UNIT.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Nature, Aims and Objectives of Pre-school Education

Objective
 To enable the students understand the nature, aims and objectives of Early Childhood
Education.
 To acquaint with different recommendation.
 To understand the characteristics of Pre-school Education.

Structure

1.0.Nature of Early Childhood Care Education

1.1.Aims and objectives of Pre-school Education
1.1.1.The Secondary Education Committee (1952-53) on objectives of Preschool Education.
1.1.2.Child Care Committee (1963-64).
1.1.3.Indian Education Commission (1964-66).
1.1.4.Report of the study group.
1.1.5.Objectives of Pre-school Education.
1.1.6.Characteristics of Pre-school Education.
1.1.7.Significant Reasons for Preschool Education.

Nature

The National Early childhood care and education (ECCE) Policy reaffirms the Commitment of the Govt. of
India to provide integrated services for holistic development of all children along the contiuam, from the
prenatal period to six years of age. The policy lays down the way forward for a comprehensive approach
towards ensuring a sound foundation with focus on early learning for every Indian child.

The 11th five year plan has acknowledged the importance of Early Childhood Care Education as the stage that
lays the foundation for lifelong development and the realisation of a child’s full potential and directs that “all
children be provided at least one year preschool Education in the age group of 3-6 years”.
Under Article 21A through 86th Amendment of the constitution, free and compulsory education to children in
the age group of 6-14 has become a fundamental right, In addition to this, in Article 45 of the directive
principles, early childhood care and Education for children up to the age of 6 years has been recommended.
Early childhood care and education is necessary as readiness for formal education.
Today there is universal demand for early childhood education in the whole world.

National Policy in Education (NPE) 1986 has given a great deal of importance to ECCE. Emphasizing the
holistic nature of early childhood programme, it has extended ECCE to include the component of ‘Care’ i.e.
Early Childhood care and Education (ECCE). The main elements of care are health and nutrition. ECCE
requires that young children to be provided care opportunities and experiences that lead to their all round
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development- physical, mental, social and emotional and school readiness.

NPE has viewed ECCE as an important input in the strategy of human resource development. it has highlighted
the need of community involvement in ECCE as well as the need to establish a linkage between integrated Child
Development Scheme (ICDS) and (ECCE) programme at all level.

In the public sector integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the world’s largest programme imparting
ECCE. Prior to the Universalisation of ICDS and its subsequent expansion uncovered areas were attempted to
be covered by pre-primary system within the ambit of the primary school system.

1.1.Aims and objectives of Pre School Education

National curriculum framework (2005) emphasized two years of pre-schooling and considered ECCE as
significant for holistic development of the child, as a preparation for schooling and as a support service for
woman and girls. It advocated play based developmentally appropriate curriculum.
National plan of action for children (2005) included universalisation of ECCE as one of the goals. It specified
care, protection and development oppertunities for children below 3 years and integrated care and development
and preschool learning opportunities for 3-6 years old.

Pre-primary education is the education that a child receive before entering school at the age five or six. Actually
it starts even before the birth of a child. It therefore includes prenatal education, prenatal and post-natal care
also. It includes formal as well as non formal education i.e. education imparted in a school as well at outside.
Pre-primary education in its broader sense may be divided into the following four parts;
1. Pre-primary education from conception to birth.
2. Pre-primary education from birth to two and a half year.
3. From a two and half to four years.
4. From four to five or six years.
India has a wealth of traditional practices in ECCE that date back almost 5000 years. The value of ECCE lies in
the recognition and acceptance that ECCE is a vital development need of all children ECCE must be the first
step in the educational ladder and should be partof EFA.
 ECCE in five year plans of India
Varying degree of emphasis in ECCE; voluntary efforts to strengthening of ICDS from 1st to 10th
plan.
 11th Five year plan (2007-2012) -Development of children at the centre stage of the plan commitment
to pre solving with varying options.
 ECCE in National policies and programmes (NPE on 1986) Emphasized
need for play based and joyful ECCE.
Warned against formal teaching of the 3R’s (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) Right of children to
free and compulsory education Act 2009.

According to the sargent report (1944), the main objectives of education at the pre primary stage should be to
give young children social experience rather than formal instruction.

 To develop understanding of foundations of pre-school education.

 Growth and development in early childhood (0-6 yrs) development of skills to manage an early
childhood care and education centers.

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  Provide guidance /knowledge for working effectively with parents and communities for education of
pre. School children.
 To gain knowledge and develop skills and attitude required for working with young.
 To appreciate the health and nutritional needs of young children and to be able to evaluate a diet as
regards nutritional adequacy.
 To be able to identify common childhood illness takes care of the sick child and take preventive
measures.

1 .1.1. The Secondary education Commission (1952-53) on Objectives of Pre School Education.

Introducing the child to the joys of learning through companionship and recreationalactivities.
 Providing oppertunities for developing proper habits of life, cleanness and healthymodes of living.
 Cultivation of social habits so necessary for a community life.

1.1.2.Child Care Committee (1963-64)

Under the chairperson of Smt.B.Tarabai, listed the following objectives of Preschool.

 Taking very great care of the physical development of the child in the very early years in
terms of health, nutrition, posture and capacities for activities.
 Developing habits of cleanliness in the pre-school child at home as well as in theschool.
 Providing adequate nourishment in kind and quantity for growth of vigorous healthy bodies.
 Providing facilities for training and exercise in personal cleanliness and hygienic habits.
 Providing play ground activities and hand work activities necessary to develop all the skills of
the child to deal with the environment.
 Providing oppertunities for the emotional development of the child.
 Providing oppertunities for developing, good behaviour patterns.
 Providing suitable environment for the development of the senses on which depend the total
mental life and the psychological health of the child.

1.1.3.Indian Education Commission (1964-66)

1. To develop in the child good health habits and to build up basic skills, necessary for personal
adjustment such as dressing toilet habits, eating, washing, cleaning etc.;
2. To develop desirable social attitudes and manners and to encourage healthy group participation,
making the child sensitive to the rights and privileges of others;
3. To develop emotional maturity by guiding the child to express, understand, accept and control his
feelings and emotions;
4. To encourage aesthetic appreciation;
5. To stimulate the beginning of intellectual curiosity concerning the environment and to help him
understand the world in which he lives; and to foster new interests through oppertunities to explore
investigate and experiments;
6. To encourage independence and creativity by providing the child with sufficient oppertunities for self
expression.
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 7. To develop the child’s ability to express his thoughts and feelings in fluent, correct and clear speech;
8. To develop in the child a good physique adequate coordination and basic motor skills.

1.1.4.Report of the study group 1972:

The study group was appointed jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Department of social welfare
(which was a part of the ministry of law and social welfare). The group consisted of 13 members including the
chair person Smt. Mina Swaminathan, Sri J.P.Naik was the member secretary of the group.

The group made several recommendations on the development of the pre-school child.

1. To promote child health through periodic health care so as to reduce child mortality and morbidity and
offer protection against communicable diseases;
2. To promote optimum nutritional standards during the formative years of the child’s life to enable him to
develop his innate physical and mental potentialities to the full;
3. To promote a proper climate and to adopt measures for the healthy and balanced growth of the social
and emotional aspects for the child’s personality;
4. To reduce educational disparities by providing planned environmental stimulation aimed at supporting
development of the cognitive abilities of the child;
5. To build readiness in the child for school learning and thus to help combat wastage and stagnation in
the first two years of primary schools;
6. To promote an environment of security, love and acceptance and to help the child to build up desirable
attitude, values and behaviors;
7. To protect the child against the social and mental hazards of an unfavorable social environment ; and
8. To create community awareness of the needs of the pre-school child and to elicit and build
community environment and participation in the programme.

1.1.5 The Objectives of Pre School Education

However followings are the objectives of pre-school education.

 Development of good physique which includes ;

A.Development of motor skills.
B.Development and coordination of the muscles.
 Training in hygienic and healthy habits such as dressing, toilet habits, eating, washing, cleaning etc.
 Learning to share things with others and waits for one’s turn.
 Learning desirable social manners and etiquettes.
 Learning to express, understand and control one’s feelings.
 Stimulating the child’s curiosity about his environment and satisfying it.
 Learning concepts relating to numbers.
 Expanding knowledge for the solution of problems.
 Understanding physical phenomenon.
 Understanding social phenomenon.
 Developing vocabulary.

