Eknath Easwaran (Dialogue with Death)
How does the concept of Shreyas Preyas enter the curriculum? The Overarching idea: To form an alternative framework of reference with which people can look at dilemmas and make decisions that come from one shloka of the Katha Upanishad which is universal in its applicability.
Structure of the curriculum
1) From Katha to Duvidha:
1.
2) Embody your Duvidha:
Understanding Goal: Dilemmas are embedded in our everyday stories.
Understanding Goal: Different people make different choices based on their perspectives.
Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcomes:
To understand a story and to identify
1.
To use arguments to support choice through role-play.
the dilemma. To generate quick stories.
2.
To relate the text to self.
3.
To make free associations.
3.
To identify the dilemma in the story.
4.
To predict a dilemma.
4.
To show team spirit.
5.
To interpret and to identify Shreyas and Preyas
2.
individually in personal situation. 6.
To identify the grays while choice-making.
7.
How can something long-term and something instant have a different meaning for people.
4) Café Baatcheet:
3) Draw your Duvidha:
Understanding Goal: Deep conversation can lead to insights.
Understanding Goal: Pictures speak a thousand words.
Learning Outcomes: 1.
Learning Outcomes: To demonstrate the techniques– shot-breakdown
1. 2.
and storyboarding. 2.
To produce logically sequenced stories.
3.
To develop your own stories loosely based on the idea of the story read out and “choice”.
4.
A technique of game-play to integrate a story into a game.
5.
To design games.
6.
Building on ladder of feedback, sharing, improvisation.
3. 4.
To summarize powerful questions. To demonstrate collaborative dialogue. To conclude by sharing knowledge. To create possibilities for action.
How does the concept of Shreyas Preyas enter the curriculum? (cont.) The curriculum consists of the following sections: • Plan of Activities: Detailed description of activities. • Activity Cards: Ready Reckoners for a facilitator’s use in the classroom.
The activities are arranged under four categories. In the first three categories, the teacher has more than one activity option to choose from. 1. From Katha to Duvidha Activity Option 1 Hear a Katha
Activity Option 2 Make a Katha
2. Embody your Duvidha Activity Option 1 The Choice Tarazu
Activity Option 2 Meri ChoiceTumhari Choice
Activity Option 3 Shreya-Preya in Choice
3. Draw your Duvidha Activity Option 1 Stopmotion Katha
Activity Option 2 Scratch Katha
4. Café Baatcheet Activity Option 1 Café Conversation
A teacher should go through the Plan of Activities and use the Activity Cards in the classroom to achieve the flow of the activity.
3. Draw your Duvidha
4. Café Baatcheet
1. From Katha to Duvidha
Plan of Activities
2. Embody your Duvidha
1. From Katha to Duvidha
Learning Outcomes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
To understand a story. To identify the dilemma. To generate quick stories. To make free associations. To predict a dilemma.
Activity option 1 Hear a Katha
Big idea: Introduction to a story and identification of a dilemma Learning outcome: To know the story, character and to identify the dilemma To use dialogue to analyze different events in the story Strategy/Method: Read Aloud, Multilingual approach Activity: The children gather around the storyteller and listen to the story being read out. The story is read out with expression and action so as to grab the attention of the child. Dialogue: Stop at strategic points while reading the story and ask: What do you think is happening in the story? Ask questions that can initiate dialogue amongst the kids. For example: What do you think is happening when the character is in an argument with a coin? Do you really think he is talking to a coin? Resource: “Jalebiyan� by Gulab Mohammad (Hindi)
Plan of Activities | From Katha to Duvidha
Activity option 2 Make a Katha
Step 1 – Big idea: To create quick stories in small groups. Learning outcomes: To generate quick stories by making free associations Strategy/Method: Using magazine imagery as a trigger to cook a basic story-line Material: Pages from a magazine with pictures of objects Free association activity: Place the magazine pages in the centre of a circle. Ask the groups to choose the first three images that they like. Connect the objects in the three images to each other to form a basic story. Dialogue: Have an example ready to demonstrate the connection of one object to another. Story with Beginning-Middle-End: Adding elements like characters, settings, background to story and alternate plot (what if’s) will give rise to a short story with a beginning-middle-end.
