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  • Essay / The impact of Jean Jacques Rousseau on education

    Civilization leads humans to an unhealthy form of self-esteem centered on vanity, jealousy and pride. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that this unhealthy self-esteem appeared when humans moved to cities, because they lived in "bad habits", vices and comparison. As a result, he believed that a natural upbringing contributes to child development because it encourages happiness, wonder, and spontaneity. Jean-Jacques Rousseau wanted children not to be influenced by society; therefore, a child who is not raised in society will emerge and grow without any corruption. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the 18th century, children were treated like miniature adults. Their nature and basic needs were not met. Since they were treated like little men and women, they were trained to behave and practice the same ideas as adults. Therefore, Rousseau wanted to free the child. He saw the child as different from the adult, innocent and vulnerable who deserves to be happy and free. He overturned the universal order, his educational theory consisted of the study of the nature of the child. He thus became the inventor of child center education. Through his book Émile, he sets out all his concerns regarding the child and his educational objectives. He was a nature lover and his teaching was also about appreciating nature. Maria Montessori was also inspired by Rousseau's teaching methods: in 1906 she opened a school named Casa dei Bambini where she believed that education helps bring out the inner individuality of children and that nature shows children children new experiences. book Émile, he wrote about his ideas on education and the role of society on children. Its publication in 1762 caused a great scandal. The Archbishop of Paris saw it as a dangerous and malicious work and that it went against the Christian religion. He therefore ordered the book to be burned and Jean-Jacques Rousseau was banished from Geneva. However, the book scandal attracted more public attention and mothers were won over and began to breastfeed their own children and great lords began to learn manual trades, like Rousseau's imaginary student. It thus became the most important book on education after Plato's Republic. Johann Bernhard Basedow was one of the first to write important books to show that Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas could be applied in reality. In 1774, together with Christian Heinrich Wolke, he founded an institution in Dessau which they called The Philanthropinum. It was open to students of all beliefs and nationalities and aimed to make study easy and enjoyable, following the indications of nature itself. Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi also saw his life transformed after reading Emile, in 1775 he founded a school where he put into practice his progressive and professional teaching method based on the ideas of Rousseau in his book. Pestalozzi's work was followed by Fredrich Frobel, who founded the primary schools or asylums known as kindergartens, where his modern education was based on children's abilities and their unique needs. Accordingly, all these works were a fruitful development of the seeds sown from the book Émile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that it was possible to preserve the original nature of the child by controlling his education and his environment. Thus, the book tells how the childis removed from his parents and from school, isolated from society and entrusted to a guardian who raises him in contact with the wonders and beauties of nature. Rousseau divides Émile into five stages, four which deal with Émile's education and the last stage deals with the training of the girl who will become his wife. Thus, through this imaginary student, Rousseau presents his ideas on how a child transitions through education. In Émile, Rousseau believes that the best way for a child to learn is through stages. The first stage - (from birth to two years) Childhood, talks about the importance of mothers and their role in nursing their children, the meaning of infant tears. and screaming and how to provide great care and not coddle infants. He advises letting the child be free, not wearing tight clothes and playing outside to better understand nature. The second stage - (from two to twelve years) The Age of Nature, where Rousseau wanted the child to learn through negative education. that is, learning through appreciation and experience rather than directly transmitting knowledge. Thus, Rousseau believed that books are not important because a child who reads does not learn things but only learns words. It is therefore at this stage that curiosity takes its place and provokes the activity of the mind. Here, Émile learns to use the spade, the hammer and the hoe so that these objects lead him to learn to count, measure and weigh. The child is able to learn to observe, compare objects and judge distances. This is the most important period of human life, as the child is allowed to experience new situations and learn from mistakes. The third stage – (twelve to fifteen years) The age of reason, where Rousseau believed that it is only at this age that the child begins to reason. Here the child can learn geography, history and science. At this point, Émile had to learn on his own and depend on his opinions rather than those of others. The fourth stage - (fifteen to twenty) Puberty, at this stage the child is no longer a child but feelings have started to emerge. The body, senses and brain are thus developed, ready to be educated for life with others and to be educated in social relationships. The Final Stage – (twenty to twenty-five) Adulthood It is then that Émile meets Sophie where he learns about love and is ready to return to society. In brief, Rousseau discusses his beliefs on the education of young women. He argues that women need less education and should learn to be mothers and bear their husband's wrongs without complaint. Jean-Jacques Rousseau ushered in a new era in education and his influence is evident even today. Rousseau explains that education is life itself and not a preparation for a future state. It focuses on the child and how they should be treated. He was against the teaching methods used because he believed that children should enjoy learning. He argued that in the beginning, the child should only play and do sports, as this helps him grow healthy and strong. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that the true motivation for learning is the desire to know and experience it. There are more important aspects that have influenced education, some of them are: Children develop through different stages, so different types of education should be introduced to everyone. “Every mind has its own form”, therefore education must be individualized. The power of the environment, as it helps enrich the child's interest by developing new opportunities and experiences. The important role of the educator, the one who creates the environment to support children and.