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  Developing concepts of right and wrong.
 Developing appreciation of beauty in the environment i.e. flowers, birds, butterflies, pictures, music,
dance and scenes etc.
 Developing school readiness.
 Expressing creative expression.
 Developing self reliance.
 Encouraging children to participate in conversational activities.
 Developing healthy habits in the child and necessary skills for personal adjustment like putting on
clothes, eating on his own, observing cleanliness etc.
 Developing good social attitudes among children so that they can participate ingames and other
activities and be sensitive to the rights and privileges of others.
 To sharpen children’s aesthetic sense.
 To give oppertunities for self expression which encourage them to be independent and creative?

 To develop in children the competence to express their views and feelings spontaneously, clearly and
accurately.

1.1.6.Characteristics of Children at the ECE Stages

 Each and every child is unique.

 There is a define pattern of a Child’s development
 A Child’s development is influenced by her/his heredity, environment and nature.
 Children generally learn by practice and repetition.
 Children are self-centred .They see everything from their own point of view.
 There are individual differences in children. We should accept the right of every child to learn in her/his
own pace and style.
 Children mostly learn by imitation.
 Children are very active and energetic. They cannot sit still for a long time.
 Children are motivated when give oppertunities and encouragement.
 Children have curiosity and eagerness to learn and take interest in new things.
 Abstract thinking is not yet developed at this stage, therefore they learn fromconcrete experiences.
 Children develop and learn better by actively discovering their environment and experimenting with
it, rather than by rote learning.
 They learn best through activities and play.
 Their attention span is short they cannot concentrate on one activity for a long time.
 They take more interest in small groups activities.
 They like repetition.

1.1.7.Significant Reasons for Pre School Education

1. Brain Development is highest during the first four years of life. The brain is forming important neural
path to help develop the child’s ability to perform and function and learn well. Children are able to learn
at a rapid rate and want and need to learn new information.
2. Going hand in hand with brain development is structure. Structure is vital for the young preschooler
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 and the child thrives in a loving, structured environment with stimulating colours, sounds, textures,
classroom layout, varying activities and books.
3. Social skills are next on the list and they are important to learn at this age rather than waiting
until kinder garden age or later social skills such as learning how to listen, nice talks, brave talks,
taking turns, acceptance of multi-cultural differences, apologies when to say pleas and thank you, how
to speak in a group helping each other, learning compassion and empathy.There are so many
opportunities for a child to develop social skills.
4. Academic are now being emphasized more than in past years because there is more research
substantiality that a child is able to learn and perform more than what we used to expect. Also, there are
more academic in the preschool curriculum now because the schools expect a child entering
kindergarten to know what once used to be taught in kindergarten.
5. Pre-school is important the needed space it gives as a parent to work or have time to pursue interests,
hobbies friends as an adult in the adult world. As a parent one still needs to grow and learn and give the
community if that is something you enjoy doing. The child needs this time away from his parents and
home to learn about the world, about people, about accepting others, making new friends. Children learn
trust and independence when given opportunities to do things on his /her own or with a group, the
child is learning important work attributes that are necessary in his future.
According to Miss Grace Owen, the aims of pre-primary schools are:-
1. To provide healthy external conditions for the children like light, sun shine, spaceand fresh air.
2. To organize a happy healthy and regular life for the children as well as continuous medical supervision.
3. To assist each child to form for himself wholesome personal habits.
4. To give opportunity for imagination and for the development of many interests as well as skills of
various kinds.
5. To give experiences of community life on a small scale where children of similar as well as varying
ages work and play with one another.
6. To achieve a real unit with home life

1.2.Contribution of the following great Educators to Pre School

Objectives

1. To make understanding of the students regarding the role of great Educationists in the field of early
childhood Education.
2. To know the works of great Educators.
3. To inculcate inspiration from great Educators for work of children at Pre-schoolstage.

Structure

1.2.1. Rousseau (1712-1778 A.D)

1.2.2. John Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827)

1.2.3.Frederich August Froebel (1782-1852). The play way method.

1.2.4.Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

1.2.5.Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

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1.2.6.Rabindra Nath Tagore (1861-1941)

1.2.7.Sri Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950)

Education before the primary stage is given in nursery schools. The qualities in culcated during childhood,
shape the entire personality. So it should be our Endeavour to create healthy habits in children that they may get
success in future life in order to :

 Develop understanding of the students regarding the role of great educators in the field of early
childhood education.
 Acquaint them with the work of great eastern education for the promotion of early childhood
education in India.
 Take inspiration from the great educators to work for the cause of care and education of the preschool
child.

Followings are the great Educators:-

1. Rousseau (1712-1778 A.D)

2. John Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827)
3. Frederich August Froebel (1782-1852). The play way method.
4. Maria Montessori (1870-1952)
5. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
6. Rabindra Nath Tagore (1861-1941)
7. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh (1872-1950)

1.2.1. ROUSSEAU (1712-1778A.D)

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was born in Geneva (June 28) but become famous as a ‘French’ political
philosopher and educationist. His philosophy of education has been called naturalism. His novel Emile was the
most significant book on education after Plato’s Republic, and his other work had a profound impact on political
theory and practice, he contends that all the ills and miseries of civilization are due to departure from “Nature.”
“Return to Nature” was his slogan to cure the world of ills and miseries. According to Rousseau ‘God makes all
things good, man meddles with them and they become evil.’ According to him education means, “Natural
development of organs and powers of the child”. Without understanding the natural needs of the child useful
education for the child cannot be provided. Rousseau has outlined his scheme of education in his book Emile.

Pre-school Education:

Rousseau expressed his views on education including pre-school education in his book Emile. The text is
divided in to five books; the first three are dedicated to the child Emile. The fourth to an exploration of the
adolescent, and the fifth to outlining the education of his female counterpart, as well as to Emile’s domestic and
civic life.

1. Part one Book deals with the education of infants.

2. Part two with childhood.

3. Part three with preadolescent.

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 4. Part four with adolescence.

5. Part five with education of girls.

Education at Infancy according to Rousseau:

The Child is active in nature, and never seen inactive. He should not force to do any work. It is not good to form
any habits in children. Child begins to play with whatever he gets; he throws it and sometimes puts in his
mouth. So his environment should be such that his natural activity is not obstructed toys should be natural. Tiny
branches, leaves and fruits should be his toys. In the beginning, it is necessary to give knowledge of words
suitable for natural ideas. Teaching of speaking or stress on speaking before the proper time is not useful. Child
should be given full freedom and proper environment for his natural activities.

1.2.2.Educational Theories of Rousseau.

1. Philosophy. ‘God makes all things good’

2. Functions of Education, ‘Plants are fashioned by cultivation, man by education’.

3. Aims of Education, to establish harmony in ‘nature’, ‘man’ and ‘objects’ to leave a complete life.
Children should be given only one knowledge and that knowledge is knowledge of duty.

4. Education through doing- Education should be practical rather than oral.

5. Self Education-The mind can comprehend a thing according to its own capacity. Learning anything by
understanding, it becomes our own.

6. Teaching through objects, Never substitute symbols for the object unless it is impossible to show the
things itself.

7. Child Centred Education, John Adams used the phrase ‘Child Centre’ and later on it was accepted as
a chief characteristics of Naturalism. According to it the child should be the centre of education and
education should develop his undeveloped natural instincts.

8. Play-way in Education, work or plays are all one to him, his, games are his work, he knows no
differences.

9. Naturalism and Curriculum, Naturalism is indifferent towards subject teaching. It is concerned with
nature only.

a) It does not give any importance to subject teaching. It considers natural and harmonious
development of child’s innate powers important.

b) it favours utilitarian education. It includes only utilitarian subjects and subjects related with
life.

c) it is opposed to bookish knowledge. It gives special importance to educational activities and

arts and crafts.
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 10. Teaching Method, Accordingly to him children should be educated through activities only. The basis
of method of teaching in naturalism is psychological in a way and according to the principles of child
psychology.

