Johann heinrich pestalozzi biography summary form

Not only was he an innovative teacher, but he was also committed to social reform, and carried out several humanitarian projects involving children orphaned during war. His educational method emphasizes the importance of providing a loving, family -type environment in which the child can grow and flourish naturally, becoming a whole person balancing their intellectual, physical, and technical abilities, with emotionalmoralethicaland religious growth.

According to Pestalozzi, when individuals are well educated in this way, social improvement and regeneration occurs. Although his ideas were adopted with considerable initial success in many parts of the world, the social problems he sought to solve continued, and even his own schools were unable to maintain the harmonious "family" atmosphere he advocated, finally closing due to bitter disputes and conflicts among the teachers that lasted several years.

Without solving the problematic relationships within families, which, after his time, increasingly led to divorce and family breakdown, his educational method was doomed to suffer the same failures. His father died when Johann was only five, and his mother raised Johann and his sister alone. Johann started his formal education rather late, at the age of nine, but successfully completed school on time.

He entered the world of politics. However, the death of his friend Johann Kasper Bluntschli turned him from politics, and induced him to devote himself to education. Through his association with reformists, Pestalozzi had become aware of social problems, which helped him develop a deeper sense for human suffering. He began to research different ideas and schemes for improving the condition of the people.

Influenced by the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau to "go back to nature," Pestalozzi started a social experiment—he purchased a piece of waste land at Neuhof in Aargau, where he attempted to cultivate madder, a plant whose roots can be used as a source of red dye. His idea was to use this farm as a way of providing shelter and education for orphans.

Pestalozzi married his childhood friend and they had their first child, Jacobi, soon after. He developed his teaching methods from teaching Jacobi based on Rousseau's ideas in Emile. His social experiment with a group of orphans was successful for five whole years. Nevertheless, the project failed financially and the johann heinrich pestalozzi biography summary form went bankrupt in InPestalozzi wrote a series of reflections The Evening Hours of a Hermitwhich outlined his basic theory that education begins at home and should occur naturally through direct experience.

This was followed by his masterpiece, Leonard and Gertrudean account of the gradual reformation, first of a household, and then of a whole village, by the efforts of a good and devoted woman. This work became a bestseller in Germanyand the name of Pestalozzi became internationally recognized. A number of children were left in Stans, in Canton Unterwalden, on the shores of Lake Lucerne, without parents, home, food, or shelter.

This is conceptualized in the definition of the "moral man" who does good and loves, who is based on faith and leaves selfishness aside. Pestalozzi was the founder of numerous educational institutions in Germany and Switzerland, practically managing to eradicate illiteracy from the region during the 18th century. He oriented his work towards popular education and is recognized for his motto: "Learning through the head, the hand and the heart.

Pestalozzi was born in Zurich, Switzerland, on January 23, in a family exiled for their religious convictions of Protestant faith. His father, a doctor by profession, passed away johann heinrich pestalozzi biography summary form Johann was 6 years old. Pestalozzi developed a particular interest in the poverty of peasant countries through some trips he made with his clergyman grandfather.

Soon he was especially affected by the illiteracy, ignorance and suffering of children who were employed in factory jobs from an early age. He was not a very diligent boy in his schooling. He was considered disobedient and could not adapt to educational institutions. Despite being educated to be a clergyman, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's specific influence directed his desire to work in a broader sphere of activity in order to promote well-being to people.

Since then he devoted himself to the study of law and political justice. Following several complaints against the State, he was imprisoned for 3 days and professionally isolated. His wife was often ill, and in his son returned home from his apprenticeship in Basel in a similar state of health. Political changes were taking place, and when serfdom was abolished in Switzerland inPestalozzi decided to become an educator.

Pestalozzi was not able to implement his new school right away, because a suitable site could not be found quickly enough. In the meantime, Pestalozzi was asked to take charge of a government newspaper, the Helvetisches Volksblattin hopes that he could win the acceptance of the people of Switzerland. Political change of any kind during this period was viewed as tyrannical.

When the French army invaded the town of Stans inmany children were left without a home or family. The Swiss government established an orphanage and recruited Pestalozzi on 5 Decemberto take charge of the newly formed institution. On 7 December, Pestalozzi went to Stans, writing:. I went gladly, for I hoped to offer these innocent little ones some compensation for the loss they had sustained, and to find in their wretchedness a basis for their gratitude.

In my zeal to put my hands to the task which had been the great dream of my life, I should have been ready to begin even in the highest Alps and without fire and water, so to speak, had I only been allowed. The buildings of the Ursuline Convent at Stans were supposed to have been converted into an orphanage, but little had been done when Pestalozzi arrived.

On 14 Januarya number of orphans came to the newly established institution. Pestalozzi wrote, They were in a dreadful condition, both of body and of mind. He took many roles at Stans, including a master, servant, father, guardian, sick-nurse and teacher. He had no school materials and his only assistant was a housekeeper. Drawing from previous experience, his aim at Stans was similar to that of Neuhof: the combination of education and industry.

