FRIEDRICH AUGUST FROEBEL

FRIEDRICH   AUGUST  FROEBEL  [1782 – 1852]

             Friedrich August Froebel was born on April 21, 1782, in the village of Oberweisback in the South Germany. He was neglected in his youth and the memories of his early sufferings made him in later life more eager in promoting the happiness of children. Deprived of parental affection the poor Chap was left at the mercy of God. He naturally turned towards the natural phenomena – hills , trees, flowers , and clouds, etc., for companionship. Froebel’s  own  childhood was neglected , he developed an intensive sympathy for children  and spend his life promoting their  life.

           Froebel did not receive much education at school where he was considered as a dunce. At  the age of 15 he was appointed as an apprentice to a forester. He spent a good deal of his time all alone in the forest and perhaps it was here that he received his real education.

Publication of” The Education of Man”

           Froebel established a small school in 1816 at Grie Sheim. Froebel incorporated his principles of elementary education. After passing through many vicissitudes, this become a successful in 10 years. Instead of impression , expression through play art work was his chief consideration at this place. Froebel in 1826 published his famous book “The Education of Man” in this he says The true method of education consists in considering the mind of the child as a whole in which all the parts work together to produce  harmonious unity “ After this he started many schools in Germany . His views were not accepted by the German govt. and forbade him from establishing any school. This was a great shock for the good teacher and he could not long survive it. Froebel died in 1852 in poverty , misery and agony.

His works

Autobiography Education by Development, The Education of man, Mother play, Pedagogies of the Kindergarten.

Froebel’s Principle of Philosophy

         Froebel’s philosophy is the outcome of the great influence of German philosophers like Fitche, Kent, and Schelling on him. The following are the main principles of his philosophy;

a) The Law of Unity: According to him there is one external law that is the law of unity , that governs all things , man nature. According to him God is the one ground of all things. God is the all Comprehending, the all sustaining , God is the essential nature, the meaning of the world.

b) The principle of development: This principle is based upon the first. Froebel maintained that mind evolves from within. By development he means an increase in bulk or quantity, increase in complexity or structure, an improvement in power, in skill and variety in the performance of natural functions.

c) The principle of self activity: It is only through self activity the real growth and development is possible. Forced activity is artificial and unnatural . An acute observer can know what the child is or what he is to become. All this lies in the child and can be attained through development from within.

d) Development through Social Institutions : According to Froebel, the school is a miniature society. He remarked , “No community can progress while the individual remains behind“ He believed that the individual is not apart from the life of the society.

Meaning of Education And Philosophy of Education

            Education consists leading man, as a thinking, intellectual 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 means there to;

a) Creativeness of Childhood: Childhood is not merely preparation for adulthood, it is a value in itself and possesses its own creativeness. It participate in the divine whole with the same rights of its own as adulthood, and therefore it can claim the same respect on the part of the educator. The adult has no right to fell himself superior and to interfere with the natural conditions of childhood rather he must combine guidance with the capacity of waiting and understanding.

b) Inner relatedness of all Education: This means that the educator ought to lead the child through such situations as will help him to relate his experiences organically one with another. Only thus can the child realize his own personal unity and the unity inherent in the diversity of life.

c) Totality of Educational Endeavour:  Inorder to realize the divine character of the universe and his part in it , man needs his senses and emotions as well as reasons. They all are the windows of the soul. Hence Froebel emphasizes the totality of educational endeavor . Only  through the first instinctive feeling of a loving communion of men can the child ascend to a later realization of a metaphysical unity of the universe.

d) Concept of play: The finest expression of Froebel’s idea of harmony in diversity is probably to be found in his concept of play. According to him , play is not merely a means of distraction ; it is the most important phase in the spontaneous development of the child, because it allows him to exercise harmoniously all his physical , emotional and intellectual qualities.

e) Education of the Pre- school Child: Froebel reveals an astounding insight into the importance of the early experience of childhood for the future development of personality. For that Froebel gives importance to the elementary school as basis for the reconstruction of mankind.

Froebel’s  Educational Principle     

v Froebel maintains that the aim of education is not to make the mind of the child a jumble of words. The essential business of the school is not so much to communicate a variety and multiplicity of facts as give performance to the ever living unity that is in all things.

v 2)Play is an essential factor in the growth of the child. The free and unfettered natural development of the child takes place through play.

v Education should be in conformity with child’s nature and needs.

v The child should be educated in free atmosphere. Freedom means the obedience to self imposed law.

v The teacher is like a gardener who carefully nurses and protects children inorder to secure their full and free development along most desirable line.

v 6)Froebel believed all social institutions like the home, the school, the church and the state ,etc. are the agencies of development of the individual where in he is to realize the unity in diversity.

v 7) He devised songs , gestures, and construction as the chief means of stimulating the imagination of the world.

KINDERGARTEN

          Froebel realized the paramount importance of childhood and opened the first kindergarten, an institution of children age 4 to 6, at Blakenbery in 1837 . Kindergarten is a German word which implies a children garden. Froebel considered the school as a garden, the teacher  as the gardener and the students as tender plants. He believed that the process of growth and development of the plant and the child is the same. The plant grows from within according to the seed that is within , in the same way the child grows from within.