11. Heuristic Method let him not taught science but let him discover it.
12. Role of the Teacher, place of the teacher is secondary. Presence of the teacher has been considered
necessary but his interference should be minimum. To maintain suitability of environment from time to
time is also the responsibility of the teacher. Teacher should possess individual, social, psychological
and human virtues so that he is able to know the abilities and aptitudes of children.

13. Discipline. ‘Leave child alone’ children, too, will have to bear the consequences, if they will commit
mistakes in their actions. No need to impose any discipline on children.

14. Naturalism and school organization. There should be flexible organization based on liberal and free
atmosphere and natural laws. Nature itself is a school. Rosseau has recommended organizing Schools
according to the nature of children. Different schools curriculum and teaching methods should be
provided for the 4 stages.

15. Bookish knowledge. Negative education is against bookish knowledge; knowledge imparted through
books is not real but artificial and imaginary. Children should be given so much freedom and facilities
that they discover real knowledge themselves through direct contact with nature.

16. Progressiveness, Rousseau has classified education in three groups of teaching – individual teaching,
behavior teaching and natural teaching .

17. Physical Education. “All wickedness comes from weakness. The child is only naughty, because he is
weak; make him strong and will be good”.

18. Vocational Education, “It is clear (The art of Carpenter) and useful, it may be carried on at home it
gives enough exercises, it calls for skill and industry, and while fashioning articles for everyday use,
there is scope for elegance and taste. ”

19. Women Education, Woman’s education, must be planned in relation to man.

20. Education through Rural and National Environment, “Cities are the graves of human species.”

1.2.3.Contribution of Rousseau as a whole

 Educational system based on activities advocated by Pestalozzi may be said to be the contribution of
Emile.
 Child should be given opportunities for natural work by keeping him free from oldsocial traditions.
 The basis of early education of the child is conceptual knowledge.
 Education is not preparation for life but life itself. Dewey was accepted this principle.
 Rousseau anticipated modern Heuristic method when he declared child as a discover.

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  He stress on the ‘Concrete’ led to “learning by doing”.
 His conceptions of freedom, growth, interests and activity are noteworthy in
education theory and practice.
 The interests of the child change with intelligence. So education according to the stage of
development of the child should be provided.
 It is primarily due to Rousseau that the need of sense training and physical activities in the earlier
development of the child has been recognized in the modern system of education.
 ‘Cramming’ blunts the intelligence of the child. So instead of emphasizing cramming, it is necessary to
give education to the child on the basis of individual difference by paying attention to his curiosity and
interest.
 Language should be taught through conversation.
 Rousseau’s Doctrine of education found some place in France.
 Scientific and sociologic tendencies in education ushered in because of Rousseau’s influence. New
methods of teaching and child study movement began.
 Salvation of man is only in simple living for the development of personality-family affection necessary.

1.2.4.John Henrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827)

Pestalozzi was a Swiss Pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach. His
motto was “Learning by head, hand and heart”. He was known as father of Education’ he saw teaching as a
subject worth studying in its own right and he is therefore known as the father of pedagogy. He caused
education to become a separate branch of knowledge, alongside politics and other recognized areas of
knowledge. He started his own school at Burgdorf to carry out his educational experiments.

Pestalozzi advocated education of the poor and emphasized teaching methods designed to strengthen the
student’s own abilities. Pestalozzi’s method become widely accepted and most of his principles have been
absorbed into modern elementary education.

Contributions to Education

His initial influence on the development of thinking about pedagogy owes much a book he published on 1801 “How
Gertrude Teachers her Children”
 In 1780 published anonymously in “Die Empherides” a series of aphorisms entitled The Evening Hours
of a Hermit.
 “Leonard and Gertrude” four volumes of story from his own experiences he published (1781, 1783,
1785, 1787).
 In 1803 Pestalozzi published three elementary books: The ABC of sense perception lessons on the
observation of Number Relations and The Mother’s Book. This book contains some exercises for
preschool children. It gives a systematic psychological theory of his educational method.
 In 1813 “The Swan Song”.
 In 1818 “His letters on Early Education”.

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Educational Contributions for Preschool-Children

Pestalozzi’s Philosophy of education was based on a four-sphere concept of life and the premise that human
nature was essentially good. The first three “Exterior” spheres- home and family, vocational and individual self
determination and state and nation-recognized the family, the utility of individuality and the applicability of
the parent-child relationship to society a whole in the development of a child’s character, attitude toward
learning and sense of duty. The last ‘Exterior’ sphere-inner sense-posited that education, having provided a
means of satisfying, one’s basis needs results in inner please and a keen belief inGod.

Pestalozzi inspired by the work of French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, developed an educational
method based on the natural world and the senses. Pestalozzi established schools in Switzerland and Germany
to educate children and train teachers, School should resemble secure and loving home.

Pestalozzi’s approach had massive influence on education.

 The interests and needs of the child.

 A childcentred approach to teaching.
 Active rather than passive participation in the learning experience.
 The child having direct experience of the world and the use of natural objects in teaching .
 Aims of Education, Education is “The Natural, progressive and harmonious development of all the
powers and capacities of human being”.
 Methods of Instruction, Pestalozzi remarked, “I wish to psychologise education”. He advocated the
child should be studied thoroughly and thereafter appropriate methods of instruction should be used,
 The use of the senses in training pupils in observation and judgment.
 Education which puts emphasis on how things are taught as well as what is taught.
 Cooperation between the school and the home and between parents and teachers
 Sense perception or ‘Anschuung’. He was a firm believer in the value of senseperception.
 Nature as an Educator. Pestalozzi remarked, “Nature teaches better than man”
 Discipline, Pestalozzi forced nothing upon students from without. He guided themto control them. He
gave them his love and affection.
 Learning which is cross curricular and includes a varied school life.

1.2.5.Frederich August Froebel (1782-1852): The Play way method.

Frederich Wilhelm August Froebel created the concept of “Kindergarten” and developed educational toys
known as Froebel gifts. He was born in Oberweiback, a village in south Germany. Shortly after Froebel’s birth
his mother’s health began to fail, she died when he was nine months old; profoundly influencing his life in
1792, Froebel went to live in the small town of stadt-llm with his uncle, a gentle and affectionate man. At the
age of 15, Froebel who loved nature, become the apprenticeship and study mathematics and botany in Jena.
From 1802 to 1805, he worked as a land surveyor.

He began as an educator in 1805 at the musterschule (a secondary School) in frank fart where he learned about
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi’s ideas. He later worked with Pestalozzi’s in Switzerland where his ideas further
developed; from 1806 Froebel was the live-in teacher for a Frankfurt noble family’s three sons. He lived with
the three children from 1808 to 1810 at Pestalozzi’s institute in Yverdon-Les-Bains in Switzerland.

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Froebel’s Carrier in Education

In 1811, Froebel once again went back to school in Gottingen and Berlin, eventually leaving without earning a
certificate. He became a teacher at the Plamannsche schule(school) in Berlin, a boarding school for boys, and at
the time also a pedagogical and patriotic centre.

In 1816, Froebel established a small school at Griesheim which later on was shifted to klilhav. In this school,
Froebel developed his own principles and methods of instruction. After passing through several vicissitudes,
this school became a successful institution in a period of ten years. ‘Play’ and ‘art work’ were the chief features
of the school.
Contribution of Froebel

In 1826 he published his main literacy work, “The Education of Man” (Die Menschenerziehung). 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”.

From 1831 to 1836, Froebel once again lived in Switzerland. In 1831 he founded an educational institute in war
tense: further from 1835 to 1836 he headed the orphanage in Burgdorf where he published the magazine
‘Features of Human Education’. After this he started many schools in Germany.

Froebel’s Work

He dedicated himself almost exclusively to preschool child education and began manufacturing playing
materials in Bad Blankenburg. In 1837 he founded a care, playing and activity institute for small children in Bad
Blankenburg. In 1840 he coined the word Kindergarten for the play and activity Institute he had founded for
young children, together with Wilhelm Middendorf and Heinrich Langethal.

He designed the educational play materials known as Froebel Gifts, or Frobelgaben which included geometric
building blocks and pattern activity blocks. Froebel’s great insight was to recognize the importance of the
activity of the child in learning. He introduced the concept of “Free work” into pedagogy and established the
“Game” as the typical from that life took in childhood, and also game’s educational worth. Activities in the first
kindergarten included singing, dancing, gardening and self directed play with the Froebel gifts. A songbook that
he published- ‘Mutter-Und Koselie Der’ to introduce the young child in the adult world.

