Jean jacques rousseau and his contribution in educational philosophy

1. Dr.M.Deivam
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University)
Gandhigram, Dindigul District,
Tamil Nadu - 624 302
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU AND HIS
CONTRIBUTION IN EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

2. Rousseau

3. Brief Life-sketch
 Born in Geneva, Switzerland on June 28,1712
 His mother died shortly after childbirth
 His father was a poor and watchmaker
 When he was ten his father run away Geneva
 He was then raised by his mothers sister
 Wrote many books -Emile (story of imaginary boy named emile)


4. Cont.,
 He obtained his education by home
 He had 5 children, due to poverty, he admitted all the children in
orphan home.
 1750 -The Progress of Art and Science
 1753 - The origin of Equality among men
 He published to two famous book name as Social Contract ;
Emile or Concerning Education
 1772 July 2, passed away.

5. Aims of Education
 Physical development (Infancy: birth to 5 years)
 Development of Sense organs (Childhood: 5 to 12
years)
 Development of power of understanding (Boyhood
12 to 15 years)
 Development of emotional, moral, religious
(Adolescence: 15 to 20 years )

6. Educational thought of Rousseau
 Nature is pure, simple, beautiful and
pleasant.
 Society is full up with several defects
and nature is completely pure.
 We get true knowledge from nature,
and not from society
 Man’s sense organs are the gateways
of knowledge
 Education by sense organs is true
education

7. Natural and Negative Education
To lost time wisely
No place for book learning
No formal lessons
No habit formation
 Non-moral education
Back to nature

8. Philosophy of Rousseau
 Material world is the real world.
 Mind is subordinate to matter.
 Nature alone is the source of all
knowledge
 Values are created in terms of specific
needs
 All values exist in nature – in living close
to nature.
 There is no possibility of any ‘supernatural
being’.
 The individual is always given preference.

9. Principles of Education
 Rousseau lays stress on physical environment
 Rousseau emphasizes the present life of the child
as the basis of education
 Rousseau accords an important place to the child in
the educative process
 Rousseau advocates education in accordance with
the nature of the child.
 Rousseau gives prominent place to the concept of
freedom in the education of the child.
 Rousseau give an insignificant place for
knowledge from books

10. Curriculum
 It is based on the nature of the child,
his interests, need, ability etc.
 It lays stress on subjects that are
helpful in self-preservation.
 It stress basic sciences.
 It emphasizes physical and health
education

11. Infancy (between 1 to 5 years)
 The children are just like animals at this age; their
muscles are strong and they are active; they
want to do something or the other at all times, they
show interest in playing, jumping, running, and
signing etc.

12. Methods of Teaching
Social knowledge should be
imparted through social
participation.
Individual instruction should be
given.
Heuristic method should be applied.
 Direct experience should be given.
Learning by doing method should be

13. The Role of the Teacher
 Minor place to the teacher.
 Not an instructor but only a guide.
 Responsibility to motivate the child to learn
 Must understand the nature of the child to
be able to control his emotional reactions.
 Not to impose any rules of control.
 Guide properly with perfect freedom.
 The highest function of the teachers
consists not so much in imparting
knowledge but on stimulating the pupils.

14. School
 The child should be given complete
freedom in schools; no control should
be exercised over them.
 No timetable – the children should be
free to do any activity at any time.
 The teacher should maintain the school
environment so simple, sweet and
pure that the children are able to effect
their natural development there.

15. Discipline
Rousseau accords maximum
freedom to the child. It has no
scope for external discipline or
self-control. Discipline is to be
had by natural consequences.

16. Contribution of Rousseau’s Naturalism to
Education
 Rousseau has brought to the forefront the
importance and recognition of the child in the
educative process.
 Rousseau advocates that education should be a
pleasurable activity for children. The child’s
interest in and readiness to learn a topic has been
assigned due importance.
 Rousseau stresses that education should engage
the spontaneous self-activity of the child.
 According to Rousseau methods of instruction
must be inductive to make teaching

17. Cont.,
 The concept of discipline in naturalism is very
desirable. Punishment is based on the
consequences of wrong actions. Children
share freedom as well as responsibility.
 Naturalism is education draws our attention to
the aesthetic aspect of surroundings. This also
implies that schools should be located in
natural surroundings. Education can be
imparted in the open.

18. Weakness of Rousseau’s Naturalism in
Education
 Naturalism in its extreme form neglects books and
other medias
 It is very difficult to assume that we can neglect vast
quantities of printed materials
 Physical nature alone is not sufficient for providing
education.
 Absolute freedom to child is a myth. I cannot exist.
Child cannot be allowed the freedom to hang himself.
 It is very difficult to find naturalistic surroundings
for locating education institutions.
 Naturalism assigns very little importance to the
teacher in the educative process.