NeemaK, Froebel, Kindergarten

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Froebel

• By
• Neema K
• I st year M.Ed.
• School of Pedagogical Science,
• Dharamsala,
• Kannur University

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Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel
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Play is the highest expression of human
development in childhood for it alone is the free
expression of what is in a child's soul.
"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." 
-Friedrich
Froebel
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Friedrich Froebel (1782 -1852) 

• Born on 21 April 1782 in south Germany.
• He was a German pedagogue.
• Friedrich Froebel was a motherless child. Losing
  his mother before the age of 1.
• Studied Mathematics and Science at the University
  of Jena.
• A student of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi.
• Taught at progressive model school in Frankfurt
  that was advocated by the Swiss Educator Johann
  Heinrich Pestalozzi.
• Opened his own school at Griesheim in Thuringia
  in 1816.
• He is best known for the founder of the
  kindergarten system.
• He is one of the greatest contributors of the
  19th century to the science of education.

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• He also included Mothers in his school which was
  the start of the PTA we see now.
• Then they were called school-mothers and they
  were a club, just as they are now, that helped
  out the school.
• Froebel was an innovator, who was influenced by
  the key pioneers of education John Amos Comenius
  and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. 

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Works

• Froebel went on to spread the word about his,
  Kindergarten. He wrote many books about his
  philosophies. These include
• The Education of Man
• The Pedagogics of Kindergarten
• Education by Development
• Mother Play

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His Philosophy of Unity

• Come let us live for our children.
• Unity in diversity.
• The unity between spirit and nature.
• He Influenced by the Schelling pantheistic
  philosophy of the identity of mind and
  nature.(God, as the Absolute power, included all
  parts of nature, man was part of God and God was
  part of man.)
• He admired the appearance of a divine spirit in
  all things growing.
• All things have come from the Divine Unity.
• Unity is God.
• Mental life was the outgrowth of the incessant
  creativeness of the Divine.
• It helps man to understand his own nature

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Educational views of Froebel

• He was an absolute idealist and his ideas about
  education were related to concept of religion and
  god.
• According to Froebel, the real purpose of
  education is to expand the life of an individual
  until it comprehends the existence through
  participation in all pervading spiritual
  activity. To him education is a stage in the
  evolution of the child.
• Education helps to elevate child to a higher
  level and be a useful member of the society.
• He introduces a new method of teaching related to
  the interest and inborn tendencies of children,
  which emphasizes natural development through self
  activities and experience.

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Freedom and Creativity

• The most important aspects of man are creativity
  and freedom
• Freedom implies the ability to make wise choices
  and to avoid evil.
• Goodness is alone is real ,according to Froebel,
  for evil is merely partiality and a distortion of
  goodness.
• Man is naturally creative this is an expression
  of his basic nature.
• The child is not evil, on the contrary,
  waywardness is usually a lack of vision and the
  result of false values.
• Education is most effective when it is based on
  the need of children.
• Childs Own Individuality Self Realisation.
• Self Activity is Creative.
• According to Froebel , if we encouraged the child
  when he is young, the chances are that he will
  develop creative patterns in his matured years.

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Education through Family and Morals

• Education depended on the unity of the family.
• The important virtue for mother is gentleness and
  the father had to guide wisely.
• A home united by love would be the best
  institution for human progress.
• When the home failed in its responsibilities, the
  educator had the duty to instruct the parent in
  the path of virtue.

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Froebel on Mental Development

• Mental growth is organic. (like plants).
• The activity of a things ownself may be called
  self activity.
• Knowing, feeling and willing are the three major
  activity of mind. It proportionately balanced
  according to their strength.
• Each human being must develop from within self
  active and free, in accordance with the eternal
  law. This the aim of all education is instruction
  and training.

