Fröbel iSchool 4.69

Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel was born in Oberweisbach, Germany, on April 21, 1782. Froebel began work with the great educator Pestalozzi, teaching middle-school children. It was there that he began to develop his theories of education, in conjunction with his interest in philosophy, mineralogy, forestry and geometry. He called this idea “Kindergarten,” the concept that children can be developed to reach their potential with the care of parents and teachers in a carefully prepared environment.

Here are just a few of the great ideas introduced and nurtured by Froebel and his Kindergarten movement:

* Froebel deduced that brain development is most pronounced between birth and age 3.
* Froebel taught that children develop at different rates, so Kindergarten was an ungraded range from ages 3-7. It was a multi-age setting and combined boys and girls, and children of both rich and poor into a community of education that involved both parents and teachers.
* Froebel recognized that humans are creative beings and must be taught about creating through observation of nature and through a process of creative activities. As such, the Froebel Gifts & Occupations were the world’s first toys designed specifically for child development.
* Froebel invented play-based education and the concept of the prepared environment.
* Froebel pioneered wholistic education.
* Froebel invented both child-centered and whole-child approaches to education, urging educators to “follow the child.”.
* Froebel developed the morning circle and engaged children in decision-making and news of the day.
* Froebel pioneered the use music, movement, games and craft activities (including geometric paper-folding) in an educational setting, including the use of finger plays with children.
* Froebel taught children a visual language using basic geometric shapes and building blocks, including point, line, plane and solids … which later influenced students of his method to develop the Bauhaus school of design.
* Froebel believed that the capacity of women to give birth gave them a special ability for educating young children. He employed women in his schools and the Kindergarten became one of the first accepted occupations for women outside the home, allowing more women to obtain advanced education and establish careers. The educational, social and financial work of Kindergartners empowered American women to organize for the right to vote and a larger voice in community affairs.

All of his early experiences prepared Froebel to make a huge leap in understanding, which forever altered the way the entire world views childhood and education. Froebel’s worldwide legacy is vast, reaching across the math, science, philosophy, psychology, education and the arts.
- http://froebeleducation.com