Henry Pestalozzi was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He wrote a manual for mothers with the title “How Gertrude Teaches Her Children”. He said that "task of educating child inevitably began with the mother during the preschool period. The children can learn all the basic facts and skills during this period this saves time of their school teachers and permit them to give more advanced education".
His father died when he was five years old. He was brought up by mother and a faithful servant. He did not attend school until he was 9 years old. Instead of playing with children of his own age he stayed indoors and listened to stories and did some daydreaming. He was always placed indoors, deprived of masculine society, continually dominated by women and kept way from the reality outside his home. His character during early years seemed to be shy, awkward, absent minded, emotional, impressionable, impractical and intuitive. He ran an orphanage at Burgdoff and Munchenbunch and became a founder of a school in Yourdon
His Ideas and Contributions:
His basic philosophy of education emphasizes that
Education should be seen from the developing mind of the child, not from the already developed mind of the child.
Education should be from within and not from without.
Child should not be treated as a subject matter, should be the centre of educational system.
Growth was more important than achievement. The aim of the education should be harmonious development of all powers–moral, intellectual & physical.
Aids to teaching: He developed various materials and made great use of object lessons.
Object lesson- teaching children through objects. Ex. keeps an object before the child and let him tell what he saw. Encourage the child to observe and ask him to express his observations in correct language. Encourage the child to prepare albums containing drawings, maps, mathematical problems using natural objects.
He attached great importance to games. His idea was that the child should not remain inactive.
Implications: Pestalozzi was the fore runner of the modern progressive education. His schools were based on the children’s nature and the spontaneous activities have influenced the present day preschool education which emphasizes the manipulation of objects, play and games.
Participants