Kalpana Ravariya

EARLY CHILDHOOD
CARE AND
EDUCATION
 EDUCATION IN INDIA
1.Write briefly about the Educators

Tagore
Tagore was born at Calcutta in 1861. He was born at the time when nationalism was fused with
religion. He started a small Bengali school at Bolpur, which his father named as Shantiniketan which
means abode of peace. He gave theoretical and practical shape to his educational ideas in this school.
Tagore’s ideas relevant to early childhood education Tagore believed that in early years the child
should arrive at truth through natural process spontaneously by coming in contact with things and
persons. This would pave the way for the widest possible development of child’s interests. Learning
for the child is essentially explorative, active and full of joy. His other ideas for the education of young
children are described below.Essential of free basic education according to Gandhi are as follows:-
Aims of education: According to Tagore, education was a gradual and progressive growth of a child.
He believed that a child grows as an organism grows. He emphasized that education should begin with
training of instincts, emotions, self reliance and communal cooperation. Then art, music and play
should be introduced.
Curriculum: His aspiration was not subject centered, but activity centered. He stressed that the
education should be given through activity and play. It should be creative and it should include artistic
aspects of learning and craft work.
Tagore emphasized the following three methods-
Peripatetic method: He was concerned with the association between body and mind in
order to establish a total rhythm and harmony in life. The children should be taught drama
and arts as compulsory subjects from the beginning. This is because the children need the
opportunity to give expression to their feelings through their bodily movements.
Activity method: He gave emphasis for activity method. He wanted children to
understand the concepts through performing activities. For example to understand a verb
“tear”, he used to make the children to tear some papers to master the concept of tearing.
Environmental approach: He emphasized teaching through environment. He included
more number of nature walks to teach the concepts for younger children. He believed in
providing first hand experiences to children in their learning process through nature. The
modern approach of learning by organizing “nature trails, in the subject of environmental
studies are similar to the ideas of Tagore.
Discipline in schools: Tagore was against rigid discipline in childhood. He would give a
break of 5 minutes between class periods. He would change the place of class. He would
move his class from the shade of one tree to another. He had lot of freedom during his
childhood. He believed that too many restrictions would make the education joyless. The
child can give expression to his joy through play. He can invent things with the help of
material at hand.
 Student-teacher relationships: Tagore emphasized on student-teacher interaction.
He considered it as the most important medium of human development. The teacher
should provide an atmosphere of creative activity within the ashram school and she
should act as a play mate to the children. His concept of an ideal teacher can be
found in his popular play “Phalguni”.
A creative disruptor, Gijubhai introduced several innovative child-friendly practices
into ECCE. Among them: teachers greeting children instead of the other way round;
encouraging child-crafted plays/concerts; according children respect and freedom to
voice their opinions; banning corporal punishment in schools and educating parents
about its negative consequences.

Contributions of Mahatma Gandhi to ECE The idea of preschool is of a new

and recent origin in the history of Indian education. Prior to 1937, the preschools
such as Montessori schools, Kindergarten and Nursery schools did not cater to
Indian children. In 1937, Gandhiji gave a sound ideological basis for new education
system called Nai-Talim or Basic education, which didn’t talk about preschool
education. Later he focused on education for children under seven years which is
called Prebasic education.

Pre-basic education Pre-basic education in the fullest sense is ‘the education of

children under seven for a development of all their faculties conducted by the school
teachers in cooperation with the parents and the community in schools and at
homes’.
Essentials of pre-basic education according to Gandhiji are as follows:
Home is the first center of child’s education and learning. The teacher and parents
should cooperate in carrying out the education of young children. Preschool education
must not be expensive, so that it can reach the majority of child population. A child has
to be active, creative and playful and has to learn things through the medium of play.
An attempt should be made to develop self-efficiency in children. Based on Gandhiji’s
above mentioned ideas of preschool education the first experiment in pre-basic
education was started in 1945 in the village of Sevagram, Wardha, in Maharastra state.
The programme of instruction in a pre basic school is geared to the needs of the
following four groups
Stage:1- Conception to birth
Stage 2- Birth to 2 ½ years
Stage 3- 2 ½ to 4 years
Stage 4: 4 to 7 years
In first two stages education involves both mother and child. Opportunities are
provided to the mothers to learn more about new trends and scientific methods of child
rearing, health and hygiene and mother craft. Children are given custodial care and
medical attention.
The children from 2 ½ to 4 years are provided play or group activities. Children need
to be given full freedom to act, to move about and to choose their own activities.
Teacher must supervise and guide the child.
The children after 4 years can participate in definite purposeful activities such as cleaning the
class room, watering plants, washing vessels, measuring and weighing tins, bringing water,
drawing and painting and other similar activities. Teacher must understand likes and dislikes of
the child.
Gandhiji’s views on other aspects of early childhood education Concept of education:
According to Gandhiji good education is that which stimulates the spiritual, intellectual and
physical faculties of the children.

Concept of education: According to Gandhiji good education is that which stimulates the
spiritual, intellectual and physical faculties of the children.

