Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi ( born January 12, 1746 Zurich, † February 17, 1827 in Brugg, Canton Aargau ) was a Swiss pedagogue. In addition, he made ​​himself as a philanthropist, school and social reformer, philosopher and politician a name.

Life

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi's ancestors lived in the Val San Giacomo ( 1512-1797 was one of the Three Leagues and today Italy), a mountain valley in the south of Splügenpass. In the 16th century there moved a young descendant of the family to study in Zurich, where he settled after graduation. About two hundred years later there came as his direct descendant of Heinrich Pestalozzi, the son of Johann Baptist Pestalozzi, a surgeon, and Susanna Hotz to the world that came from a village Notablenfamilie. His grandfather Andreas Pestalozzi (1692-1769), who early on gave him the love of youth and popular, was reformed pastor in Hoengg. He attended from 1751-1765 the elementary and grammar school and studied theology, then jurisprudence at the Collegium Carolinum in Zurich, where he influenced the Enlightenment Johann Jakob Bodmer ( 1698-1783 ).

Despite his passionate theoretical interest in the people, to society and the state he wanted to be primarily practical work. He interrupted his studies in Zurich prematurely and went to an agricultural teaching (1767/1768) by Johann Rudolf Tschiffeli in Kirchberg (Canton Bern ). From 1769 he tried his hand in the Aargau Birr as an agricultural entrepreneur. He wanted to give the partially depleted peasantry an example of how they could improve their situation through the introduction of new crops and new fertilization methods. This company failed.

In September 1769 Pestalozzi married in Gebenstorf Anna Schulthess against the will of their parents. 1770 was their son Hans Jacob to the world, which he named in the spirit of enlightened pedagogy by Jean -Jacques Rousseau, whose advice on natural parenting in his book Emile he applied point by point with his son. This attempt of an ideal childhood failed tragically. The diary, which left behind Pestalozzi on the education of his son, is considered a shocking document of a serious misinterpretation of hypothetical education Rousseau. Even three and a half year Jacob had to learn the numbers and letters. Yet his father could be very severe; if the boy did not want to learn, he was punished. The education, the uncertain external conditions of life and growing up among the neglected children meant that Jakoblis life was accompanied by stress fluctuations, uncertainty and inadequacy of steady.

With 11 years Jakobli who still could not properly write and read was brought to friends to Basel. A little later broke with him from epileptic seizures. After his return to the Neuenhof he married Anna Magdalena Fröhlich from Brugg, a godchild of Anna. They had a son in 1798, Gottlieb. Hans- Jacob's seizures were getting worse and more frequent. On August 15, 1801 Pestalozzi's son died 31 years old.

From about 1773/74, the couple Pestalozzi Children participated in the 40 on their estate. They learned there spin, weave and the "small farming". Pestalozzi joined the practical work with education and moral and religious education and hoped that he could finance the project through the sale of textile products. This failed, however, the family got more and more into debt and had to close the prison in 1779.

From 1780 and in the following almost 20 years, Pestalozzi devoted himself largely to writing. He was by his novel Leonard and Gertrude ( 4 volumes, 1781-1787 ) famous worldwide. Other works from this period are The Evening Hour of a Hermit (1780 ), Christoph and Else ( 1782 ), Legislation and Infanticide (1783 ), Yes or No? (1793), My research on the course of nature in the development of the human race (1797 ), Fables (1797 ).

1783 was the reconnaissance co-founder of the Zurich branch of the Illuminati order ( his order name was Alfred) and in 1784 co-founded the " Society for the reception of good " in Zurich, which was a front organization of the Order. He lost, however, in a relatively short time the interest in this connection.