Plan of Activities | From Katha to Duvidha
Activity option 2 Make a Katha
Step 2 – Big Idea: To add the dilemma of choice-making to a story. Learning Outcome: To add a point of climax and strengthen the structure of the story Strategy/Method: Adding layers to a rough storyline: Adding a layer of problem or “samasya” and then seeing where the story leads. Activity: Collect objects from the immediate surroundings as triggers to add layers to the problem. Example: Collect an object like a pair of chappals. Make a list of uses and drawbacks/limitations for the object. Uses of chappal- protects feet, helps us walk, use to hit someone. Limitations/drawbacks of chappaldoes not last long, too much care required. See if the usesand the limitations trigger a layer of problem to the situation of the story.
Plan of Activities | From Katha to Duvidha
2. Embody your Duvidha
Learning Outcomes: 1. 2. 3. 4.
To use arguments to support choice through role-play. To relate the text to self . To identify the dilemma in the story. To show team spirit
Activity option 1 The Choice Tarazu
Big idea: Incorporating a dilemma or the two thoughts – “to do this” or “to do that”, to use a “decision and choice” game through role-play, embodiment and internalizing the plot of a story. Learning outcomes: To use arguments to support choice through roleplay, to relate the text to self, to identify dilemma in the story, to show team spirit. Method/Strategy: Decision game, debate, using dialogue and role play to show the dilemma, text-to-self response. Materials: Masking tape to demarcate “to do” area and the other. Decision Game Activity: Split the children in two teams. One team stands for the thought of “To do” and the other for “Not to do”. One person from every team performs a role play, embodying the thought of the character from the story and defends their team’s position. With every convincing statement made, the team acquires points and the game continues until the teams run out of meaningful statements. Dialogue: By being the character of the story, there is a scope for using arguments and dialogue to support or question decisions and the choices the characters made.
Plan of Activities | Embody your Duvidha
Activity option 2 Meri Choice – Tumhari Choice
Big idea: Individuals make different choices based on their perspectives. Learning outcome: Viewing choices from different standpoints to understand multiple perspectives. Method/Strategy: What is the consequence? Debate, Using dialogue and role play to show the dilemma, Text-to-self response. Activity: The children take the dilemma from the story and act out what would happen if option A were chosen or what would happen if option B were chosen. The groups separate to act out the stories with their endings. Noone knows the story endings of each other’s groups. The groups come back together to share their enactments along with the story endings. While they are performing, the children in the audience have to guess why a group made a particular choice. The intention of the above dialogue is to find out what was the basis of the group’s action. The use of “why” repeatedly, helps the teacher initiate a dialogue to inquire the reason behind making the choice a particular group made.
Plan of Activities | Embody your Duvidha
Activity option 3 Shreyas-Preyas in Choice
Big Idea: To interprete the concept of Shreyas and Preyas, to deeply converse about the complex process and the many factors that go on within an individual in weighing options to arrive at a decision in a given situation. Learning outcome: To interpret and to identify Shreyas and Preyas individually in your personal situations, to identify the grays, how can something longterm and something instant mean differently for different people. Strategy/Method: Activity 1 – I say this-I think this… Resources: Create a bank of statements (could be provocative) depending upon the age group of the children. Write them down on small pieces of paper and keep them folded. For example: Be multi-talented, Try alcohol, Have a Boyfriend, Wear make-up, Have a party for your birthday, Wear skimpy clothes, push yourself to have benchmark work, Do IGSE board, Do ICSE board, If you vote for me you’ll be popular, Be my friend, Do not be my friend, Buy OPI nailpolish, Buy Body shop products, Sit with famous people at IPL, What is that hairstyle? You are not in the football team! Get selected for the football team. 1. Pick a chit individually and read what it says. 2. Take the sheet of paper and fill the columns up – Who said this to you? What was your response? What thoughts came up in your head? 3. Share with everyone.
Plan of Activities | Embody your Duvidha
Dialogue: While the students read their responses, ask questions on the lines of: Why makes you say this? What did you think? Why are you saying what are you saying? Activity 2 – Into the Fruit Resources: Give out a number of fruits like Coconut, Apricot, Apple, Pineapple, Custard Apple, Musk-melon, a set of implements to cut, break, peel the fruit and a sheet of paper and pencils. 1. Break open the fruit, layer by layer, to reach to the core of the fruit. 2. While breaking, record every action and write it down. 3. Make a note of the process while doing step 1 and 2.. 4. The facilitator must time every step in the process to keep track of time. 5. Talk about the feeling the child went through while cutting the fruit. 6.Make a note of words that come up when you talk about the feeling. Activity 2. a – Draw an emotion line Resources: A sheet of paper to draw and pencils To draw a line indicating a clear starting point and an end point. In between the two points, make the line move based on the feeling you had while opening your fruit. Refer to the words noted down during the fruit activity. Share your lines with everyone.
