This year marks 432 years since the birth of Jan Amos Comenius, the founder of modern pedagogy. Let us reflect on where "our modern education" has moved in that long time. Are we sufficiently following the principles of one of the greatest Czech thinkers, philosophers and writers, nicknamed the Teacher of Nations?
Jan Amos was born on 28 March 1592 in southeastern Moravia. He was the last bishop of the Unity of the Brethren. During his lifetime he gained a reputation primarily as a pedagogue, or theoretician of pedagogy and author of many writings in this field. He was the only creator of an original, philosophically anchored pedagogical system in the Czech lands, he dealt with the general theory of education, didactics, created a special methodology of language teaching and wrote original textbooks himself. He died on 15 November 1670 in Amsterdam.
Already during Comenius' lifetime, his linguistic manuals Janua linguarum reserata - The Gate of Languages Opened and Orbis sensualium pictus - The World in Pictures gained extraordinary popularity.
From 1628 he lived in exile because he refused to conform to the Catholic Church. He produced encyclopaedic writings and his ideal was that of a pan-sophist.
He is the author of the most famous Czech written work of the 17th century entitled Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart.
The fundamental textbook of pedagogy Orbis pictus or Orbis sensualium pictus was written according to Comenius' belief that school should be primarily a game. It was first published in 1658 in Nuremberg. He believed, contrary to the teaching practices of the time, that pupils should not only be able to recite the material mechanically, but also really understand what they are learning. He therefore provided the textbook with many illustrations so that it would be engaging for the children. It covered biology (both living and non-living nature), theology and also man, i.e. what can now be called the basics of social sciences.
Komenský highly valued the importance of education. According to him, no child should be excluded from education, because even the least gifted child can be educated at least somewhat.
According to him, the upbringing of a child has three main goals:
learning about yourself and the world - education in the sciences, arts and crafts
control yourself - moral education
to ascend to God - religious education
It emphasizes the importance of discipline. He rejects corporal punishment for ignorance, but allows it in certain cases for breach of discipline.
In his writings, Komenský proposed this school organization:
from birth to 6 years of age, the child is to be brought up at home. The content of the education is laid down in the manual for parents Informatorium of the kindergarten school
From 6 to 12 years of age, children attend a general school, which should be in every town and village. The school is for both boys and girls. Reading, writing, arithmetic, religion, realia (learning about nature and society), singing, and handicrafts are taught. Classes are two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.
From 12 to 18, young people should attend a Latin school, which should be in every town. The basis of education is the seven liberal arts (grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music), natural sciences, geography, history, mathematics and languages such as Latin and Greek. However, Comenius also recommends another language so that everyone can get along with their neighbours (German).
from 18 to 24 years old are used to educate the academy that should be in every country. It is a college where one would study divinity, law or medicine. Religious and philosophical education is also important. He called the college an academy because the universities were Catholic, so he wanted to distinguish them from Protestant universities.
After finishing education, one should travel.
Jan Ámos Komenský emphasized that education never ends, that it is continuous.
For the first time he defined the concept of the school year, school holidays and the school week. Classes should have pupils of the same age and level of proficiency. If there is a larger number of pupils in a class, he recommends an assistant for the teacher (there used to be 80 to 100 pupils in classes). Each class should have its own room for teaching, each pupil should have a textbook, and teachers should have notes on how to work with the textbook.
Parents and teacher are to set a good example for the child and guide him/her towards a good lifestyle. It recommends a suitable diet, alternation of work and rest, sufficient sleep (8 hours) and care for body hygiene.
Komenský applied the following principles to teaching itself:
the principle of demonstration - direct pupil experience
the principle of systematicity and coherence - learning should build on each other, not only in individual subjects, but also between them. A consistent educational regime should be ensured
activity principle - pupils should acquire their knowledge through their own experience, use it in practice
the principle of permanence - it is necessary to consistently repeat what is taught
the principle of proportionality - the teacher should base the teaching on the age and individual abilities of the children
He divided the children according to their talents:
bright, they make you happy
smart, lazy
bright, rebellious
with a lack of a sharp mind
with a lack of a sharp mind, lazy
with a lack of a sharp mind, rebellious.
Article published with the kind permission of the magazine Sphere
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