The ''Great Didactic'' or (), full title (), ''The Great Didactic, The Whole Art of Teaching all Things to all Man'', is a book written by Czech

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last bishop of the Unit ...

between 1627 and 1638 and first published in 1657.

Summary

The Great Didactic is commonly referred as the first great work of

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

(

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

) at all. Its author,

, described his work as a "didactic of life", the aim of which was "to teach everyone everything completely" or "to teach everyone everything in consideration of the whole" (). The background to this high claim is the contemporary view that only an educated person is a human being. Comenius thus represented an approach of optimistic anthropology, which sees something good in every human being and generally considers this to be expandable (educational). Parallel to this, the Didactica Magna serve as a guide to achieve a high learning outcome for the students in a pleasant learning atmosphere.

in his ''Didactica Magna'' (Great Didactic), outlined a system of schools that is the exact counterpart of the existing American system of kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school, college, and university. The book forwards a philosophy of teaching called pansophism (universal knowledge) whose aim it is to teach all things to all people from all points of view. Comenius believed that humankind through pansophic teachings could live in harmony. He presumed that children have a natural craving for knowledge and goodness. In Comenius's words: In the ''Great Didactic'', he stated: In The Great Didactic Comenius recommended learning from

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

too, outside

school A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

contexts. If a child is in a school, he argued that

learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, Attitude (psychology), attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, non-human animals, and ...

should extend beyond the

classroom A classroom, schoolroom or lecture room is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other place ...

and take place in everyday life. He accomplished this acquisition of worldly knowledge by giving students contact with objects in the environment and systematizing knowledge to make it more accessible and relevant to the children's interests and life needs.

References

{{reflist

External links

''The Great Didactic'' online

1967 * Keatinge

(London, 1896) John Amos Comenius Books by John Amos Comenius Pedagogical publications

Summary

See also

References

External links