Meet Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

In today's educational landscape, it is quite common to hear a discussion of the concept of inclusion, or
the idea that all students deserve equal opportunity regardless of any perceived difference. There are a
number of talented and dedicated individuals who have fought to make that conversation possible, but
perhaps one of the most dedicated was Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi.

Pestalozzi, often referred to as 'the Father of Modern Education', was born in Zurich, Switzerland, and
lived from 1746 until 1827. Like so many other people who eventually find their niche, Pestalozzi's path
to becoming an educational reformer was a bumpy one. He bumbled as a clergyman, a politician, and a
farmer before combining his experiences and his passions to focus on educational reform. Actually,
modern education should probably be thankful for Pestalozzi's early failures and struggle. These
struggles and experiences are what shaped his views on educational reform.

Pestalozzi's grandfather was a clergyman, and Pestalozzi pursued this path as well. In this role, Pestalozzi
was able to witness intense poverty. Particularly, he was struck by the poor conditions of peasant
children working in factories. In the 1700s, helping these people would become Pestalozzi's focus.

His first attempt at reforming education would be the creation of a school for poor peasant children
known as Neuhof. This first attempt at reform focused on the production of goods as a means of
obtaining financial stability. At Neuhof, children would receive an education funded through their own
work. Pestalozzi believed that this education, focused on teaching these children to produce and sell
their own textile products, would allow them to escape the clutches of poverty. Neuhof, however, failed
financially, causing Pestalozzi to reconsider much of his approach.

As this school failed, Pestalozzi was able to reflect on his philosophy. Through this reflection and a
continued effort to reform schooling for the poor, Pestalozzi eventually developed his approach to
schooling now known as the Pestalozzi method. The Pestalozzi method is a whole-child approach that
emphasizes the development of all aspects of a person, including the head, heart, and hands. When
studying Pestalozzi, this is the most important concept to grasp, so let's take a more in-depth look at his
philosophical standpoint and his method of schooling.

Pestalozzi's Method and Philosophy

Pestalozzi was heavily influenced by the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Now, Rousseau is quite a
complex character, and we don't have time to unpack all of his ideals in this video. Let's just say that
when it comes to education, at least, Rousseau believed that human beings were good by nature, and
that education should serve to empower people to cooperate in society. If you really want to study
Rousseau, his most famous work on education is entitled Emile. Check it out.

Pestalozzi felt the same way as Rousseau about the role of education and the nature of human beings.
He believed that all children deserved an appropriate education regardless of background. Of course,
given his experiences, he was particularly focused on the inclusion of poor children. In order to achieve
the type of educational system he desired, he focused on what has been summarized as the Pestalozzi
method.

Let's unpack that a bit. When it comes to the head, Pestalozzi believed that there were some basic
things that a child needed to learn. Most importantly, a child needed to learn objectivity. A child needed
to be able to observe the world around them and hone their natural ability to make informed decisions.
This was obtained through experiences guided by the teacher and rooted in an emotionally safe
education environment.

One of Pestalozzi's most well-known methods for teaching this ability is through the direct observation
of objects. Students would observe objects and directly interact with them in order to develop
hypotheses. For Pestalozzi, sensory input was a natural part of being human and shouldn't be removed
from a classroom.

As you can see, that's where the hands come in. Pestalozzi believed that children needed to have a
hands-on approach to learning. Just sitting and listening wasn't enough. Children needed to learn by
doing.

Now, perhaps most importantly, comes the heart. The heart led the Pestalozzi method. Pestalozzi
emphasized the necessity for children to learn to interact with others in a compassionate way. His ideals
are deeply rooted in the concept of social justice, or the idea that opportunity should be distributed
fairly in a society. Pestalozzi knew that the social advancement for the poor meant a shift in the way
people treated one another.

Pestalozzi's approach is very similar to other famous reformers, such as John Dewey or Maria
Montessori. It was a whole-child approach that focused on doing rather than listening. It involved a child
interacting with the environment. It also involved directly training teachers to successfully carry out this
approach, which was unique to Pestalozzi's day..