Last part of his Life.

Froebel died on 21 June 1852 in Marienthal, now a constituent community of Schwerin. His views were not
accepted by German Government it forbade him from establishing any school. This was a great shock and he
could not long survive.

Froebel’s Educational Philosophy and Principles

 Froebel believed that humans are essentially productive and creative and fulfillment comes through
developing these in harmony with God and the world. As a result, Froebel sought to encourage the
creation of educational environments that involved practical work and the direct use of materials.
 He wanted to develop the qualities of cooperation, tolerance and understanding in children through
teaching. He wanted that the education of the child should be planned according to his natural aptitudes
interests and activities.
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  Kindergarten was the first organized early childhood educational method. As a keen observer of nature
and humanity, Froebel approached human education from both a biological and a spiritual perspective.
His innovations includes multiple intelligences (different learning styles), play based child centered,
holistic education, parent involvement/ training, educational paper folding, use of music, games and
movement activities for education.
 Play is Engine of Real learning.
He includes that play is not idle behavior but a biological imperative to discover how things work. It is
pleasurable activity, but biologically purposeful.
 According to Froebel “The True method of Education Consists in considering the mind of the child as a
living whole in which all the parts work together to produce harmonious unity”.
 Principles of Development Froebel asserts, “Each individual must develop from within, self active and
free, in accordance with the internal law”.
 Creativeness of Childhood, Froebel proposed a new concept of childhood. He stressed that childhood is
not merely a preparation for adulthood. Childhood is a value in itself and possesses it own creation.
 Play and Activity, play is the purest, most important activity of man at his stage, it gives, therefore, Joy,
Freedom, Contentment, inner rest and peace with the world, it holds the source of all that is good”.
 Freedom to the child the child should be educated in free atmosphere, freedom means obedience to self
imposed law.
 Importance of song he advised songs, gestures and construction as the chief means of stimulating the
imagination of the child.
 Role of the Teacher The Teacher is like the gardener who carefully nurses and protects children in order
to secure their full and free development along most desirable lines. The educators by his efforts assist
the educand who is developing according to the law of his nature.

Froebel’s Kindergarten-

In 1837 Froebel founded his own school and called it “Kindergarten” or “Children’s Garden” kindergarten was a
new word created by him to express his vision for early childhood. “Children are like tiny flowers; they are
varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers”.
Frobel’s labeled his approach to education as “self activity”. This idea allows the child to lead by his or her
own interests and to freely explore them. The teacher’s role, therefore, was to be a guide rather than lecture.

Froebel’s Kindergarten is designed:

To meet each child’s need for

 Physical activity
 The development of sensory awareness and physical dexterity.
 Creative expression
 Exploration of ideas and concepts
 The pleasure of singing
 The experience living among others
 Satisfaction of the soul.

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Froebel’s school featured games, play, songs, stories and crafts to stimulate imagination and develop physical
and motor skills.

The materials were divided into two categories:

Gifts: were objects that were fixed in form such as blocks. The purpose was that in playing with the object the
child would learn the concept represented by the object.

Occupations: allowed more freedom and consisted of things that children could shape and manipulate such as
clay, sand, beads and string.

He gave children:

 respect for their intellectual and emotional abilities and development.

 in the classroom (symbolically viewed as an extension of a flourishing garden.)
 and that which he needed most as a child.

Objective of the Kindergarten: In the words of Froebel, “The objective 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 their awakening mind and through their senses to make them acquainted with nature and their fellow
creatures.

Environment of the Kindergarten:-It is to be that of freedom, play and joy- an environment which fosters self
expression. There are to be no books or fixed intellectual tasks for children, but training in expression is to be
given in three ways:-songs, movements and construction. These three are to go together. When a story is told
or read, it is expressed in song, dramatized in movement and gesture and illustrated byconstruction from blocks,
paper, clay or drawing. Thus the child’s imagination and thought are encouraged and stimulated by concrete
means. His hands and limbs his eyes and other senses are trained.
Kindergarten and educational principles:

1. Self Activity as a process by which the individual realizes his own nature and builds up his own world and
then unites and harmonizes the two. Some important points regarding activity:

It should not be vague.

It should be a sublimated activity.

Social atmosphere is essential in order to secure meaningful activities.

Self activity may take the form either of work or of play.

Play. According to Froebel play is the purest, most spiritual activity of man at this stage. “It gives, therefore,
joy, freedom, contentment, inner rest and peace with the world. It holds the source of all that is good”.

Songs, gestures and construction according to him there is a organic relationship between songs, gestures and
construction. He regarded these as three coordinate forms of expression in the child.

Positive Discipline Teacher has to avoid external restraint and bodily punishment. The child should be made to
realize the discipline depends upon his love for orders, good will and mutual understanding.

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 Curriculum: He expressed this in term of activities with some divisions of the curriculum:-

i) Manual Work ii) Religion and religious instruction. iii) Natural Science and Mathematics
Language v) Arts and objects of art.

Froebel’s Gift:

Froebel prepared his Gifts, which form the basis of all modern kindergarten. All of these gifts was accompanied
and cheered by appropriate songs and music. The activities suggested by these gifts are called occupations. The
gifts are given to the child in a certain order. The gradation and order elements of gifts are determined by the
principle of development. The gifts are 20 in number.

First Gift: it consists of a string of rainbow colored woolen balls, by the aid of which ideas of color, from size
and motion were formed by the children. The occupation consists in rolling them about in play.
Second Gift: It is a solid cube; cylinder, wooden ball, stick and string are used to impart ideas of from, size,
sound and movement. The child observes that the cylinder is both stable and movable and that it harmonies both
the qualities in one.

Third Gift: it contains eight cubes of equal size, forming, when properly combined, one perfect cube. Properly
applied, the combinations of these supply the child with ideas of division into halves, quarters and eights. This
gives way to a limited extent, be used incidentally to teach these letters of the alphabets which do not involve
the use of curves. It may teach the whole by careful arrangements, but the real rounding of the alphabetical
letters is a later development.

Fourth Gift: it consists of the large cubes divided into eight oblong prisms in each of which the length is twice
the breadth and the breadth is twice the thickness. This helps the child to construct different kinds of buildings
and patterns when combined with the third gift.

Fifth Gift: It is very much like the third gift. It consists of a large cube divided into twenty- seven small cubes,
three of when are again divided diagonally into haves and three into quarters. Child can construct many
beautiful forms and patterns by combining the third , fourth and fifth gifts.

Sixth Gifts: this is also similar to gift four. There is a large cube divided into eighteen whole and nine small
oblong blocks. Still further designs in forms and construction may be made by the child. It is also useful in
teaching numbers.

Seventh Gift: It is also a set of square and triangular tablets made of fine wood in two colors. It provides
material for several exercises in geometrical forms and mosaic work.

Other gifts consists of materials, such as performing paper cuttings, threading of beds, mat making embroidery,
basket making, wire work, drawing and modeling.

Contribution of Frobel to Education:

Froebel was the first to recognize that significant brain development occurs between birth and age 3. His
method combines an awareness of human physiology and the recognition that we, at our essence are creative
beings. Once early childhood educations become widely adopted, it was the natural starting point for innovations
that followed.

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Frobel applied spherical philosophy to education and it, rather than empirical observation, guided his work,
Mind and matter. Although opposites are both subject to the same law of nature in which god, the third element
is imminent.
a) In relation to the child it was a unity, diversity and individually- Each child is spontaneously represent
this elements a process he referred to as all-sided, self activity.
His statement is that “Play is the self-active representation of the inner from inner necessity”.
b) Teaching should follow nature. The task of the teacher was to provide the conditions for growth without
intervening too much in the learning process. Froebel presented these ideas in his 1826 book “The
Education of Man”.
c) Education through Play: he introduced play-way in the activities of the school. Teach children through
songs, movements, gestures, dramatization, handwork, etc. In 1843, he published a book entitled
Mother’s songs, Games and stories. This was his most popular book; as the title suggests, it described
action songs and finger plays (together with their musical notion) wood cut illustrations, and guidance
on how to present the songs as well as the meanings that could be derived from them.
d) Women Education: Froebel’s observations of mother are singing to their children. He wanted to help
women educate their infants more effectively as a prerequisite for a better society. According to
Froebel, entrust the education at pre-primary or pre-basic stage to women teachers who are considered
to be more suited for this task of instruction at this stage.
e) Stress on Pre-Primary or Nursery Education “Until the education of nursery years was reformed nothing
solid and worthy could be achieved”. The importance of education at the early stage now we find it
and a large number of schools cateringto the needs of such children.
f) Principles of play way method: Growth and development of the child through play, self activity self
expression through play, spontaneity, freedom, happiness and joy in play activities, unity, aesthetic
appreciation, creativeness, drawing out, discipline through love, sense training, principle of concrete to
abstract are some of the principles.