              The object of a kindergarten is “to give the children employment in agreement with their whole nature, to strengthen their bodies to exercise their senses, to engage in their awakening mind and through their senses to make them acquainted with nature and their fellow creatures.

Main Features of Kindergarten

1) Self activity: Froebel believed that the child was not to indulge in an activity that was suggested by parents or teachers. He stressed that the child should be given full freedom to carry out his own impulses and decisions. He regarded self activity as a process by which the individual realizes his own nature and harmonizes the two.

2) Play : According to Froebel , “Play is the purest, most spiritual activity of man at this stage. It gives therefore joy  , freedom, contentment, inner and rest, peace with the world. Froebel recognized that play needs to be organized and controlled on definite materials so that it may not degenerate into aimless play.

3) Songs, Gestures and Construction : Froebel saw an organic relationship between songs , gestures, and construction. He regarded these as three co-ordinate form of expression in the child. What is to be learned by the pupil is first expressed in a song , then it is dramatised  or expressed in gestures or movement and lastly illustrated through some constructive such as paper or clay.

4) Gifts  and occupations: To provide activities Froebel devised suitable materials known as gifts. The gifts suggest some form of activity and occupations are the activities suggested by gifts. They possess all the novelty of play things. The order of the gifts is devised in such a way as it leads the child from the activities and thought of one stage to another.

5) The Place of Teacher:  The teacher is not to remain passive. The teacher has to suggest the idea of occupation when gifts are offered to the children. He is also required to demonstrate certain activities to them. He also sings a song with a view to help the child to form appropriate ideas.

6)Discipline: A teacher has important responsibilities to perform. He has to inculcate sympathetically values like love, sympathy, humility, co-operation and obedience to elders. He has to avoid external restraint and bodily punishment.

7) Curriculum: The division of the curriculum are ;

a) Manual work                                                    b) Religion and Religious instruction.

c) Natural science and mathematics.               d) Language.

e) Arts and Objects of arts.

Merits of Froebel’s Kindergarten

1.    Froebel laid emphasis on pre-school or nursery education.

2.    He stressed the importance of play in the early education.

3.    He regarded school as a maintenance society where children get training in important things of life. They learn the virtues of life like, co-operation, sympathy, fellow-feeling and responsibility, etc.

4.    Froebel stressed the necessary of the study of child’s nature, his instincts and impulses.

5.    The gift and occupations of the kindergarten give a new method of teaching.

6.    The inclusion of productive work in the school makes children productive workers.

7.    There is sufficient scope for activity in a kindergarten.

8.    Various gifts provides sensory training.

9.     The inclusion of the nature study in the curriculum helps to develop love for nature and world in the mind of the students.

Limitations of Froebel’s Kindergarten

1.    Froebel expects too much of the child. It is not possible for the child to be able to understand abstract ideas of organic unity while playing with gifts.

2.    The importance of the environment has not been fully recognized.

3.    Songs as given by him are out of date . These cannot be used in every school.

4.    The gifts of Froebel are formal in nature. The order of presentation of gifts is arbitrary.

5.    The Kindergarten of Froebel does not provide for the study of the individual child.

6.    There is little of correlation in the teaching of various subjects.

7.    It is not possible to accept his excessive emphasis on play in education as it is likely to detract the child from serious learning.    

Froebel’s Influence on Modern Education

                   There is no doubt that all the tendencies in the modern educational thought and practice find their root in Froebel’s conceptions. He helped to make the society conscious of education for very young children. The chief field in which he influenced the modern education are as under;

ª    Emphasis on Pre-primary or pre-basic education: The present education fully recognizes the importance of the education in the early years. Today we find a large number of schools catering to the needs of such children.

ª    New Conception of School: Froebel’s Kindergarten school was a little world where responsibility was shared by all individual rights respected by all brotherly sympathy, developed and voluntary co-operation practiced by all. His school was a society in miniature.

ª    Respect for the Child’s individuality: Froebel lived for children and died for children. He had profound love and sympathy for children.

ª    Stress on the study of the child: Frobel stressed the need for the study of the nature of the child, his instincts and impulses. Modern education is very careful to see that adequate scope is provided for the free play of the impulses and instincts of children.

ª    Education through Play: Froebel believed that play is the highest phase of self development. He introduced play way in the activities of the school.

ª    Sense Training: Froebel introduced gifts for the training of the sense of children, with the help of these gifts he wanted to give the idea of shape, form, colour, size and number. In every modern school those activities are introduced that help in the training of senses.

ª    Activity in Education: Froebel was the first educator to make self –activity as the basis of education. Learning by doing is the slogan of the day . The present school has become a place of activity and joy for children.

ª    Nature Study in Education: For Froebel nature study was a means of bringing the child nearer to God. He advocated syllabus of nature study to enable the child to understand the world in which he lived and to understand the world in which he lived and to develop habits of careful observation.

ª    Women Teachers at the nursery Stage: It will not be wrong to say that it is due to the influence of Froebel that we find a trend  to entrust the education at the pre-primary or pre-basic stage to women teachers who are considered to be more suited for this task of instruction at this stage.

CONCLUSION

                  For Froebel Education should provide for free self –activity and self determination on the part of man , he being created for freedom in the image of God. Education as unity with God to lead and guide men to clearness concerning himself to peace with nature and to unity with God.