The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values program is comprised of three curricular models: The Direct, Indirect, and Co-Curricular Approaches. The program provides a solid structure, yet allows for flexible implementation according to the needs and capacities of those who adopt the program.

This powerpoint presentation (1.3MB) gives more information on SSEHV.

Direct Approach

Every lesson of the Direct Approach utilizes five teaching components:

1. Quotation, Thought for the Week, Prayer

2. Silent Sitting

3. Group Singing

4. Storytelling

5. Group Activities

After each lesson, there will be a life application for the children to practice the objective of the lesson.

These components provide holistic, balanced experiences that emphasize each of the values, eliciting them from within each child. Although each lesson has five Teaching Techniques, the order of these techniques may be changed.

Quotation, Thought for the Week, Prayer
According to the climate of the class setting, quotations or prayers taken from universally respected sources of wisdom inspire noble ideals, positive attitudes, emphasize the divinity within, and strengthen unity of thought, word and deed. Quotation or prayers serve as links between cognition and intuition. These powerful tools are easily retrieved and become imprinted on the hearts and minds of the children, positively impacting their daily choices and behaviors.

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Silent Sitting
Each class session includes moments of silence. Age appropriate methods of silent sitting range from simply sitting silently for a moment to group visualizations. This silent time provides children with the means to discover their divine nature, and to become attuned to their own inner resources and virtues. Silent sitting aids in the development of intuition and in the ability to discriminate between positive and negative choices. Silent sitting fosters the ability of children to concentrate, reduce stress and maintain a sense of equanimity and well being.

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Group Singing
Songs with uplifting rhythms are carefully selected to reinforce the values that are the subject of each lesson. Music speaks the language of the heart. Group singing transcends artificial barriers of gender, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic distinctions and inspires a spirit of unified community and cooperation. Songs internalize the universal message of the values and promote feelings of joy, harmony, and confidence both within the group and within each child.

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Storytelling
Storytelling is the cornerstone of every SSEHV lesson. It is the foundation that imparts the values to the children. Moral truths conveyed through stories reach children on very deep spiritual, emotional, and mental levels. Stories with morals develop good character, kindle a spirit of inquiry and stimulate intuitive understanding. Story selections drawn from a rich cross-cultural and multi-faith heritage throughout the entire world unveil the thread of spiritual commonality among mankind. Stories about eminent role models, inspirational accomplishments, and honorable deeds, help to transform the thoughts, words and actions of children into responsible and enduring patterns of right thinking and right action.

SSEHV encourages the oral tradition of storytelling, which has been utilized from the beginning of time to convey values and morals by all cultures. SSEHV teachers make stories come alive through body language, gestures, and voice intonation.

Following every storytelling is group discussion. Group discussion is an essential element of the storytelling process. The discussion is designed to provoke higher level thinking skills so children internalize the meaning of the values and moral lessons on deeper levels. Open-ended questions lead children to use their own faculties of discrimination and inner reflection to discover the meaning of the story. Group discussion questions must both reflect children's immediate level of understanding, as well as expand their thinking to develop moral meaning on deeper and deeper levels.

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Group Activities
Group activities that follow the story provide a broad scope of learning experiences necessary for children to process and integrate the values of the lesson into their lives on all levels. In group activities, the children participate in activities that reinforce the value. Activities range from role-plays and dramatizations to group discussions, service projects, and arts and crafts.

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Life Application
Life application extends and applies the values learned, to the children's everyday life in the home, school, and the community. Values must be practiced in thought, word and deed everyday in order to fully manifest and realize the values. Example: Life application as Thought is practiced through thinking about the value throughout the week. Life application as Word is practiced through affirmations and journal reflections on how children are feeling and experiencing the values through the week. Life application as Deed asks children to put the value into practice through actions throughout the week.

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Indirect Approach

The indirect approach is based on the precept that every moment of every day can serve as an opportunity to reinforce the values in children's lives. This approach is dependent upon the ability and commitment of the SSEHV teachers, administrators and all staff members of a given setting to determine how to integrate values and character-enriching activities into all aspects of their setting. Each and every staff member should consistently maintain the awareness and focus on the values throughout the day. All staff members are called upon to maintain an awareness of how to capitalize on any situation that would provide opportunities to demonstrate or discuss the values.

If the SSEHV Program is being conducted in a school setting, the values would be integrated throughout the day in both the classroom and in the whole school culture. Aside from gaining general knowledge, students would learn the intrinsic value of a subject and the inherent interrelatedness of the subject area to the quality of human life and all of nature.

If the SSEHV Program is being conducted in a community-based setting, such as an After School program or neighborhood community center, the values would be integrated through the program activities in which the children participate while they are in that setting.

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Co-Curricular Approach

The co-curricular approach emphasizes the values through physical education, (sports, etc.), music education, art,family living, health, cultural program, festival celebration and any of the other augmentative curriculum areas.

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Teaching Methodology Summary

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values Program focuses on self esteem, affective well-being, and the daily experience of universal human values through lesson plans that are designed to tap all aspects of the child's personality. The development of the whole child -- body, mind, and spirit -- is taken into systematic and deliberate account.

Teachers find that their students' intellectual and spiritual development is more easily facilitated and confidently assured. Theme teaching across the curriculum, critical thinking, reflective learning, community service, and the underlying unity in the diversity that children experience are all important features of the classroom approach of the Program of Sathya Sai Education in Human Values. It is designed to be both teacher and parent-friendly and is easily adaptable to any child in any environment, regardless of economic class, racial or ethnic background, language, or intellectual capability.

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