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• "The play of children is not recreation it means
  earnest work. Play is the purest intellectual
  production of the human being, in this stage
  for the whole man is visible in them, in his
  finest capacities, in his innermost being."
• 
  -Friedrich Froebel

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Froebel the Idealist

• Froebel built his concept of Kindergarten upon
  idealistic principles such as
• All existence originates in and with God.
• Humans possess an inherent spiritual essence that
  is the vitalizing life force that
  causes development.
• All beings and ideas are interconnected parts of
  a grand, ordered, and systematic universe.
• Froebel based his work according to these
  idealistic principles, believing that each child
  at birth has an internal spiritual essence, or a
  life force, that can externalized through
  self-activity.
• Kindergarten was to be a place that this
  self-active development could occur.
• Froebel used ideas such as kindergartens gifts,
  occupations, and play to promote this self-active
  development.

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Froebels educational ideals

• The whole universe is simply a unity. It
  demonstrates unity of substance, unity of origin
  and unity of purpose.
• There is one eternal law, the law of unity that
  governs all things, men and nature.
• Education is a growth from within. Every one
  develops according to some universal law.
• Education is a development by which and
  individual realizes that he is one unit of the
  all encompassing unity (God).
• Development is possible only through activity and
  practice.
• Education for Cultivation of senses, especially
  hearing and vision.
• Education means the cultivation of awareness,
  love and independence.

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• The purpose of education is to unfold the childs
  innate power and awaken his spiritual nature so
  that he may have a spiritual union with god.
• There is similarity between the growth of a plant
  and that of a child.
• Play is the highest expression of human
  development in childhood for it alone is the free
  expression of what is in a childs soul.
• Play is the spontaneous activity of the child.
  Therefore it is the test to for their education.
• Self activity is the greatest teacher. The
  teacher is only a guide. He should have full
  sympathy for the child.

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Principles

• Recognition of the uniqueness of each childs
  capacity and potential.
• An holistic view of each childs development.
• Recognition of the importance of play as a
  central integrating element in a childs
  development and learning.
• An ecological view of humankind in the natural
  world.
• Recognition of the integrity of childhood in its
  own right.
• Recognition of the child as part of a family and
  a community.

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Environment

• Physically safe but intellectually challenging,
  promoting curiosity, enquiry, sensory stimulation
  and aesthetic awareness.
• Demonstrates the unity of indoors and outdoors,
  of the cultural and the natural.
• Allows free access to a rich range of materials
  that promote open-ended opportunities for play,
  representation and creativity.
• Entails the setting being an integral part of the
  community it serves, working in close partnership
  with parents and other skilled adults.
• It is educative rather than merely amusing or
  occupying.
• Promotes interdependence as well as independence,
  community as well as individuality and
  responsibility as well as freedom.

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Kindergarten

• Froebels first kindergarten was started in 1837
  in Blakenburg, Germany. 
• Kindergarten is a German word, which means a
  children garden.
• Froebel conceived the school as a garden, the
  teacher as the gardener and the students as
  tender plants.
• The teacher like the gardener is to look after
  the little human plants and water them to grow to
  beauty and perfection.
• Froebel discovered much similarity between a
  child and a plant. he believed that the process
  of growth and development of the plants and the
  child is the same. the plants grow from within
  according to the seed that is within. In the same
  way the child grows from within.

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• He recognized that education begins in infancy.
• Froebels kindergarten is the system of
  pre-school in which children are taught through
  creative play, social interaction and natural
  expressions.  
• To him a child is repository of all good
  qualities and each child carries with in itself
  the seeds of its fullest development.
• The name kindergarten signifies both a garden
  for children and also a garden of children.
• Garden for Children A garden for children means
  a location where they can observe and interact
  with nature.
• Garden of Children A Garden of children means
  where they themselves can grow and develop in
  freedom from arbitrary political and social
  imperatives.
• Froebel saw mothers as the ideal first teachers
• The Froebel Kindergarten offered the first
  significant careers for women outside the home.
  At that time, women were not expected (or often
  allowed) to work professionally. 

