Q 5: Describe Friedrich Froebel's views regarding early childhood education.
Course: Philosophy of Education
Course Code 8609
Topics
Friedrich Froebel Views
- Friedrich Froebel's views regarding early childhood education.
- Principles of Friedrich Froebel
AIOU Solved Assignment |Semester: Autumn/Spring | B.Ed/Bachelors in Education /Masters in Education / PhD in Education | BEd / MEd / M Phil Education | ASSIGNMENT Course Code 8609| Course: Philosophy of Education
Answer:
Born on 21 April 1782 Friedrich Froebel was a German educator
who invented the kindergarten. He believed that "play is the highest
expression of human development in childhood for it alone is the free
expression of what is in the child’s soul." According to Froebel, in play
children construct their understanding of the world through direct experience
with it. His ideas about learning through nature and the importance of play
have spread throughout the world.
Froebel considered the whole child’s, health, physical
development, environment, emotional well-being, mental ability, social
relationships, and spiritual aspects of development as important. Drawing on his
mathematical and scientific knowledge Froebel developed a set of gifts (wooden blocks
1-6) and introduced occupations, (including sticks, clay, sand, slates, chalk,
wax, shells, stones, scissors, and paper folding). It seems appropriate to mention
Froebel's gifts and occupations in conjunction with this new course.
Particularly as the gifts and occupations are open-ended and can be used to
support children’s self-initiated play.
Froebel believed that it was important for practitioners to
understand the principles of observation including professional practice, the
multiple lenses through which they see children that children see their
worlds, as well as offering children freedom with guidance and considering the
children's environments including people and materials as a key element of how they
behave.
Because Froebel based much of his understanding of children on observing them this has changed
the way we think about children's play. We have Froebel's insights to thank for
placing child-initiated activity with adults working with children to give them
freedom with sensitive guidance and
symbolic and imaginative play at the heart of our curriculum.
Principles
Froebelian principles as articulated by Professor Tina Bruce (1987, 1st edition and 2015, 5th edition).
1. Childhood is seen
as valid in itself, as part of life, and not simply as preparation for adulthood. Thus education is seen similarly as
something of the present and not just preparation and training for later.
2. The whole child is
considered to be important. Health –
physical and mental is emphasized, as well as the importance of feelings
and thinking and spiritual aspects.
3. Learning is not compartmentalized,
for everything links.
4. Intrinsic motivation, resulting in
child-initiated, self-directed activity, is valued.
5. Self-discipline is emphasized.
6. There are especially
receptive periods of learning at different stages of development.
7. What children can
do (rather than what they cannot do) is the starting point in the child’s education.
8. There is an inner
life in the child, which emerges especially under favorable conditions.
9. The people (both
adults and children) with whom the child interacts are of central importance.
10. Quality education
is about three things: the child, the context in which learning takes place, and
the knowledge and understanding that the child develops and learns.
A Froebelian
principled approach to early childhood education in practice.
• It is important that practitioners offer children what they
need now. For example, some children may need to be allowed the autonomy, (to
make choices and decisions and to use their skills and techniques) to mix their
own paints. While other children may not be ready to mix paints for themselves,
and will just waste expensive resources if they are allowed to ladle paint
everywhere and splash water onto it, they may be ready to learn how sand, clay, and gravel behave
when in contact with water. They can learn about the properties of materials.
Another child may be ready to mix paints but may need a great deal of practitioner
support as they are in the early stages of learning how to do this.
• The practitioner must nurture the ideas, feelings,
relationships physical development, and embodiment of children. The practitioner needs to be able to recognize
when children need personal space or need to be diverted into something appropriate
for them without making them feel bad about using the paints inappropriately because they couldn’t yet understand.
Children need to be given help sensitively, in a way that will build
their confidence, skills, and autonomy.
• All children learn in ways that can be linked with The official framework documents of their
country, such as the areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage
(England) or The Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland), The Foundation Phase
Curriculum (Wales) Aistear (Ireland), or
Understanding the Foundation Stage (Northern Ireland) and also Te Whariki (New
Zealand).
• Children are self-motivated when they are encouraged to be
so and their intrinsic motivation to learn is not crushed, but nurtured by
practitioners that have an understanding of them.
• Children are encouraged to develop self-discipline. This helps children to concentrate well and
to learn effectively. It also relates to understanding of self, others, and the
universe.
• Children need to be
given choices, allowed to make errors and decisions, and offered sensitive help as and when it is needed, This will help
children to learn in ways that are right for each of them as individuals. In this
way, practitioners are supporting and also extending their learning.
• Practitioners need to place emphasis on what the children
can do, rather than what they can’t do.
The tone and atmosphere should be encouraging and not judgmental or critical. This Froebel believed builds self-esteem and
confidence.
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