Jean Jacques Rousseau was a radical educational theorist for his time. In the 18th century Europe, if you were lucky enough to receive an education, as de Castell & Luke (1983) point out, the focus was on religion and the Bible (p. 373). Recitation and repetition were central to pedagogy, while comprehension was not emphasized (de Castell & Luke, 1983). Rousseau deviated from popular educational thinking by introducing the idea of student-centred pedagogy (van Kleeck & Schuele, 2010). To Rousseau, education should focus on the unique development and interests of each child to promote and protect their natural goodness (Betram, C, 2018). The goal of education was to cultivate freethinking citizens who would pursue their interests. While only controversial to a modern-day reader, Rousseau’s theory argued for a different type of education for women, one that focused on domestic servitude (Lewis, 2019).
Below is a paradigm chart outlining the main features of Rousseau’s educational theory. To develop this chart, I used de Castell & Luke (1983) as a model. While many of the elements are similar, some were removed, as they were not relevant to Rousseau’s theory. For example, the “curriculum” section was removed, as the curriculum would be highly subjective and dependent on the child, development stage, and interests. In lieu of some of these elements, I added one for “place of learning”, as Rousseau’s position on the place of education is a unique feature for the 18th century. Finally, the elements are separated by gender, as Rousseau’s theory also made distinctions based on gender (Lewis, 2019).
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https://www.canva.com/design/DADnRLGGpAE/view
As Rousseau’s educational theory is student-centred and subjective, so too are the educational tools and technologies. Games, exercising the senses, and informal learning experiences are tools and technologies that Rousseau introduces (van Kleeck & Schuele, 2010), replacing the Bible, repetition, and recitation.
While Rousseau’s ideas were controversial, his impact on educational theory can still be felt today through student-centred philosophy, gamification, and age/interest appropriate activities.
References:
Betram, C. (2018). Jean Jacques Rousseau. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/.
de Castell, S., & Luke, A. (1983). Defining literacy in North American schools: Socio historical conditions and consequences. In in de Castell, Luke and Egan (Eds) Literacy, Society, and Schooling. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Lewis, J. (2019, July 14). Rousseau’s take on women and education. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/rousseau-on-women-and-education-3528799.
van Kleeck, A., & Schuele, C. (2010). Historical perspectives on literacy in early childhood. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19, 341-355.