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Froebel's Kindergarten Goals

• Froebel's kindergarten was 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 of living among others
• Satisfaction of the soul

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Basic principal of kindergarten system or methods
of teaching

• Self activity Froebel stressed that the child
  should be given full freedom to carry out his
  activities. the growth of the child is directed
  by inner force in the child. Self activity of the
  mind is the first law of kindergarten. The
  instructions steadily goes on from the simple to
  the complex, from the concrete to the abstract,
  so well adapted to the child and his needs. He
  goes as easily to his learning as to his play.
• The following points should be noted
  regarding activity
• It should not be vague.
• It should be a controlled activity.
• Social atmosphere is essential in order to secure
  meaningful results.
• Self activity may take the form either of work or
  of play.

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• Learning by playing According to Froebel  play
  gives joy, freedom and contentment. Froebel
  recognized that play needs to be organised on
  definite material so that it may not degenerate
  into aimless play instead of preparing for those
  tasks of life for which it is destined. There
  should be rational, conscious guidance,
  consequently. The importance of kindergarten
  system technique of teaching in kindergarten
  system lies in teaching through play.
• Songs Gestures and construction. Froebel  saw
  an organic relationship between songs, gestures
  and construction. He regarded these as three
  co-ordinate forms of expression in the child.

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• Gifts Froebel prepared his gifts which form the
  basis of all modern kindergarten. each of these
  gifts was accompanied and  cheered by appropriate
  songs and music.
• The role of Teacher The teacher is not to remain
  passive. the teacher has to suggest the idea of
  occupation when gifts are offered to children.
  The teacher is required to demonstrate certain
  activities to them she also sings a song with a
  view to helping the child to form appropriate
  idea.

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• Freedom in education In Froebel's word self
  activity can be developed only in an atmosphere
  of freedom. Freedom will bring out the natural
  and rational development of inner faculties of
  the child. teacher should not interfere with
  activities of the child. freedom does not imply
  freedom to do whatever the child likes. it is a
  controlled freedom when child keeps in view
  freedom of other.
• Discipline According to Froebel view on
  discipline, a teacher has important
  responsibilities to perform. He has to inculcate
  sympathetically values likes love, sympathy,
  humility, cooperation, and obedience to elders.
  He has to avoid external restraint and bodily
  punishment. The child should be made to realize
  that discipline depends upon his love for others,
  goodwill and mutual understanding. Froebel
  stressed that women should be trained for
  training children at this. Self control is an
  inner discipline, which is the cause of outer
  discipline.

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Features of Kindergarten

• Free self Activity- Kindergarten system gives
  opportunity to carries out his impulses and
  motives. It provides for the free self activity.
• Creativity- Child is in creative in nature. The
  kindergarten fosters creativity by process
  materials (gifts) for the child self directed
  activity.
• Social Participation- It provides opportunities
  for participation in social activities and co-
  operative activities and which will encourage the
  child to discover himself and his world. As a
  result he can build social relationships.
• Motor expression- Children are impulsive and
  physically active by nature. The kindergarten
  system promotes learning by doing.

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• Gifts and occupations as materials and method of
  education Froebel design special materials
  known as gifts and a series of recommended
  activities known as occupations for use in
  kindergarten. The gifts are a set of geometric
  shapes such as balls, cubes, cut papers etc.
  Occupations such as folding paper, clay modeling
  etc.
• Teaching through play- Play is the
  characteristics activity of childhood.
  Kindergarten system makes use of this play
  behavior for providing learning experiences to
  the child. So the child will learn many things
  easily and eagerly.
• Teaching through songs, gestures and
  construction- Froebel says that singing, gestures
  and constructing something are the general nature
  of children. Hence, proper organization of these
  activities is the best means of their
  developments.

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Froebels Curriculum

• He divided the curriculum in four parts-
• 1.Religion and Religious instruction.
• 2.Natural science and Mathematics.
• 3.Languages.
• 4.Art and object of Art.
• Froebel developed what he called gifts and
  occupations for the children to use in
  Kindergarten. These gifts were to stimulate the
  children to understand fundamental concepts.
• Should develop the foundation of perception.
• Facts are secondary and memorization should be
  avoided.