However, he no longer looked at the products of the children's labors as a possible source of income. Any work was considered by Pestalozzi as a way to train physical dexterity, promote efficiency and encourage mutual helpfulness. He wanted to cultivate the fundamental activities of the mind— the powers of attention, observation, and memory, which must precede the art of judgment and must be well established before the latter is exercised.

In Junethe French army, after being defeated by the Austrians, took back Stans. They needed every available building to house their troops, and the school was broken up. Even during the short time of the orphanage, Pestalozzi's success was apparent in the well-being of the children. He left Stans in order to recover in Gurnigelan Alpine health resort, hoping to return to the orphanage when the buildings were free, but he was not permitted to return.

During his recovery in Gurnigel, Stapfer assigned Pestalozzi to the town of Burgdorf. He was to receive a small quarterly salary, an apartment and a position teaching at the lowest school in town. Pestalozzi's position was not held long; the shoemaker who ran the school before Pestalozzi had arrived did not agree with his ideas.

Shortly after, Pestalozzi was able to transfer to a different school. The children were five to eight years old. Pestalozzi was nervous at first, but he continued his investigations and experiments in education carried out at Stans. Although Pestalozzi said he did not know much French, what he was able to understand threw a flood of light upon my whole endeavor.

In eight months, he had not only taught children of five and six years of age to read perfectly, but also to write, draw and understand arithmetic. The school board promoted Pestalozzi to a mastership in the second boys' school where he continued his educational experiments. Fueled by his success, in October Pestalozzi decided to open another school in Burgdorf, the "Educational Institute for the Children of the Middle Classes", in the Burgdorf Castle.

During this time Pestalozzi systemized and codified many of his methods and ideas about education. Pestalozzi for the second time in his literary career attracted a wide circle of readers after publishing How Gertrude Teaches her Children. The book had a profound impact on the opinion and practice of education. Letters four to eleven are his reflections and experience in pedagogical instruction and educational theory.

The twelfth letter is about physical education while the last two letters talk about moral and religious education. Pestalozzi's purpose in these letters was to show that, by reducing knowledge to its elements and by constructing a series of psychologically ordered exercises, anybody could teach their children effectively. Because of this literary success, people from all parts of Switzerland and Germany came to see the school in Burgdorf.

The school grew, but Pestalozzi still felt that he was not doing enough. Though a financial success, the school could not do what Pestalozzi desired: educate the poor. He communicated to the Swiss government that he would like more opportunity to educate the poor. In response it sent two commissioners to investigate his work and, following their favorable review, the government decided to transform Pestalozzi's school into a national institution.

Staff would receive fixed salaries and money would be spent to publish textbooks written by Pestalozzi and his staff. Two additions were made to Pestalozzi's staff during this time: Johann Joseph Schmid — and Johannes Niederer — Schmid had been at the institute as a poor pupil but was added to the staff for his teaching ability. Niederer had formerly been a minister.

Pestalozzi's family finally joined him in the institute to live and work. In Pestalozzi's son, Jean-Jacques, died at the age of 31, but his daughter-in-law and grandchild, Gottlieb, moved from Neuhof to Burgdorf to live at the institute. Political changes by Napoleon during this time put Pestalozzi's institute in jeopardy through reform in the Swiss government.

A national deputation was sent to Paris to interview Napoleon on behalf of Switzerland. Pestalozzi was elected as a member of this deputation. Before going, he published his ideas about political effort. It is a unique document in Pestalozzi's work that shows the connection of his political, social and educational influence. Pestalozzi did not enjoy his time in Paris; Napoleon had no interest in his work.

On his return, Pestalozzi found the new Swiss government questioning his right to use the facilities at Burgdorf. They notified him that his services were no longer needed on the grounds that the buildings were needed for their own officials. Pestalozzi received offers to establish his institute in other towns, but ultimately he decided to accept the Government's offer and, in JunePestalozzi's work in Burgdorf ended.

Nearby in Hofwilthere was another educational establishment run by Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg. His initial influence on the development of thinking about pedagogy owes much a book he published in How Gertrude Teaches Her Children — and the fact that he had carried his proposals through into practice.

Johann heinrich pestalozzi biography summary form

As a result he placed a special emphasis on spontaneity and self-activity. Children should not be given ready-made answers but should arrive at answers themselves. To do this their own powers of seeing, judging and reasoning should be cultivated, their self-activity encouraged Silber The aim is to educate the whole child — intellectual education is only part of a wider plan.

He looked to balance, or keep in equilibrium, three elements — hands, heart and head. Exhibit 1: William H. Personality is sacred. No word was to be used for any purpose until adequate Anschauung had preceded. The thing or distinction must be felt or observed in the concrete. To perfect the perception got by the Anschauung the thing that must be named, an appropriate action must follow.

Out of this demand for action came an emphasis on repetition — not blind repetition, but repetition of action following the Anschauung. William H. And what is his significance to educators today? First, there is his concern with social justice and his commitment to work with those who have suffered within society.