Dialogue: What were you feeling when you drew this jagged line? What were you feeling when you drew this non-jagged line? Activity 2. b – Life is like fruit because... Resources: Depending upon the number of children, make long slips of paper and write “Eating the fruit is like life because-----------” on every slip. Hand out these slips. 1. Complete the sentence: “Eating the fruit is like life because--------------“ 2. Share and read out your lines to everyone. Dialogue: Think about the activity where you ate your fruit and the feeling you went through while eating it. Refer to the line you drew based on your feelings and the words you noted while drawing. Activity 3 – Listen to a Shloka in Sanskrit and read the interpretation Resources: Podcast of the Swar Kath Upanishad queued to the Shloka of Shreyas-Preyas *Refer to www.kathupanishad.wordpress.com for podcast
Meaning of Shloka in English: “As a human being, you have been born with a capacity to make choices. No other creature has this capacity; no human being can avoid this responsibility. Every moment, whether you see it or not, you have a choice of two alternatives in what you do, say, and think.
Plan of Activities | Embody your Duvidha
These alternatives have precise Sanskrit names : Preyas and Shreyas Each one of us is offered a choice between Preyas and Shreyas. Preyas is what is pleasant and Shreyas is what is beneficial. Preyas offers us instant gratification – wealth, power, pleasure. We yearn for this pleasure even though we know it will not last. Shreyas, on the other hand, though painful at the time, offers benefits that stay with you for long.” Hand out this translation to every child. 1. Ask “in the light of what you just heard and read, do you agree to what is being said OR do you think differently?” 2. Share your thoughts and have a discussion about it. 3. Ask what do you think could be Shreyas and Preyas? 4. Could you identify whether there was a Shreya or Preya while eating the fruit? 5. Talk about Shreyas-Preyas with respect to the fruit they ate. Dialogue: After reading the English translation of the shloka, ask the children of what do they think is Shreyas? And what do they think is Preyas? What was challenging while opening the fruit? What came with ease while opening the fruit? Tips for facilitator: There could be a possibility of the conversation just floating around dilemmas of to do this/do that and not deepening further. This is when the facilitator needs to give an example of a situation from his/her personal life such as when at crossroads, how the teacher was in a dilemma to choose one thing which was really going to affect the teacher’s life. Also, identify what was instantly
gratifying (Preyas) and what was beneficial in the long run (Shreyas). Also, at this point, ask the children to go back to the first activity and considering those situations, to start thinking of Shreyas and Preyas. Activity 6 – Are you an instant person? Are you a long-term person? 1. Bring back the activity sheets of the first activity of “I say this, I think this” activity 2. Knowing what is long-term and what is instant, can the child analyse what is Shreyas and Preyas in your situation? 3. After analyzing and identifying their situations, ask the children: In the situation given, are you a long-term person? OR are you an instant person? OR are you a person who is in the grays? in the situation given to them. Dialogue: Knowing what Shreyas and Preyas are, given in a situation, how would you weigh your options? For Example: In a situation where someone offers you a beer and knowing what Shreyas and Preyas are – how would you weigh your options? Dialogue: The dialogue must focus on the weighing or assessing the options before making the decision, not the decision itself. No judgements should be passed on what the student chooses, rather make observations on what factors go into choice-making. Also observe if a student is able to identify Shreyas-Preyas and the grays while weighing his/her options.
Plan of Activities | Embody your Duvidha
3. Draw your Duvidha
Learning Outcomes: 1. To demonstrate the technique of shot-breakdown and storyboarding. 2. To produce logically sequenced stories. 3. To develop your own stories loosely based on the idea of the story read out and “choice� 4. To use techniques of game-play to integrate a story into a game. 5. To design games. 6. Building on ladder of feedback, sharing, improvisation.
