Friedrich Froebel “Come let us live for our children”

Friedrick Froebel's Theories and Contribution to Modern Education▪Natural development

▪Self activity

▪Motor expression

▪Creativity

▪Social involvement

Natural Development

Natural development

▪Froebel was largely influenced by his tutor Johann Pestalozzi and Jean Rousseau along with his religious beliefs which help form the basis of Froebel’s idea of natural goodness with in a child.

▪Stages of development is "the doctrine of pre-formation which defines human development as the unfolding of potentialities that are preformed in the person." (Gutek 1995, 258)

▪Froebel believed the education was the vehicle that cause the divine nature within a child to blossom

The role of the teacher in nurturing natural growth

Step 1 Care

Step 2Nurture

Step 3Support

Step 4Provide space

Step 5Allow

Play: The child’s medium of learning

Self Activity

Creative expressions, songs, dance all help the child to discover more about his surroundings

Froebel’s Five Gifts

Fostering Fulfilment through self expressionFroebel used balls, cubes and spheres as gifts and clays and malleable materials as occupations

The educator’s goal is to guide the child in learning and understanding his capabilities.

Motor Expression

Motor Expression

Activities such as modelling, drawing, sewing and colouring (Cole 1950, 530-31) were occupations that enabled the child to act out his or her observations of adult life (Gutek 1995, 262). They also filled and absorbed the child's mind giving him or her many sided results due to their creative powers (Jarret 1969, 545)These activities help to develop cognitive ability as well as physical growth.

Play: The child’s medium of learning

Creativity

Froebel saw education from rather passive prescriptive. The teacher's major obligation is to provide space and time for the child to show his intuitive thinking by just being left to manipulate things in the environment.

Social Involvement

▪Froebel’s pedagogical ideas were aimed at developing the child’s inborn capabilities, these principles would help with creative expression throughout teenager and adulthood.

Helping to foster team work skills Understanding of culture and society Care and Emotions

“Come let us live for our children”

Conclusion

▪Learning was not to be painful or boring but enjoyable and useful. Play aided learning. AC child should not be pushed beyond his ability and readiness, they should be guided by caregivers who sensitive to the child’s inborn potentials. This idea resembles contemporary child growth and development theories (Ulich 1975, 546).

▪Froebel's theories contain Christian principles. The greatest of this is the encouragement children should receive from educators to allow expression.

Froebel's goal of education is stated in terms of a relationship to God. Education consists in "leading man, as a thinking, intelligent being, growing into self-consciousness, to a pure and unsullied, conscious and free representation of the inner law of divine unity, and in teaching him ways and means thereto." (The Education of Man, 1899, 2)