Pestalozzi in Stans - Portrait of Albert Anker, 1870

Johann Pestalozzi and his wife Anna in teaching at the reformatory Neuhof

Pestalozzi Monument in Yverdon

Pestalozzi Monument of Hugo Siegwart in the Pestalozzi facility in Zurich

1792 declared him the French National Assembly as the only Swiss to the French honorary citizen. In the turmoil of the Helvetic Revolution ( French invasion of 1798) stood Pestalozzi the new Helvetic government available, both through publishing activities ( Editor at Helvetic people sheet ), on the other hand, by the leadership of an orphan and poorhouse in Stans (1799 ), where he could make basic educational experiences. The following year he founded his famous educational institution in the castle of Burgdorf ( Burgdorf ), where he developed his own teaching and educational method and theory-based ( main work: How Gertrude teaches her children ).

1804 moved Pestalozzi his institute to Yverdon -les- Bains ( Canton of Vaud ) where he - along with a number of important employee - his method further developed and in numerous writings ( for example, to the innocence, the seriousness and the generosity of my age and of my country, 1815, and swan Song, 1825) published. In essence, urged his ' idea of ​​elementary education ' in accordance with nature one education that develops the powers and faculties of the head ( intellectual forces), the heart ( moral and religious forces) and the hand ( artisanal forces) in harmony. The Bavarian Academy of Sciences in 1808 took him on as a foreign member.

Internal disputes in the teaching profession to his successor, who had been the pupil Friedrich Froebel in 1810 moved to leave the institution, the institution in Yverdon led to ruin. 1825 Pestalozzi had to also close this institution and retired to Neuhof. On February 17, 1827 he was taken because of a serious illness to Brugg, which should facilitate the medical care. Two days later he died there at the age of 81 years during the morning hours. He was buried at the old school house in Birr by the local priest and the teachers, because due to high snow friends and family members could not arrive in time or not at all had heard of Pestalozzi's death. At his request, according to one planted on his grave a white rose bush. On the occasion of his 100th birthday he built the Canton of Aargau in 1846 on the facade of the new school building a monument.

On the grave stone are the words "Here lies Heinrich Pestalozzi, born in Zurich on 12 January 1746, died in Brugg on 17 Hornung 1827. Savior of the poor at Neuhof. Preacher of the People in Leonard and Gertrude. At Stan's Dad of the orphan, to Burgdorf and Münchenbuchsee founder of the new elementary school. To Iferten educator of humanity. Man, Christian, citizens, Everything for others, nothing for himself. Blessing his name! "

Pestalozzi was very much appreciated, for example, by Johann Gottfried Herder, and many of their ideas are the same. Joseph Anton Sickinger, a later German school reformer, took many ideas in his Mannheim school system, the starting point for further reforms in the 20th century in Germany and became internationally.

As perhaps no other has Ludwig Wilhelm Seyffarth with Pestalozzi's work is concerned.

His contribution to education

Pestalozzi is considered the precursor of intuition pedagogy and resulting therefrom late 19th century progressive education. His educational goal was the holistic public education to strengthen the people for independent and cooperative work in a democratic polity. Parents should be able to start this education at home and to be appropriate role models for their children:

" It is common ground that such initiation of public education would be able to act to strengthen the forces of domestic life to the moral, intellectual and artistic education of the people and to make the fathers and mothers of the country enabled their children from morning to evening with advice really assist and deed and in their doings have a truly visual impact on them. [...] They would force the people to use his equipment in the circle of his own, and to revive generally in the circle of his family in all the needs of himself and be able to help their own, the people, and a million times increase. "

Paid particular attention Pestalozzi to the elementary education of children, which should begin before school in the family. This led him to promote the intellectual, moral and religious forces and craft of children on all sides and harmonious. Today we would say that Pestalozzi advocated a holistic approach. His educational ideas, which he in his book How Gertrude teaches her children for the first time systematically expounded in 1801, he continued to some extent even in his early poorhouse on the Neuhof ( 1774-1780 ) to, specific then in the orphanage in Stans (1799 ) and systematic in its institutions in Burgdorf (1800-1804) and Yverdon / Iferten ( 1804-1825 ). The content of his numerous political and educational writings is still up to date. Many of his basic ideas can be found in modern pedagogy again.

