How+Gertrude+Teaches+Her+Children

=How Gertrude Teaches Her Children= Devin Hudelson

"How Gertrude Teaches Her Children" is Pestalozzi's most systematic work, it was written in 1801. This book was a critique of conventional schooling and a prescription for educational reform.

Pestalozzi rejected corporal punishment and 'rote' memorization. He wanted schools to be institutions that felt more like home; where teachers engaged the students in learning through sensory experiences.

Pestalozzi's method rested on two major premises: (1) children need an emotionally secure environment as the setting for successful learning; and (2) instruction should follow the generalized process of human conceptualization that begins with sensation.

There were two related phases of instruction that he developed: the general and the special method. Using the general method; teachers were to create an emotionally secure school environment. This was the only way one could use the special method which emphasized sensory learning. His special method used the " // Anschauung // principle", which is a process involving forming clear concepts from sensory impressions.

 "Pestalozzi designed object lessons in which children, guided by teachers, examined the form (shape), number (quantity and weight) of objects, and named them after direct experience with them. Object teaching was the most popular and widely adopted element of Pestalozzianism."

 Some lessons included guided field trips; during which, children explored the surrounding countryside, observed the local natural environment, topography, and economy.  Pestalozzi's work also helped inspire the movement to redirect instruction from the traditional recitation to simultaneous group-centered instruction.

These methods encouraged the entry of natural science and geography into the elementary school curriculum.

http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2319/Pestalozzi-Johann-1746-1827.html
 * Resources:**

http://archive.org/stream/howgertrudeteach00pestuoft#page/n5/mode/2up Here you can actually read the book online

http://archive.org/details/howgertrudeteach00pestuoft This link provides a pdf download and the read online option