1.2.6.Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

The most admired educator Maria Montessori was a doctor by qualification and profession at the start of her
Carrier. When she was in the University of Rome’s psychiatric clinic saw large number children with learning
disabilities, placed there for lack of other options. Treatment of these children touched her, and she began to
read everything she could find on the education of the children with such disabilities. She disagreed with
Rousseau’s idea of unstructured education in the wilds of nature, she liked his ideas of developing the senses
before abstract learning taken place. She also studied the work of Pestalozzi and Froebel and adapted them to
her own use.
Educational Interest

She was convinced that it was neither education nor medicine that would improve their lives. She was speaking
at conferences about the need to educate children with learning disabilities, and proposed a school along with
Froebel’s line. She found herself appointed director of a teacher training institute that was a pioneer in the field
of special education in Italy.

Pulling her ideas from Froebel and others, Montessori experimented with teaching materials and activities,
succeeding so well that her 8 year-old so-called “defectives” eventually did as well as or better than those
labeled ‘normal ’ in state examinations for reading and writing.
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Montessori worked as a professor of Anthropology in the University of Rome from 1900 to 1917. She
supervised the word of mentally different children and took a keen interest in their education also. Montessori
developed the principle that was also to inform her general educational programme: first the education of the
senses, then the education of intellect. Maria Montessori developed a teaching programme that enabled
‘defective’ Children to read and write she thought to teach skills not by having children repeatedly try it, but by
developing exercises that prepare them. These exercises would then be repeated: looking becomes reading;
touching becomes writing.

Maria Montessori had the chance to rest her programme and ideas with the establishment of the first Casadei
Bambini (Children’s house or house hold) in Rome in 1907. This house and that followed are designed to
provide a good environment for children to live and learn. An emphasis was placed on self determination and
self realization. Self realization through independent activity, the concern with attitude and the focus on the
educator as the keeper of the environment.

Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870, in the provincial town of Chiravalle, Italy, to middle class, well
educated parents. Montessori becomes the first female doctor in Italy. As a doctor, Montessori chooses
pediatrics and psychiatry as her specialties.

Montessori began to conceptualize her own method of applying their educational theories, which she tested
through hands on scientific observation of students at the Orthopedic School. Montessori found the resulting
improvement in student’s development remarkable. She spread her research findings in speeches throughout
Europe, also using her platform to advocate for women’s and children’s rights.

Montessori works in India

She come to India in 1939 and remained up to 1946. She spend her time in training teachers for small children
according to her method in Madras, she developed a program
called Education for Peace. Her work with the programme earned her two Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
Montessori returned to Holland in 1951 and died on May 6, 1952. Montessori teaching methods continue the
“Follow the Child” all over the world now.

Montessori Education: “Montessori is a method of education that is based on self directed activity, hands on
learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms Children make creative choices in their learning,
while the classroom and the teacher offer age appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in
groups and individually to discover and explore knowledge of the world and develop their maximum potential”.

The learning process according to Montessori:

There are 3 stages of learning:

1. Introduction to a concept (by a lesson, a reading, a lecture).

2. Processing the information and developing an understanding of the meaning through work,
experimentation, creation, this gives the child a real ability to learn and remember what he/she has
learned. This is the most important stage since it puts emphasis on the concepts of developing,
experimenting, creating and transforming.
3. “Knowing”, processing the information demonstrated by the ability to teach or explain to others, or to
express easily.

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Some important educational views:

 Emphasis is on our children becoming whole balanced and healthy individuals.

 Children have the natural ability to learn everything they need full, happy andproductive lives.
 Seek to understand each person’s uniqueness.
 Ultimate goal is to develop and innate love of learning, varied interests, and openness to view new
ideas.
 Guide our children individually at their own pace through a wide range of learningskills.
 Children learn from all kinds of experiences, including success and failures.

Philosophy of Education according to Montessori:

 Children are natural learners: Montessori saw that children under went extraordinary transformations in
overall happiness, self confidence, and self discipline when they were allowed to follow their innate
needs. The work of a child therefore was fundamentally different to that of the adult: that the child
worked for the joy of the process rather than for the end.
 Children learn through their senses: children built on their physical experiences of the world through
their senses and that by carefully designing interesting materials which the children were drawn to
experiment with.
 Children need freedom: Montessori saw freedom as the single most important factor in allowing
children to develop as spontaneous, creative individuals.
 Teachers according to Montessori: Teachers educated in the Montessori method bring distinctive skills,
called a “directress” by Montessori method, and (mostly women) and sometimes known as a “guide”.
Montessori teachers play many roles as she directs guides her students.
 Skilled Observer: Teacher comes to know each student’s interests, learning style and temperament. He
understands the student’s developmental needs and is receptive to her “sensitive periods”.
 Creative Facilitators: the teacher serves as a resource as students go about their work. As students
progress, the teacher modifies the classroom environment, adjusting the learning materials to meet the
student’s changing needs.
 Character Builder: Teacher’s models values such as empathy, compassion and acceptance of individual
differences. He encourages the students to be courteous kind. And he brings students together in
collaborative activities to foster team work, responsibility, self discipline and respect.
 As a Gardener: she thinks that teacher should care for the child like a gardener who cares for the plants
so that natural growth of the child is properly guided and aided in the process of unfolding itself.
 Provision of suitable environment: The directress should allow the child to grow according to his own
inner law. Her business to provide for suitable environment. She should provide children with
appropriate opportunities to think for them.
 Teacher as a Doctor-cum-Scientists-cum-Missionary: According to Montessori the directress should be
partly doctor, partly scientist and completely religious. Like a doctor she should avoid scolding or
suppressing the patient in order to avoid worse situations. Like a scientist she should wait patiently for
the results and should conduct experiments with her materials. Like a religious body she should be there
toserve the child.

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Publication of Madam Montessori:

1. The Discovery of the Child

2. Education for a new child
3. To educate Human Potential
4. The secret of child hood
5. The child peace and education
6. Reconstruction in education
7. The absorbent mind
8. What you should know about your child?
9. Child training
10. The Montessori Method.

Children’s House:

The first school started by Montessori in 1907 was called a ‘Children’s House’. It provides all the requirements
of a good family house.
A children’s house has many rooms: 1. Study room 2. Common room 3. Lunch room 4. Rest room 5. Room for
mental work 6. Gymnasium 7. Bathroom and 8. Laboratory.
The environment of the house specifically designed to help children between ages of 2½ to 6 years to develop
their own pace, choosing their own activities from the Montessori materials which are displayed in an ordered
and accessible way. She tables, chairs etc are specially made for the children. The children keep the didactic
apparatus in the cup boards and things in little drawers. Based on her observation, Montessori implemented a
number of practices. She replaced the heavy furniture with child-sized tables and chairs light enough for the
children to move, and placed child sized materials on low, accessible selves.

The black boards are fixed in the walls on which the children draw or paste pictures of different kinds according
to their own interests. The children were provided with flowers, toys, pictures indoor games etc. the lunch room
contains low tables, chairs, spoons, knives, tumblers etc. In the drawing room, the children are provided with
their own little shelf, where they keep their soap and towel for washing.

Montessori expanded the range of practical activities such as sweeping and personal care to include a wide
variety of exercises for care of the environment and the self, including flower arranging, hand washing,
gymnastics, and care of pets and cooking. She also included large open air sections in the classroom
encouraging children to come and go as they please the room’s different areas and lessons.

The children house also contains a pedometer and weighing machine to keep a record of the height and weight
of the students.

