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Philosophy of Education
Throughout educational history, world philosophers
have wrestled with understanding the myriad of questions and problems
surrounding the education of society’s children. Historically, many early
childhood educators supported the idea that children should be trained as
soon as possible to become productive members of the larger society so that
the cultural heritage of the society could be preserved from generation to
generation; this cultural imposition theory has been prevalent throughout
the educational history of the world (Staff, 1998). Several educational
reformers opposed the cultural imposition theory through their beliefs that
childhood is an important period of human growth and development, and that
adults should not impose their views and ways upon young children; instead,
these reformers defined educational appropriateness as what is necessary to
each child's level of development and readiness, not what is expected by
society (Staff, 1998). The German educator, Friedrich Froebel, was one of
these pioneers of early childhood educational reform. As an idealist, he
believed that every child possessed, at birth, his full educational
potential, and that an appropriate educational environment was necessary to
encourage the child to grow and develop in an optimal manner (Staff, 1998).
According to Watson (1997b), Froebel's vision was to stimulate an
appreciation and love for children and to provide a new but small world--a
world that became known as the Kindergarten--where children could play with
others of their own age group and experience their first gentle taste of
independence. Watson further adds that this early educational vision laid
the foundation for the framework of Froebel's philosophy of education which
is encompassed by the four basic components of (a) free self-activity, (b)
creativity, (c) social participation, and (d) motor expression.
As an educator, Froebel believed that stimulating
voluntary self-activity in the young child was the necessary form of
pre-school education (Watson, 1997a). Self-activity is defined as the
development of qualities and skills that make it possible to take an
invisible idea and make it a reality; self-activity involves formulating a
purpose, planning out that purpose, and then acting on that plan until the
purpose is realized (Corbett, 1998a). Corbett suggests that one of
Froebel's significant contributions to early childhood education was his
theory of introducing play as a means of engaging children in self-activity
for the purpose of externalizing their inner natures. As described by Dewey
(1990), Froebel's interpretation of play is characterized by free play
which enlists all of the child's imaginative powers, thoughts, and physical
movements by embodying in a satisfying form his own images and educational
interests. Dewey continued his description by indicating that play
designates a child's mental attitude and should not be identified with
anything performed externally; therefore, the child should be given
complete emancipation from the necessity of following any given or
prescribed system of activities while he is engaged in playful
self-activity. In summarizing Froebel's beliefs regarding play, Dewey
concluded that through stimulating play that produces self-activity, the
supreme goal of the child is the fullness of growth which brings about the
realization of his budding powers and continually carries him from one
plane of educational growth to another.
To assist children in their development of moving
from one plane of educational growth to another, Froebel provided the
children with many stimulating activities to enhance their creative powers
and abilities. Froebel designed a series of instructional materials that he
called "gifts and occupations", which demonstrated certain relationships
and led children in comparison, testing, and creative exploration
activities (Watson, 1997b). A gift was an object provided for a child to
play with--such as a sphere, cube, or cylinder--which helped the child to
understand and internalize the concepts of shape, dimension, size, and
their relationships (Staff, 1998). The occupations were items such as
paints and clay which the children could use to make what they wished;
through the occupations, children externalized the concepts existing within
their creative minds (Staff, 1998). Therefore, through the child’s own
self-activity and creative imaginative play, the child would begin to
understand both the inner and outer properties of things as he moves
through the developmental stages of the educational process.
A third component of Froebel’s educational plan
involved working closely with the family unit. Froebel believed that
parents provided the first as well as the most consistent educational
influence in a child’s life. Since a child’s first educational experiences
occur within the family unit, he is already familiar with the home
environment as well as with the occupations carried on within this setting.
Naturally, through creative self-activity, a child will imitate those things
that are in a direct and real relationship to him-things learned through
observations of daily family life (Dewey, 1990). Froebel believed that
providing a family setting within the school environment would provide
children with opportunities for interacting socially within familiar
territory in a non-threatening manner. Focusing on the home environment
occupations as the foundation for beginning subject-matter content allowed
the child to develop social interaction skills that would prepare him for higher
level subject-matter contnt in later educational developmental stages
(Dewey, 1990).
Over one hundred and fifty years ago, Froebel
(1907) urged educators to respect the sanctity of child development through
this statement:
We grant space and time
to young plants and animals because we know that, in accordance with the
laws that live in them, they will develop properly and grow well. Young
animals and plants are given rest, and arbitrary interference with their
growth is avoided,/because it is known that the opposite practice would
disturb their pure unfolding and sound development; but, the young human
being is looked upon as a piece of wax or a lump of clay which man can mold
into what he pleases (p. 8).
Motor expression, which refers to learning by doing
as opposed to following rote instructions, is a very important aspect of
Froebel’s educational principles. Froebel did not believe that the child
should be placed into society’s mold, but should be allowed to shape his
own mold and grow at his own pace through the developmental stages of the
educational process. Corbett (1998b) upholds Froebel’s tenets that a child
should never be rushed or hurried in his development; he needs to be
involved in all of the experiences each stage requires and helped to see
the relationships of things and ideas to each other and to himself so that
he can make sense out of both his subjective and objective world. Corbett
further agrees that development is continuous, with one stage building upon
another, so that nothing should be missed through haste or for any other
reason as the child moves through the educational process. Responsible
educators should strive to recognize each child's individual level of
development so that essential materials and activities to stimulate appropriate
educational growth can be provided. Froebel believed that imitation and
suggestion would inevitably occur, but should only be utilized by the
teacher as instruments for assisting students in formulating their own
instructional concepts (Dewey, 1990).
The Kindergarten idea was first introduced into
the United States in the late 1840’s (Watson, 1997b), and Froebel’s basic
philosophic principles of free self activity, creativity, social
participation, and motor expression are valuable components which exist
functionally, with some modifications, in most current early childhood
education programs. The education of society’s children is still a
difficult and fascinating issue studied by world philosophers. Educators of
the future will continue to look to philosophers of the past for assistance
in striving to attain the common goal of being jointly responsible for
nurturing, educating, and cultivating each child toward his or her maximum
potential through the educational process.
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