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Froebels Gifts and Occupations

• Froebels Gifts and occupations are used in
  kindergarten system. The Froebels Gifts are play
  materials for young children designed by Froebel
  for the original Kindergarten. It suggest child
  some form of activity. The gifts began with
  simple objects such as spheres or circles and
  then became more complex.
• Gift-I It is a box of six woollen balls of
  different colour, which is the right size for the
  hand of a small child. Rolling is occupation. His
  intention was that through holding, dropping,
  rolling, swinging, hiding and revealing the
  balls, the child may acquire knowledge of objects
  and spatial relationship, movements speed and
  time, colour and contrast, weights and gravity.

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• Gift-II It is wooden objects, a sphere, cylinder
  and a cube. In occupation with these things the
  child marks the difference between the movements
  of the different article This gift was developed
  by Froebel to enable a child to explore and enjoy
  the differences between shapes.
• Gift-III There is a large wooden cube is divided
  into 8 equal parts. A child delights in
  rearranging the 8 cubes in many ways, and
  reassembling them in the form of a cube. This is
  the 1st building task.

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• Gift-IV It is the 2nd building gift and it
  appears similar to the first. Each of these 8
  identical beech wood blocks is twice as long and
  half the width of the cubes of the previous gift.
  Many new possibilities for play and construction
  arise due to these differences.
• Gift-V Considered by many too complex for a
  young child, this building gift consists of more
  cubes, some of which are divided in halves or
  quarters. 
• Gift-VI A set of more complex wooden blocks that
  includes cubes, planks, and triangular prisms.

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• Gift-VII This set of parquetry tablets contains
  a variety of geometric shapes, made from either
  wood, plastic or paper.
• Gift-VIII Whole and half wire rings for
  outlining figures. It represents the edges or
  outlines of the objects. 
• Gift-IX It represent small objects, often in a
  variety of colors, to represent the point.
• Gift-X The cycle full circle by combining the
  point and line to create a framework of solid
  forms.

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Merits of Kindergarten System

• It laid emphasis on early childhood education.
• It gave importance to the principle of learning
  by play.
• It develops imagination and creative capacities
  of children.
• It develops mental, emotional, social, and
  spiritual qualities of children.
• This is very simple, interesting and attractive
  method.
• This system broadened the concept and scope of
  the school as an essential social institution.

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Demerits

• The over emphasis on play is likely to distract
  the child from serious learning.
• The method requires a number of materials and
  specialized teachers which cannot be provided at
  all times.
• Children of early age do not comprehend the
  principle emphasized by Froebel.
• There is only limited scope for correlation in
  the teaching of various subjects in Kindergarten
  system.

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Criticism of Froebels Theory and Practice

• Froebel bitterly criticized by many educational
  leaders even his own time.
• During his life time Prussia the leading state in
  Germany banned the establishment of Kindergarten.
• His socialistic and liberalizing tendencies were
  not liked by government authorities.
• Froebels excessive emphasis on play in
  education cannot be acceptable because it
  detracts the child from serious learning.
• His insistence upon play, constructive work and
  many other subject has underrated the importance
  of true knowledge and ideas to a disrespect to
  the learning.
• As a philosopher he is discredited as a mystic
  and pantheist.

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His final resting place is in Schweina near Bad
Liebenstein. His grave stone was based on the
gifts of the sphere, cylinder and cube. The
Froebel Web explains The sphere and the cube
together represented Knowledge, Beauty and
Life. The sphere predominantly corresponds with
the feelings or heart, (affective) and the cube
to thought and intellect (cognitive).
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Conclusion

• Froebel was the first person who gave attention
  to early childhood education.
• To him education is a necessary condition for the
  complete development of child.
• He envisaged the gifts will teach the child to
  use his/her environment as an educational aid.
• The natural course of the evolution of the
  childs activities should be the main guide in
  education of the child.
• Inner self activity direct the development.
• Early education should be oraganised around play.
• Physical, mental and moral powers should be
  developed and harmonized through constructive
  activity.
• The curriculum should be based on the activities
  and interest of children
• The education women should be regarded as
  essential for the development of human race
• Education can insure the future of evolution of
  mankind.

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Thank You