The principle of Pestalozzi's pedagogy is to lay a solid foundation of elementary education, which enables the people to help themselves ( which is similar to the motto "Help me to do it myself " later Montessori education ). In the transfer of knowledge and skills Pestalozzi aims to pedagogy, to develop forces that are already naturally created in the students. The inevitable development of these forces is thus directed in an orderly, rather than left to chance. So the education mediates between nature and culture, be more specific well informed between the natural development of the child and the external rules of human coexistence and must have both aspects.

In relation to the development in the infant and toddler years, this approach is now supported by the existence of time windows of neuronal maturation, such as the learning to walk in the first or the acquisition of language in the second to third year of life. It follows that Pestalozzi's pedagogy can be implemented already in early childhood by parents, for which Pestalozzi specially developed supportive learning materials.

To support the child's natural development Pestalozzi considered the division into three " head, heart and hand", each representing intellect, morality, and practical skills. In the field of the intellect develops his education from elementary subjects speech, singing, writing, drawing and arithmetic finally abstract judgment. When morality elementary feelings of love and trust form the basis for higher skills such as patience and obedience to the highest level of religious worship. In the physical skills simple movements lead to more sophisticated actions; in this area, however, are far less developed Pestalozzi's contributions.

Pestalozzi applicable in the reception Heinz- Elmar Tenorths in the educational history including " Symbol of Enlightenment pedagogy". In addition, he is considered by his commitment to the orphanage in Stans by Ulrich Herrmann as " the founder of modern social education ". He gave impetus to the professionalization and institutionalization of the educational system, which were taken up by both his students as well as other classics of pedagogy.

Pestalozzi's literary estate included in the "Critical Edition " 45 volumes. He took the ideas of Rousseau on, developed them, but distanced himself, also based on their own educational experiences, some of them.

Appreciation

1792 Pestalozzi French honorary citizen.

After the pedagogue Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi facilities and honors were named:

Various school buildings:

The Children's Villages:

• The Pestalozzi Children and Youth Village in Wahlwies, Germany
• The Pestalozzi Children's Village in Trogen, Switzerland

And beyond, among other

• The Pestalozzi Foundation and the Pestalozzi Seminar in Castle Wedel, Germany
• The Pestalozzi -Stiftung Hamburg, Germany
• Pestalozzi calendar, appearing annually since 1908 Diary, published by Pro Juventute
• Pestalozzi Medal for Long Service and the GDR
• Pestalozzi Asteroid
• The Pestalozzi -Bibliothek Zurich, and their sponsoring organization Pestalozzi Society in Zurich, Switzerland
• Pestalozzi court in Vienna
• Pestalozzi Place and Pestalozzi Street in Frankfurt -Bornheim
• The stop Pestalozzistraße the Wuppertal suspension railway and the eponymous street

Works

• Pestalozzi. Complete Works. Critical Edition. Founded by Artur Buchenau, Eduard Spranger, Hans Stettbacher. Gruyter, Berlin and Zurich from 1927 to 1996. Executive Editor from 1923 to 1938 was Walter Feilchenfeld fales.
• Pestalozzi. All letters. Edited by Pestalozzianum and the Zurich Central Library, edited by Emanuel Dejung, Hans Stettbacher. Zeller, Zurich from 1946 to 1971.
• Pestalozzi about his institution in Stans. With a new introduction and interpretation by Wolfgang Klafki, Beltz, Weinheim Basel 1997 ( 7), ISBN 978-3-407-34107-5.
• Dagmar Schifferli Brigitta Klaas Meilier: My faithful Schulthess. From the clandestine correspondence between Anna Schulthess and Heinrich Pestalozzi. Werd Verlag, Zurich 1996, ISBN 3-85932-199-4
• Pestalozzi How Gertrude teaches her children. Literary Tradition, 2006, ISBN 978-3-86672-024-4

Sterbehaus in Brugg AG

Grave inscription

In the rectory Zurich - Hoengg grandfather Andreas Pestalozzi lived († 1769), who early gave him the love for youth and people