This document summarizes key concepts in social pedagogic theory and its implications for practice. [1] It discusses the origins and development of social pedagogy from thinkers like Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Korczak. [2] Social pedagogy views children as competent beings and aims for their holistic education and well-being through building relationships and providing learning opportunities. [3] Theory meets practice through a balance of the professional, personal, and practical domains in pedagogical work.

1. Tell me, and I forget;
Show me, and I remember;
Let me do, and I understand.
Development & Features of Social Pedagogic Theory
Implications for Practice
Sylvia Holthoff
Gabriel Eichsteller
ThemPra Social Pedagogy CIC

2. “Children are a key to understanding a nation,
not only to comprehend the habits of a society
but also its collective intelligence and sustainability”
(Donata Elschenbroich, German sociologist)
Social pedagogy is a „function of society‟ (Mollenhauer) – it
describes how society thinks about children, their education
and upbringing.
Therefore, social pedagogy is closely related to society at a
given time and place, it is context specific.

3. The Development of Pedagogic Thought
“We should not teach children the sciences,
but give them a taste for them”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778):
 Humans are naturally good and are corrupted
through society‟s influence
 Upbringing and education in harmony with nature
 Emile (1762) describes healthy upbringing of a fictitious
character
 Facilitating opportunities for learning depending on where the
child is

4. The Development of Pedagogic Thought
“I seek education for humanity,
and this only emanates through love”
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827):
 Developed Rousseau‟s core ideas
 Education as a holistic process addressing
head, heart, and hands
 Head: not imposing knowledge, but stimulate curiosity
 Heart: moral education, “without it, the other types would lose
their sense of direction”
 Hands: learning through physical activities, grasping the world
 Head, heart, and hands are inseparable and corresponding with
each other
 Importance of observation and reflective practice
 Role of pedagogue is to take care that “no untoward influence
shall disturb nature‟s march of development”

5. The Development of Pedagogic Thought
The children have been vested with unknown powers
that could lead the way to a better future”
(Maria Montessori)
New Education Movement:
 Applied these thoughts into school context (Montessori, Steiner,
Fröbel, Hahn)
 Refined concept of children as competent (“A child has a
hundred languages” - Malaguzzi) and as equals (“Children don‟t
become humans, they already are” - Korczak)
 Development of child participation and children‟s rights in
pedagogic concepts of Montessori and Korczak
 Mainstreamed pedagogic thinking beyond educational
institutions  social pedagogy to address wider social issues
and tackle disadvantage / social exclusion

6. “I prefer the word pedagogue to teacher. A teacher is someone
paid by the hour to drill something into the child, while a
pedagogue draws something out. If you want to be a
pedagogue you have to learn to talk with children instead
of to them. You have to learn to trust their capacities and
possibilities.”
Janusz Korczak (1878 – 1942), Polish pedagogue,
paediatrician and author

7. What is Social Pedagogy?
Origin: Pedagogy – Greek pais (child), and agein (to lead, bring up)
Basis:
 Humanistic value base, e.g. respect, trust, unconditional
appreciation
 Fundamental concept of children as equal human beings with rich
and extraordinary potential, as competent, resourceful and active
agents
 Inter-disciplinary theory combining concepts and models from
sociology, psychology, education, philosophy, medical sciences and
social work
Aims:
 Holistic education – education of head (cognitive knowledge), heart
(emotional and spiritual learning), and hands (practical and physical skills)
 Holistic well-being – strengthening health-sustaining factors
 To enable children to grow up as self-responsible persons who
take responsibility for their society
 To promote human welfare and prevent or ease social problems

8. What is Social Pedagogy?
Pathways:
 Through providing opportunities for learning (“It is not possible to
teach; but it is possible to create situations wherein it is impossible not to
learn”)
 By building strong and positive authentic relationships which
are non-hierarchical
 Working with head (concepts, theory, reflective practitioner), heart
(building relationships, using one‟s personality, positive attitude) , and hands
(activities, „Common Third‟) in the everyday, focussing on the here
and now
 Cultural impact on what is possible in Aim
practice – depending on social images
of children, policy-context,
regulations, qualifications Pathways
Basis

9. The Pedagogic Triangle
“The essential thing is for the task to arouse such an
interest that it engages the child‟s whole personality”
(Maria Montessori)
Systemic Pedagogy
Pedagogic practice is embedded
in societal context, corresponds
with and influences social
views on pedagogy and
informs policy-making
Badry & Knapp, 2003

10. “Social pedagogy is a theory of all the personal, social and
moral education in a given society, including the
description of what has happened in practice.”
Karl Mager (1810 – 1858), German „founding father‟ of
social pedagogy
Social pedagogy is deeply rooted in society and has grown
organically into a coherent system, wherein theory meets
practice.

12. Pedagogy – Theory meets Practice
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
(Fritz Perls)
Pedagogic practice is a holistic process creating a balance between:
 the professional (theory and concepts, reflective practitioner – the ‘head’)
 the personal (using one‟s personality, positive attitude, building personal
relationships, but keeping the „private‟ out – the ‘heart’)
 the practical (using certain methods and creative activities – the ‘hands’)
Personal
All three elements are equal and
complement each other synergy
Professional Practical

13. „The pedagogical approach rests on an image of a child as a
complex social being with rich and extraordinary potential,
rather than as an adult-in-waiting who needs to be given
the right ingredients for optimal development. […]
For pedagogues there is no universal solution, each
situation requires a response based on a combination of
information, emotions, self-knowledge and theory.‟
Children‟s Workforce Development Council, 2006

14. Pedagogic Concepts
3P’s:
 professional pedagogue
knowing theories, explaining behaviour, reflectivity
 personal pedagogue
relational contact, authenticity, using personality
 private pedagogue
personal boundaries of what is not shared

15. Pedagogic Concepts
Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development:
 Learning and development are embedded in and dependent on
the cultural and social context, on interaction with our
environment
 Through interaction with others we can develop further than
we could by being on our own
 Zone of Proximal Development is the distance between what
we can actually achieve on our own and what we can
potentially achieve with help from others (others can be adults
or children!)

16. Pedagogic Concepts
4 development situations to extend the Zone of Proximal
Development:
 Starting from the child‟s motivation to learn
 Starting from where the pedagogue thinks the child „is‟
 Mutual process of learning together, e.g. Common Third
 Necessary development, things that need to be learned

17. Pedagogic Concepts
“It is not possible to teach. But it is possible to create
situations wherein it is impossible not to learn”
The Common Third:
 Creating a commonly shared situation or activity as something
third between pedagogue and child
 Development of relationship around this activity, e.g. building
a kite, cooking, football
 Sharing and having something in common implies to be in an
equal relationship with full participation of both
 Both show a genuine interest in activity and are authentic -
use of personality as a resource
 Holistic education - common potential for learning

18. “Good judgment comes from experience.
And often experience comes from bad judgment”
(Rita Mae Brown)
contact: further information:
sylvia@thempra.co.uk www.socialpedagogy.co.uk
gabriel@thempra.co.uk www.socialpedagogyuk.com
© by ThemPra, 2008