Curriculum: The curriculum is to be craft centered and activity oriented/centered. Emphasis

must be given to the construction activities during preschool level. He pointed out that through
craft children understand concrete life situations. The craft is to be taught not merely for
productive work but for developing the intellectual capacities of the children. Methods and
approaches: Correlation is an important method of basic education. It is the technique which
binds education with child’s life. Books: He discouraged the use of many books, especially
books with formal writings. Especially the first year in primary school should be completely
without books and the teacher should use oral method to save the child from a “Tyranny of
words”. Role of teacher: The teacher has to play the role of a mother. She has to nurture the
child, live with him and bring him to the level of greater maturity. Religious education: He
emphasized classical principles of ethics and maturity in general rather than religious teaching.
EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING AS VISUALIZED
BY WESTERN THINKERS
Jean Rousseau (1712-1778)
Life Sketch of Rousseau : Jean-Jacques Rousseau occupies a great place in the education
world as a revolutionary thinker. His educational thought continues to be the source of
inspiration and guidance for all. Rousseau was born in 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Education and schooling as visualized by Rousseau : Rousseau was a great western
thinker and advocated education according to the nature of the child. He regarded Nature
as the best teacher and believed that if children make mistakes and violate the laws of
nature, they naturally invite the retribution of nature. He believed that everything is good
as it comes from nature and it generates in the hand of man, so he advocated that the
education of the child should be purely negative. By negative education, Rousseau means
not teaching truth or virtues to a child but shielding his heart from evils and mind from
errors.
According to him, real education is not to acquire or impart knowledge. Rousseau hated
society and its institutions, so he advocated education away from the polluted
environment of the society. According to him, the school should have such a natural
environment where a child’s physical, intellectual and emotional faculties can be
developed properly. Rousseau said that school system should be based on freedom,
equality and fraternity. The school’s tasks should be managed by the teacher and the child
in co-ordination. Poor and rich children should study together in school and all types of
John Dewey (1859-1952)

Life Sketch of Dewey : John Dewey was one of the distinguished western thinkers of modern age. He
was born in Burlington, America. He started his career as a school teacher. Afterwards he worked as
professor for several years in Minnesota University, Michigan University, Chicago University and
Columbia University of New York. He was the author of many monumental works. A few of them are
– My Pedagogic Creed, Ethics, Democracy and Education, School and Society, Philosophy of
Education etc.
Education and schooling as visualized by Dewey : Dewey described education as an important need of
life. According to him, the aim of education should be to inculcate social efficiency in a child. He
opines that education should enable the individual to live as per the ideals of society by removing
his/her deficiencies. It must habituate the child to those social traits which are necessary for success in
social life. So it is clear that in Dewey's view, education should be such that it assists both the
individual and the society as a whole. He emphasized democratic values in all dimensions of
education.
Dewey's approach to methodology of teaching led to the emergences of the Project method in
education. Dewey felt that the training of students for a complete living in the society should be
provided in the school. For finding out the type of training to be imparted, he carried out his
experiments in the school which he established in 1896 in the University of Chicago. It was known as
laboratory school.
According to him, the school as the 'democratic society in miniature' should provide opportunity for
the participation of the students in the activities of the school on the one hand and, on the other hand, it
should realize the significance of the experiences, needs and interest of the child as an individual. He
fused both the psychological and sociological aspects of education.
Friedrich Frobel (1782-1852)

Life Sketch of Frobel : Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel was a German educationalist and is best
known as the originator of the 'kindergarten system'. He laid the foundation for modern
education based on the concept that children have unique needs and capabilities.
Frobel was born on April 21, 1782 in Oberwei back, a village in South Germany. He was much
influenced by the educational philosophy of Rousseau and realized the importance of the pre-school
period for laying the foundation for not only a sound education for the individual, but also for the
health of society at large. In 1826, he published his famous book The Education of Man. This book
brought great name and fame to him.
Education and schooling as visualized by Frobel : The concept of 'unity' was the driving force of
Frobel's philosophy and educational practice. According to him, the aim of education is to enable the
child to realize the unity in diversity. He opined that the purpose of education is to awaken the spiritual
nature of the child and to enable him/her to identify himself/herself with the divine power of nature.
Frobel put his educational ideas into practice through his school which he referred to as Kindergarten,
which implies a children's garden. According to Frobel, the school is like a garden, the teacher is the
gardener and the students are the tender plants.
The environment of kindergarten is to be that of freedom, play and joy - an environment which fosters
self expression. Education is to be given to the children through three ways - songs, movements and
construction. For example, when a story is told or read, it is expressed in a song, dramatized in
movements and gestures and illustrated by construction of blocks, paper, clay or drawing. Frobel's
belief in the unity of mankind and nature and of the inanimate world and living things, led to his
conviction of the crucial importance of a harmonious relationship among home, school and society.
Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

Maria was an Italian physician and educator, a holed humanitarian and a famous
educationalist her educational method is in use today in public and private schools
throughout the world. Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in a prosperous family
in chiaravalle, Italy. she became Italy‘s first female doctor when she graduated in 1896
from the University of Rome. Dr. Montessori observed that placing children in a
stimulating and homely environment encourages learning she referred to her school as
children’s house. Montessori opened her first children’s house in 1907. Montessori
education spread to the United States in 1911 and become widely known in education
and popular publication. According to dr. Montessori the schools should be based on
the following characteristics:-Homely environment and room with well equipped
furniture.
1. Complete freedom to the children
2. No harsh timetable
3. Individual attention to each child
4. Special emphasis to the sensory training
5. Play way method For imparting education
6. No use of punishment