A Child's Work [Paperback]

Joachim Liebschner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

This book considers Friedrich Froebel's work and ideas in the light of the continuing debate over methods of primary education, raising the old conflict between child-centred and traditional education; concern about the role of teacher in the classroom; and the renewed challenge of 'play' as a tool of education. To Froebel, play provided the means for a child's intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. Froebel believed that the education of a child began at birth, and that parents and teachers played a crucial role in helping children in this activity. "Play is a mirror of life", he wrote, leading to self-discipline and respect for law and order. The events of Froebel's life are carefully documented in "A Child's Work", together with their influence on his ideas and their spread. The author shows how the early death of Froebel's mother and a home lacking in love were to provide the impetus behind one of Froebel's overriding aims: the fostering of family life. The shaping of his educational thought and philosophy through contact with the ideas of other educators, especially his 'spiritual father' Pestalozzi, and philosophers such as Kant, Hegel and Krause, is examined. Froebel's continuous reassessment of the function of play in a child's life came to fruition in the concept of the Kindergarten and the creations with which he peopled it. Illustrations from original sources complement the thorough explanations of these educational innovations in the book. From the soft ball on a spring, the simplest of the Gifts, to the unravelling of more complex ideas in the "Mother Songs", Froebel incorporated the various facets that he saw as important in play: the notion of the symbolic and the surmise, the tension between the known and the unknown, the development of physical dexterity and care for the environment. As we continue to shift towards an emphasis on a more formal, more restrictive and less creative mode of education, it is an appropriate time to re-examine Froebel's contribution to educational thinking, which was revolutionised by his ideas. His respect for a child as an independent, searching and creative person learning through his own actions, and for the teacher as facilitator and guide, led to monumental changes. Froebel's legacy challenges us to examine the assumptions underlying current trends in education, and our attitude towards educating young children.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A modern look back at the life of one of history's most influential educational theorists, Friedrich Froebel -- inventor of kindergarten. Author Joachim Liebschner is a former librarian/archivist of the Froebel archive at Roehampton College in Surrey, London, England. Liebschner discovered new sources during his own travels to Froebel's home land (in what was then still communist East Germany). This book provides new insights into Froebel's motivations and his efforts to establish early childhood education for the world. This biography also features modern translations of Froebel's original German text. A well-written and valuable resource for those studying the origins of preschool education. Scott W. Bultman --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

'A child's play is his work' the great German educationalist, Friedrich Froebel, used to say. This book presents for the first time a full account of this cornerstone of Froebel's philosophy. A firm believer in guided play as the most important learning tool for young children, Froebel was the inventor of the Kindergarten and the founder of the first teacher training college for women.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 154 pages
• Publisher: Lutterworth Press (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0718830148
• ISBN-13: 978-0718830144
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,619,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars English-language biography of Froebel, May 12, 2003

By 

Scott W. Bultman "FroebelUSA" (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Child's Work (Paperback)

A modern look back at the life of one of history's most influential educational theorists, Friedrich Froebel -- inventor of kindergarten. Author Joachim Liebschner is a former librarian/archivist of the Froebel archive at Roehampton College in Surrey, London, England. Liebschner discovered new sources during his own travels to Froebel's home land (in what was then still communist East Germany). This book provides new insights into Froebel's motivations and his efforts to establish early childhood education for the world.

This biography also features modern translations of Froebel's original German text. A well-written and valuable resource for those studying the origins of preschool education.