Besides, Didactic apparatus is used to provide sensory training, motor training and for teaching language and
arithmetic

Educational Method: According to Montessori called for free activity within a “Prepared Environment”,
meaning and educational environment tailored to basic human characteristics, to the specific characteristics of
children at different ages, and to the individual personalities of each child. The function of the environment is
to help and allow the child to develop independence in all areas according to his or her inner psychological
directives.

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Montessori Material: appropriate to the age of the children, environment should exhibit the following
characteristics.

 An arrangement that facilitates movements and activity.

 Beauty and harmony, cleanness of environment.
 Construction in proportion to the child and his/her needs.
 Limitation of materials so that only material that supports the child’s development is included.
 Order.
 Nature in the classroom and outside the classroom.

Sensitive period: as observed by Montessori is special sensitivity to particular stimuli during this time which
she called as “Sensitive Periods.” She identified the following periods and durations for this.

 Acquisition of language-birth to around 6 years old.

 Interests in small objects- from around 18 month to 3 years old.
 Order-from around 1 to 3 years old
 Sensory refinement-from birth to around 4 years old.
 Social behavior-from around 2½ to 4 years old.

Normalization: Montessori observed in children from 3 to 6 years old a psychological state which she termed
‘normalization.’ Normalization arises from concentration and focus on activity which serves the child’s
development needs, and is characterized by the ability to concentrate as well as “spontaneous discipline,
continuous and happy work, social sentiments of helps and sympathy for others”.

‘Montessori divided different planes according to the age and psychological development in relation to the
child’.

Exercises mostly provided in children’s house are:

i. Exercises in practical life.

ii. Exercises for sense training
iii. Exercises for teaching language and Arithmetic The children
require in doing the following activities:-

Practical life Skill/Motor Discipline

Development
 Sweeping rooms  Walking  Control himself
 Clean and dust  Sitting land  Own efforts
furniture’s  Holding objects  Goodness
 Arrangements  Care of own body  Expected to learn
 Dressingand washing  Gardening goodness
 House hold duties  Manual work  Truthfulness
 Comb their hair  Walk in straight line  Build up of own
 Brush teeth  Rhythmic effort
 Cut the nails movements
 Balancing properly

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Didactic Approach & Montessori:

The word ‘Didactic means to convey instruction and information (learning) as well as pleasure. In other words,
didactic denotes learning with pleasure. The didactic apparatus’, implies that apparatus (concrete materials)
which is educate the young children in such a way that learning becomes joyful.

Terms and concepts in Montessori Method:

Sr.No Terms & Details

Concepts
1. Individual Self motivated learning used in Montessori schools that consists of a series
learning of educational tasks that are chosen by the students.
2. Kinesiology The study of the mechanics of human body movement.
3. Magnet A programme in public school systems that offers specialized methods of
Programme teaching and curriculum to students representing a cross section of thecommunity.

4. Manipulators Concrete objects such as beads, rods and blocks that are used by students
during Montessori lessons in order to encourage sensory learning and self discovery.

5. Montessori An educational system developed by Maria Montessori in 1907 that uses

Method independent, self correcting activities to develop and advance a student’s
natural ability and intellect.
6. Montessori Any public or private special education pre-k, K-1,2 or other learning
schools institution that offers Montessori based curriculum to the students.
7. Progressive The belief that the goal of education is to help people become more free
Approach thinking innovators who can improve society through positive reform.
8. Sensory Teaching using interactions and activities designed to apply and develop
Learning the senses.
9. Traditional The belief that the goal of education is to prepare to fulfill necessary tasks
Learning in society through subject-based instruction focused on competition and evaluation.

10. Whole Class The traditional subject based pedagogy of mass instruction used in most
learning public school systems in the united states.

Process of Learning: There are 3 stages of learning:

Stage- I. Introduction to a concept by means of a lecture, lesson, something read in a book etc.
Stage- II. Processing in information, developing an understanding of the concept through work
experimentation creation.
Stage-III. “Knowing” to processing an understanding of demonstrated by the ability to pass a test with
confidence to teach another, or to express with ease.

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Principles of Didactic Apparatus: This apparatus intended to translate Montessori’s principles of educational
philosophy into actions followings are some principles.

Development of the child from within, individual differences among children, Auto education or self education,
sense training, motor training, freedom or library, learning by doing, self discipline, individual teaching,
excluding fairy tales.

Didactic apparatus primarily for use with normal children aged from 3 to 6 years, which is “auto regulative”
freedom for physical activity, at very early development.

Forms of Didactic Apparatus:

Didactic Apparatus for sensory training.

Didactic Apparatus for teaching language and Arithmetic.

Sensory Apparatus:

Purpose Apparatus
1. For perception of size  Series of wooden cylinder varying in height only in
diameter only or in both dimensions
block varying regularly in size and rods of varying
length.
2. For perception of color  Pink cubes, brown prisms, green and
alternatively red and blue rods and colored
tablets etc.
3. For preparation of form  Geometrical insets in metal wood a chest of drawers
containing plane in sets series of cards on which are
pasted geometrical forms
in paper.
4. For discrimination in “weight”  Tablets of wood similar in size but different in
weight.
5. For discrimination in ‘Touch’  Rectangular tablet with rough and smoothsurfaces.

6. For discrimination in ‘Sound’  Cylindrical boxes containing different

substances.
Didactic Apparatus for Teaching language and Arithmetic, with-

 Two sloping desks and various iron insets.

 Cards on which are pasted sandpaper letters.
 Two alphabets of colored card board and of different sizes.
 A series of cards on which are pasted sand paper figures (1,2,3 etc)
 A series of large cards bearing the same figures in smooth paper for the enumeration of numbers
above ten.
 Two boxes with small sticks for counting.
 The volume of drawing belonging especially to the methods and colour pencils.
 The frames for lacing, buttoning etc which are used motor education of hand.

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Details application of Didactic Apparatus:
Three sets of colored insets.
1. Three sets of solid in graduated size, consisting of: pink cubes, brown prisms rods
(a)colored green (b) colored alternatively red and blue.
2. Various geometric solids.
3. Rectangular boards with rough and smooth surfaces.
4. A collection of various stuffs and materials.
5. Small wooden tables of different weights.
6. Two boxes, each containing sixty four colored tablets.
7. A chest of drawers containing plane insets.
8. Three series of cards on which are pasted geometrical forms in paper.
9. A collection of cylindrical closed boxes (sounds).
10. A double series of musical bells: wooden boards on which are painted the lines used in music; small
wooden discs for the notes.
Procedure of use of materials:

The use of the material employed involves three stages.

i. Association of the sensory perception with the name “this is red” .
ii. Recognition of the object, “Give me Thread”.
iii. Recalling the name of the object “what is this”?.
Child handles the materials, by repeating the process, with all that included in different sets. The exercise trains
the sense of sight and teaches the child to note the different dimensions.

The apparatus is self corrective, training in a particular sense, motor training and learning by doing activities.

Didactic Exercise for Teaching 3Rs is Reading, Writing Arithmetic. After sensory training children are taught
reading, writing and arithmetic. In Montessori system, writing starts before reading. For this purpose she
depends upon the psychological principle of “Transfer of Training”. In her words, preparatory movement could
be converted and reduced to a mechanism by means of repeated exercise, not in the work itself, but in that
which prepares for it.

However, Montessori’s Educational Thought and Practices brings followings merits among the children:

• Scientific base of the method.

• Individual teaching.
• Freedom for children.
• Education through sense training
• Unique method of reading and writing
• Learning through living
• Social values
• Reverence for small children

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Demerits:

• Mechanical and artificial nature of the didactic apparatus.

• More emphasis on biological aspects and less on psychological.
• Belief in transfer of training.
• Neglect of the training of imagination
• Lack of suitable trained teachers
• Expensive material.
• Very little scope for correlation and projects.

1.2.7.Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Gandhiji’s contribution to Indian education is best known through his scheme of new education called NAI-
TALIM or Basis Education. In addition, Gandhiji had also realized the vital importance of educating children
below 7 years of age, which in opinion is an important stage in the growth and development of the individual.
Gandhiji focus on education for children of 7 years which is called pre basic education.

Pre basic education:

Pre basic education is the “education of children under 7 for a development of all their faculties conducted by
the school teachers in cooperation with the parents and the community in schools and at homes”.