Activity option 1 Stopmotion Katha
Big idea: To break a story down logically into smaller scenes and use the technique of stopmotion animation to visually present your story. Learning Outcomes: The technique of shot-breakdown and storyboarding, to build a strong logical sequence in a story. Materials: Large brown paper sheets, colors, pencils, laptops. Strategy/Method: Shot breakdown and storyboarding, stopmotion animation using cameras. Technology: DIY Sam Animation (http://www.samanimation.com/) Activity: Break story up into scenes retaining the structure of beginning-middle-climax-end. Plan the scenes in terms of characters, setting, background on paper first and then shoot the scenes in Sam Animation software. Dialogue: Discussions about detailing out the setting of the story, addition/subtraction of characters, adding layer/s of problem (if needed) Initiate dialogue on: What is the story going to be about? What does a story consist of?, How do you tell a story? How do you plan a story keeping a logical order of events? Is it possible to put the story in a proper order?
Plan of Activities | Draw your Duvidha
Activity option 2 Scratch Katha
Big idea: To visually represent an interactive story+game, facilitate storyboarding and gameplay. Learning outcome: To develop your own stories loosely based on the idea of the story read out and “choice”. Using game-play to further push the story into a game, learning the technique of storyboarding and designing games, building on ladder of feedback, sharing, improvisation. Method/Strategy: Scratch – a visual programming tool, having a concept of “choice and decision”, to draft a personal story based on the concept, creating story-boards and planning for games. Activity: 1. To introduce the interface by using “let’s play scratch cards”. (Refer to useful resources) 2. Create your own stories loosely based on the idea of the story read out and “choice”. 3. Break the story up into several scenes and plan the scenes on the drawing sheets. (link for basics of storyboarding) 4. Keeping in mind the game design essentials, plan the game and the story. 5. After planning the story+game in terms of character, setting and scenes, start making the story+game on Scratch. 6. Keep sharing the games in progress for constant feedback. Present your games in order to troubleshoot technical glitches, tweaking and removing errors.
Plan of Activities | Draw your Duvidha
Materials: Scratch, drawing sheets, scratch cards, pencils, laptops. Dialogue: Initiate dialogue on: What is the story going to be about? What does a story consist of? How do you tell a story? How do you plan a story? How do you put the story in a proper order? What is the difference between a story and a game? Provide constant feedback by raising concerns, values and giving suggestions during presentations of the games in progress. Useful resources: http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Support/Scratch_Cards http://info.scratch.mit.edu/Support/Reference_Guide_1.4
4. CafĂŠ Baatcheet
Learning Outcomes: 1. 2. 3. 4.
To summarize powerful questions. To demonstrate collaborative dialogue. To conclude by sharing knowledge. To create possibilities for action.
Activity option 1 Café Baatcheet
Big idea: Bring a closure to the process of decision-making by sharing experiences, stories and insights throughout the workshop guided by key questions relevant to the workshop. Learning outcomes: To summarize powerful questions. To demonstrate collaborative dialogue. To conclude by sharing knowledge. To Create possibilities for action. Method/Strategy: The World Café The World Café Activity: The environment is set up like a café, with tables, tablecloths, some colored pens and refreshments. Children sit four/five to a table and have a series of conversational rounds lasting from 10 to 15 minutes about one or more question, that is personally meaningful to them. Every table also has a host who plays the role of moderating the conversation around key questions. One child from every table pollinates that conversation to another table by sharing the essence of that table’s conversation with another group. Dialogue: Active collaborative dialogue around certain key questions raised by the host on every table Discussions on constructive possibilities of what could have come out from discussed issues Discussions around what were we not asking and possible solutions for them.
Questions specific to Café Baatcheet were: Table 1: What energized us? What engaged us? What are the conversations we are not having? Table 2: What’s the big deal? Aren’t we making decisions and choices everyday? Why use second language to do it? Table 3: What do you think challenged us? What surprised us? What do you think were some of your strengths? Useful Resources: http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-worldcafe.html
Plan of Activities | Café Conversation
glossary Katha – Story Duvidha – Dilemma Batcheet – Conversation Tarazu – Balance
thank you Guides: Geetha Narayanan | Tara Kini | Arzu Mistry Swar Katha Upanishad by Sunaad The teachers and children of: Drishya | Mallya Aditi International School The entire team of Project Vision Adv. Arvind Sabnis | Dr. Aanand Kambli Mamma | Papa | Tanvi Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology
Looking within to make choices
Looking within to make choices
dilemmas
www.kathupanishad.wordpress.com
dilemmas
A wellness curriculum pack by
Mrunmayee Gokhale Final Diploma Project– 2011