Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi: Education and Social Justice

Johann Pestalozzi: A commitment to social justice and education

Born in Zurich, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) was a Swiss educator and an education reformer who believed that poor children had a right to education, and emphasized that teachers should use methods that were bound to strengthen the students' abilities. Bruhlmeier (2010) refers to him as the most popular educational reformer in the world. Having had a troubled childhood filled with family turbulence, it is inspiring how Pestalozzi beat the odds to become the most widely acclaimed teacher of his time.

The most important aspect of Johann Pestalozzi was his "Pestalozzi method," which he developed after numerous experiments and first used in the school of Yverdon. According to Bruhlmeier (2010), he believed that children learnt better through activities and they understood better when they followed their own interest and drew their own experiences. Pestalozzi argued that there was more to education than just achieving the planned learning outcomes. He opined that education should be concerned with the physical, psychological, and mental development of the individual: a holistic approach (Bruhlmeier, 2010). Pestalozzi's main philosopher of interest was Jean-Jaques Rousseau, from whom he borrowed the ideologies that he developed and implemented. Together with his study team, they were able to study the social constructs discussed by Rousseau and compare them with their community at the time, coming up with better ideas in the process.

His work is still relevant to educators today particularly because education is still seen as essential to the improvement of social conditions. His contribution to a holistic approach on education has made it possible for students to apply the skills they learn in their lives after school because they are able to attain the equilibrium between head, heart, and hand (Bruhlmeier, 2010).

References

Bruhlmeier, A. (2010) Head, Heart, and Hand: Education in the Spirit of Pestalozzi. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers CIC Ltd.