Essentials of pre basic education according to Gandhiji are –

Home is the first center of child’s education and learning.

The teacher and parents should cooperate in carrying out the education of youngchildren.
Preschool education must not be expensive so that it can reach the majority of childpopulation.
A child has to be active, creative and playful and has to learn things through the medium of play.
An attempt should be made to develop self efficiency in children.

According to Gandhiji above mentioned ideas of Pre-school education, the first experiment in pre-basic
education was started in 1945 in the village of seva gram, Wardha in Maharastra state.

Gandhi’s principles:

Mahatma followed as well as preached the following principles throughout his life:

 Truth
 Non violence
 Vegetarianism
 Brahmacharya
 Simplicity
 Faith in God

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The programme of instruction in a pre basic school is geared to the needs of the following 4 groups:

 Stage I- Conception to birth

 Stage-II-Birth to 2½ years
 Stage III-2½ years to 4 years
 Stage IV-4 years to 7 years

In first two stages education involves both mother and child. Opportunities are provided to the mothers to learn
more about new trends and scientific methods of child rearing health and hygiene and mother craft. Children
were given custodial care and medical attention.

The children from 2½ years to 4 years are provided to play or group activities. Children need to be given full
freedom to act, to move about and to choose their own activities teacher must supervise and guide the child.

The children after 4 years can participate in definite purposeful activities such as cleaning the class room,
watering plants, washing vessels, measuring and weighing tins, bringing water, drawing and painting and other
similar activities. Teacher must understand likes and dislikes of the child.

Gandhiji’s view on other aspect of early childhood education:

 Concept of Education: According to Gandhi, good education is that which stimulates the spiritual,
intellectual and physical facilities of the children.
 Curriculum: Curriculum is to be craft centered and activity centered. He pointed out through craft,
children understand concrete life situation. Craft is to be taught not merely for productive work but for
developing the intellectual capacities of the children.
 Methods and approaches: Correlation is an important method of basic education. It is the technique
which binds education with child’s life.
 Books: He discouraged the use of many books, especially books with formal writings. Especially the
first year in primary school should be completely without books and the teacher should use oral method
to save the child from “Tyranny of words”
 Role of teachers: Teacher has to play the role of a mother. She has to nurturethe child, live with him
and bring him to the level of greater maturity.
 Religious Education: He emphasized classical principles of ethics and maturity in general rather than
religious teaching.
Gandhiji’s Views on Education:

“By Education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body mind and spirit. Literacy is
not the end of education or even the beginning”, M.K.Gandhi (Harijan: July31, 1937)

As such education becomes the basis of personality development in all dimensions-- moral, mental and
emotional. Education means, “To nourish” “To bring up” and “To raise”. This means educating a child or
drawing out what is ingrained in child or to lead out of darkness into light,

25
According to Gandhiji: “Character cannot be built with mortar and stone. It cannot be built by hands other
than your own”.

Gandhiji in Ceylon by Mahadev Deasi.P.89

“Basic education links the children, whether of cities or of village, to all that is best andlasting in India”.

Constructive programme; its meaning and place.

“Is not education the art of drawing out full manhood of the children under training”.

- Young India, 12-3-1925.

Mahatma Gandhi explained the concept of basic education through a series of articles in his Harijan Magazine
in 1937. In the conference of Wardha after a detailed discussion about Gandhiji’s articles the scheme of Basic
Education took shape under the leadership of Dr. Zakir Hussain. Following were the resolutions:

i. Free and compulsory education should be given to all children for a period of seven years.
ii. The medium of instruction should be the mother tongue.
iii. The process of education should be centered round form of manual production work in the shape
of a craft.
iv. This education should be self supporting to some extent.

Gandhiji’s Publication on Education:

1. My experiments with Truth (Autobiography)

2. Basic Education
3. Towards Need Education
4. True Education
5. To the students
6. Task Before Indian Students
7. India of My Dreams
8. Medium of Instruction
9. Tasks Fore India
10. Harijan

Gandhiji’s Views on Education:

The Basic Philosophy of Gandhiji:

 True education is all round development of the faculties best attained through action. It bases itself on
the fact that knowledge and understanding develop inrelation to problems set right by action.
 Education must be concrete and inter connected, not abstract or given in isolated sections. Concrete
education allows the learner to manipulate problems or sets of problems and study their relationships,
character and artistic sense. It allows the mind, heart, hand eyes to work simultaneously in a correlated
manner, resulting in a harmonious and well balanced personality.
 Education must be imparted in the child’s mother tongue and organically connected with the child’s
social and cultural environment.
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Aim and Goals according to Gandhiji:

 All boys and girls in India should grow up to seek truth and peace.
 All children should grow up as citizens in a new social order, based on cooperative work and with the
understanding of their rights, responsibilities and obligation in such a society.
 Every individual child should have full opportunity for balanced and harmonious development and
should acquire the capacity of self reliance in every aspect of a clean, healthy and cultured life, together
with an understanding of the social, political and moral implications of such a life.
 Each individual must develop “a scientific attitude of mind” it means a clean intellectual curiosity to
know “how” and “why” of things the patience detachment to test all phenomena, all ideas and all
traditions by the standards of truth.

Religious Education: fundamental principles of ethics are common to all religions. These should certainly be
taught to the children.

Education and Character: what is education without character. What is character without elementary purity.

Education through craft: whole process of education to be imparted through some handicraft or industry
Teaching of Craft: Handicrafts are to be taught not merely for production work but for developing the intellect
of the pupils.

Value of Dignity of labor Manual work will have to be the very centre of the whole thing. Useful manual labor,
intelligently performed is the means par intelligence for developing the intellect.

1.2.8. Rabindra Nath Tagore (1961-1941)

Rabindranath Tagore was a poet and a saint who had through his imagination and in sight, realized the universal
soul in himself and in nature. He believed that this realization was the goal of education. He believed that every
human being is one who has potentialities of progressing towards the super human being, the universal soul. His
conception of the Universal soul before clear imprint of the Gita and Upanishadic philosophies.

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th May 1861 in the Jorasanko Mansion in Calcutta. Rabindranath Tagore
was a philosopher, poet, dramatist, teacher essayist and painter of outstanding repute. His philosophy of life was
based on the ideals of dedication, patriotism and naturalism. Although he was an ideal philosopher, but the
thoughts of naturalism, pragmatism and individualism are also reflected in his philosophy.

Rabindranath Tagore believed that the aim of education is self realization. Principles of self education: Self
education based on self realization is as permanent as that of education. What is most important in this is that
the students must have faith in him and in the universal self underlying his own individual self.

Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for literature for “Gitanjali”, his
book of poem. As a humanist, Universalist, Internationalist and strident antinationalist he denounced the British
Raj and advocated independence from Britain.

As an Educationist Tagore visiting Santa Barbara in 1917, conceived a new type of university, he sought to
make “Santiniketan” the connecting thread between India and world

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Aims of Education according to Tagore:

Self Realization: Spiritualism is the essence of humanism. Manifestation of personality depends upon the
self realization and spiritual knowledge of individuals.
Intellectual Development: He emphasized greatly the Intellectual Development of the children. By intellectual
development he means development of imagination, creative, free thinking, constant curiosity and alertness of
the mind-child should be free to adopt his own way learning which will lead to all round development.
Physical Development: He gave much importance to sound and healthy physique, Yoga, Games, Sports are
prescribed in Santiniketan as an integral part of the education system.

Love of Humanity: Tagore held that education can teach people to realize oneness of the globe. Education for
international understanding and universal brotherhood is another important aim of his education.

Freedom: Freedom is considered as an integral aspect of human development. Education is a man making
process; it explores the innate power that exists within the man. It provides utmost to the individual for his all
round development.

Correlation of objects: Correlation with God, man and nature. A peaceful world is only possible when
correlation between man and nature will be established.

Mother tongue is the medium of Instruction: Language is the true vehicle of self expression. Man can freely
express his thought in his mother tongue. He empharized mother tongue to child’s education.

Moral and spiritual development: Moral and spiritual education is more important than bookish knowledge
for an integral development of human personality.

