Pedagogy

keywords: state of schools then and now, didactics in Latin and Czech, vision of schools as playgrounds, houses of pleasures and hopes, one subject one period, pedagogue, how to preserve freedom of mind

We have universities where pedagogy is taught.

Well, all over the world, because almost everyone goes to school,

there's an education and a standard of living...

Really?

If you listen to the thoughts of Comenius, you will hear a "lament" over the state of the schools.

And here we might breathe a deep sigh of relief that these "ignorant" times are over.

Today, there will be an effort to think about what pedagogy is and to look more into the time when schools were put together with the forms we know today.

J.A.K. He says: "It is necessary that there should be a special doctrine by which everyone who wishes to teach should be guided and guided, so that he should not exercise his office according to mere appearance and conjecture, or according to his innate ability and natural wisdom, but according to didactic doctrine, just as he who wishes to speak rightly must be guided by grammar or the doctrine of speech, and he who wishes to sing rightly must be guided by music or the doctrine of music." (VD 8)

He further writes: "I place the beginning of my didactic efforts in 1627, although I could have started from an earlier time."

Jan Amos writes how he was approached by a text by W. Ratke "on the correction of the method of studies" and Jan Amos then attempted "a softer way of youth studies by writing the Rules of Easier Speaking".

In a situation where several evangelical preachers were banished from Bohemia and Moravia by royal edict, he came across the Didacticism of Elias Bodin during his time in hiding. A renewed desire arose to publish something similar in the Czech language. Again an imperial edict was promulgated against the evangelical leading men that they must emigrate unless they changed their religion. "And here so great a calamity to the churches and schools in the fatherland as we had before our eyes, the pain arising therefrom ..... made us think carefully of remedying the calamities. And no other counsel ..... came to our minds but that the youth in particular should go to the rescue." "In order to support myself in exile, I descended to the school profession (in Leszno, Poland). Since I did not want to engage in it idly, I received a new impulse to continue the didactic efforts I had begun." (VD10)

The Didactics of Bodin is said to be good at detecting defects but offers no remedy. Now, apparently, we see a parallel after 400 years. Much is made of the defects in everything - but what about the remedy?

Many at that time objected to the correction so abundantly shown by John Amos, described also in the parables, "What is more extravagant than to bring evidence from a parable?" (VD15)

But Comenius did not intend them as mere similes, but as proofs of his theses. The great gift of observation and contact with practice is the cause of this. Another merit of Comenius' Didactics is its systematic character. It is a truly comprehensive and well laid out system.

The book reached readers in 1658 in Amsterdam in Latin and its Czech version only in 1849. Ahead of its time, it might have seemed a utopia - and today? Are we ready for it?

Can we, as modern advanced humanity, understand the wholeness, the unity of the universe and man, the order accompanied by love and knowledge?

And consciously put yourself in front of the book:

GREAT DIDACTICS

the exquisite general art of teaching

all of them: concise, pleasant, thorough

At that time, teachers came to schools from the faculty of art, where they usually stayed only for a short time, without any preparation for the teaching profession. In Comenius's vision, however, there were schools which, by modifying the method, could not only be kept fresh but also expanded indefinitely.

"For they shall be verily playgrounds, houses of delights and delights." (!!!) (VD 41)

"Finally, Heaven cares that the schools be repaired to a perfect and general education of the spirit." (VD42)

Furthermore, we perceive the undying faith in man: 'That every man is born capable of acquiring knowledge of things is evident, because, first of all, he is the image of God. For if the image is correct, it necessarily presents the features of its model. When, therefore, omniscience stands out among the attributes of God, there will necessarily be an image of it in man. He has a clear mind like a spherical mirror, suspended in a chamber, in which the images of all things are reflected. For our mind comprehends not only things near, but also things far off, it ascends to the high, it searches out the secret, it tries to find out even things unsearchable, so infinite, unbounded is our mind." (VD60?)

Turning to teaching itself, J.A.K. writes:

"That they may be educated to knowledge, not apparent, but real, not superficial, but solid, that is, that the rational creature, the man, may be accustomed to be guided not by another's, but by his own reason, not merely to read and understand other people's opinions in books, or even to know and recite them by heart, but to penetrate to the roots of things himself and to acquire a true understanding and use of them.

In order that this education may not be arduous, but as easy as possible, no more than four hours should be devoted to public instruction each day." (VD 98)

What we often take away from schools is the impression that they didn't know much before, that only now do we gradually know. Let us give an example of the approach of a very educated person who learned by concentrating on one thing at a time. Comenius' example is nature:

"Nature does not confuse herself in her works, but sorts out everything and proceeds in each separately." "Let us also do so, I beseech you, and take care that those who deal with the vernacular do not interfere with the dialectic,....when we deal with Latin, Greek does not wait for us, or else one will hinder the other, for the spirit, which is so many things, will understand but little." "This was well known to the great man Joseph Scaliger, who is said to have always occupied himself with only one study, being at one time occupied with all the strength of his spirit in that one study. Thus it came to pass that he embraced fourteen languages, but so many arts and so much knowledge, with his spirit, that he seemed to be proficient in all branches.

This is also happening in schools, so that pupils are only studying one subject at a time."

Here, and elsewhere in his texts, Comenius appeals with emphasis and urgency to the understanding that the constant shifting from one topic and subject to another is of no value.

Rudolf Steiner understood this and dared to do so and created a different system in his school. I don't know whether he was inspired by Comenius, but I know that he knew him and knew him well. So the so-called epochal teaching was created. One subject is taught for two to three weeks (depending on the subject). Each day the children have a block of about 110 minutes. It is divided into several parts so that it includes an active movement, music, recitation, rhythm part, then after calming down there is a repetition part, a part of new material, writing in notebooks and painting, and often a narration towards the end. The children can totally immerse themselves in the subject matter mentioned and in my experience they remember this very well. So worrying about the child forgetting again if they don't do e.g. maths for a few weeks is unnecessary. Although just for maths, perhaps even practice flexible lessons are delivered out of epoch.

For a well-conceived epoch, this part was the most impressive thing I saw from the class as a visiting teacher. The children's engagement, their liveliness, their concentration as they wrote and drew in their notebooks and more. Let's really think more about rhythm, breathing in and out. I believe that in other schools it would be possible to come up with a different type of teaching than just constant rotation and alternation.....

When compulsory schooling was established under Maria Theresa, the so-called Prussian system seemed to be suitable, when machine production was developed. Already Comenius had pointed out that the paedagogus was one who cared for and taught the children of slaves and unfree people. Every system has a need to have people who passively accept things. But this is far from the great spirits, whose freedom of mind is an essential part of their attitude even to other men. That is why they try to devise forms that would make this freedom and the path to it possible. Let us repeat the idea: "...man used to be guided not by other men's but by his own reason, not merely to read and understand other men's opinions in books, or even to know and recite them by heart, but to penetrate himself to the roots of things." This is perhaps the essential thing, that such a doctrine should be devised as will enable the process of learning to get to the root of things.

This is the end of today's reflection and if perhaps you have some fabric for teaching that offers this, I would be very happy if you send and it can also be added to this website.