Social Development: According to Tagore “Brahma” the supreme soul manifests himself through men and
other creatures. Since He is the source of all human-being and creatures, so all are equal. He said “Service to
man is service to God”. All should develop social relationship and fellow feeling from the beginnings of one’s
life.

Tagore pointed out the great significance of the school environment in the life of children whose mind, like the
tree, has the power to gather food and nourishment from its surroundings. The cultural atmosphere in
Santiniketan keeps the mind sensitive to rich racial inheritance, glorious traditions and concentrated wisdom of
ages.

In India Rabindranath Tagore created a form of authentic education which he believed was more true to the
needs children growing up in rural India than conventional didactic schooling. The Ideal school according to
Rabindranath Tagore located at a distance of about 100 miles from Calcutta. Later, this school become
“Santiniketan” and grew into “Visva Bharati”.

Children minds are sensitive to the influences of the world. The subconscious minds are active always imbibing
some lessons, and realizing the joy of knowing. On December 22, 1901 Rabindranath Tagore started a school
at Santiniketan named “Brahma Charyasrama” modified on the lines of the ancient Gurukul system. Later it was
renamed Visva Bharati, it’s symbolic meaning being defined by Tagore as “where the world makes a home in
a nest”. The aim of this educational institute was the quest for truth, blending the methods of learning of the East
and West.

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According to Tagore the followings are the characteristics, he introduced in his school:-

 Should be situated in natural surroundings.

 There should prevail the nature’s own beauty with her varied gifts of colours and dance, flowers and
fruits with the joy of her morning and the peace of her starry nights.
 Providing with ancient “Tapovana” forest school, where He has read in ‘Upanishad’.
 Spiritual training for the children, children for cultivation of love of nature and sympathy with all
living creatures.
 Providing children the atmosphere of freedom.
 Impart knowledge to children through mother tongue.
 Should provide manual labor.
 Well equipped library.
 Educate children by providing an environment of living aspiration, based upon living, contact between
teacher and the taught.
 Community school with no caste and creed.
 School should teach crafts like sewing, book binding, weaving etc.
 Drawing, Art and music as an integral part of curriculum.
 Adequate opportunities for children’s choosing their hobbies and occupations.

Tagore popularly known as Gurudev was a great artist won the Nobel Prize for -literature and he utilized the
entire amount of this award $8000 for the upkeep of his famous school “Santiniketan” at Bolepur in 1901. His
literature towards his special poets were-

 Shiksar Herpher (our education and its Incongruities)

 Shiksha Samasya (The problem of education)
 Abarana (Culture or Covering)
 Dharmasiksha (Religious Education)
 Hindu Visvavidyalay (Hindu University)
 Strishiksha (women Education)
 Shikhar Bahan (Vehicle of Education)
 My School
 Shiksar Vikiran (Diffusion of Education)
 Ashramer Siksha(Education in Ashram)
 Bodher Sadhana (Education of the feelings)
 Several convocation Addresses.

SHRI AUROBINDO GHOSH (1872-1950)

Aurobindo Ghosh was an idealistic and his philosophy based on Vedantic Philosophy of Upanishad. He
maintains that the kind of education, we need in our country, is an education “proper to the Indian soul and need
and temperament and culture that we are in quest of, not indeed something faithful merely to the past, but to the
developing soul of India, to her future need to the greatness of her coming self creation, to her eternal spirit”.

Sri Aurobindo’s (1956) concept of education is not only acquiring information, but “The acquiring of various

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kinds of information,” he points out “is only one and not the chief of the means and necessities of education:
its central aim is the building of powers of the human mind and spirit”.

Sri Aurobindo wrote a series of articles on education in the “Karma Yogin during 1909-10 under the title”.

A system of National Education

The National value of Art.
A preface to National Education.
The synthesis of Yoga-A Book.

He points out that the question is not between modernism and antiquity, but between an imported civilisation
and the greater possibilities of the Indian mind and nature, not between present and past but between present
and the future.

Aims of Education according to Sri Aurobindo Ghosh

 Education should in accordance with the needs of our real modern life. Education should create
dynamic citizen so that they are able to meet the needs of modern complex life.
 Physical development and holiness as the chief aim of education.
 To train all the senses hearing, speaking, listening, touching, smelling and testing. According to him
these senses can be fully trained when nerve, chitta and manas pure.
 To achieve mental development of the child. This mental development means the enhancement of all
mental faculties namely- Memory, Thinking, reasoning, imagination and discrimination etc to which
education should develop them fully and harmoniously.
 The development of morality: Without moral and emotional development only, mental development
becomes harmful to human process. Heart of a child should be so developed as to show extreme love,
sympathy and consideration for all loving beings. Teacher should be a role model to his children.
 Development of conscience is another important aim of education that needs to develop by the help of
teacher. Conscience has four level, Chitta, Manas, Intelligence and knowledge.
 To promote spiritual development. According to Sri Aurobindo every human being has some fragment
of divine existence within himself and education can scan it from each individual with its full extent-

Curriculum Transaction:

 Curriculum should be in such a way which child find as interesting.

 It should include entire subjects which promote mental and spiritual development.
 It should motivate children towards the attainment of knowledge of the wholeworld.
 It should contain creativity of life and constructive capacities.

Curriculum for different stages of Education:-

 At Primary Stage: Mother tongue, English, French, Literature, National history, Art Painting, General
science, Social Studies and Arithmetic.
 At Secondary Stage: Mother tongue, English, French, Literature, Arithmetic, Art, Chemistry, Physics,
Botany, Physiology, Health education and social studies.
 At University Stage: Indian and western Philosophy, History of Civilization, English Literature,
French, Sociology, Psychology, History, Chemistry, Physics, Botany.
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  At Vocational Level: Art, Painting, Photography Sculptural, Drawing, Type, Cottage industry,
mechanical and electrical engineering and nursing etc.

Principles of Teaching According to Sri Aurobindo

True teaching is nothing can be taught. The teacher is not an instructor or task master; he is a helper and a guide.
His business is to suggest and not to impose.

Second principle is that the mind has to be consulted in its own growth. The idea of hammering the child into
the shape desired by the parent or teacher is a barbarous and ignorant superstition. The mind has to be consulted
in its growth. Sri Aurobindo wrote, “It is wrong and not be ignored and mutilated”.

The Third Principle of Teaching is to work from the near to the far, from the known to the unknown. Man’s
nature is molded by his soul’s past, his heredity and his environment. The past is the foundation, the present is
the material and future is the aim and each must find its due and natural place in any national system of
education.
Functions of Education:

1. To bring out the real man.

2. To build the powers of the human mind and spirit, i.e. the evoking of knowledge character and
culture.
3. To enable the individual to establish a clear continuity between the past present and the future.
4. To enable the individual to establish right relations with life.

School According to Sri Aurobindo:

His philosophy of education aims at modify the school curricula, maximizing the learning modalities, helping
the child to achieve his potentiality at his own pace and level and devote his time to discover himself.

The type of schooling visualized by Sri Aurobindo is seen as aiming to bridge the gap between the child’s life at
school and that at home. In the present system of education, there is a need to example initiatives which are
rooted in Indian tradition, seek alternatives in curriculum teaching learning for measuring success, involve
children in the process of learning and focus on learning from the another and not from authoritative pedagogue.

Discipline: Children should be provided with a free environment so that they are able to gain more and more
knowledge by their own efforts. According to him any retained and imposed environment stunt, the growth and
natural development. He propagated the concept of self discipline which was the cure of impressionistic
discipline.

Aurobindo’s Vision on Education: “The supreme truths are neither the rigid conclusions of logical reasoning
nor the affirmations of creedal statement, but fruits of the soul’s inner experience”- Sri Aurobindo.

Integral Education & Sri Aurobindo

Integral Education that inspires the children to develop five essential aspects of personality such as the physical,
the vital, the mental, the Psychic, and the spiritual. Integral education is conceived as a process of organic
growth and the way in which various faculties could be developed and integrated.

According to Sri Aurobindo, “Integral education is that which helps to bring out to full advantage, makes ready
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for the full purpose of life and scope of all that is in the individual man, which at the same time helps him to
enter into his right relation with life, mind and soul of the people to which he belongs and with the great total
life mind and soul of humanity of which he himself is a unit and his people or nation, a separate and yet in
separable member”.

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