John Amos Comenius: A Visionary Reformer of Schools

by David I. Smith, David Diener (Editor)

John Amos Comenius, a seventeenth-century theologian and reformer, had so great an influence on Western schooling that he has been called the father of modern education. To this day he remains one of the most influential and fascinating thinkers in the history of education. In this concise introduction to the work of Comenius, Dr. David Smith sketches some of Comenius’s central ideas, pointing to several important themes that summarize Comenius’s tireless work for educational reform. Readers will discover that amongst the literally hundreds of works Comenius wrote in Czech and Latin, many of which are lost to us today, he created one of the world's most successful children's picture books*; suggested that learning should resemble gardening; and proposed that joy, piety, and harmony are central to the education of children. In this book, Smith also touches on the key questions with which Comenius wrestled—questions that remain pertinent today. Readers will learn that Comenius is at once a forerunner of much of what we find and affirm today in education while also an advocate of some ideas that we would pass over. Smith suggests that we should let Comenius “be himself, rather than a forerunner of ourselves,” if we wish to be challenged by him afresh. This volume is an important study for any educator wishing to understand the history of education with an eye to recovering perennial educational ideas and practices that will inspire both the present and the future.

Genres: Education, Theology

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2020

About the author

I started out as a secondary school foreign language teacher in England. I quickly became intrigued by the ways in which implicit beliefs and values shaped the materials and ways of teaching that I experienced in classrooms. That theme has become my career-long research project. Most of my books have something to do with how faith gets expressed in classrooms. I now direct a research institute focused on how Christian faith relates to education as well as being involved in teacher education at Calvin College as an education professor. I serve as senior editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education, and travel widely to work with schools and universities on faculty development. I have also been involved in shaping some online curriculum projects at http://www.whatiflearning.com and http://www.teachfastly.com.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comenius was a polymathic genius, a contemporary of DesCartes, who developed the theory and practice of universal and integrated education. Whilst thee are surface similarities with modern educational theories, Comenius was committed to the spiritual and religious formation of the student as part of a comprehensive education programme. This short introduction succinctly distils the key features and lessons that modern educators can appropriate.

[David Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a good job examining Comenius as he was, rather than seeing him straightforwardly as either a thinker to be overcome in our progress, or as a progressive leader who obviously foreshadowed all those teaching methods we now believe in.

I appreciated the emphasis that education cannot be just memorization, and maybe that is the caution some (not all) folks in classical education need. Reminded me of some of Richard Feynman's comments about the difference in Physics education between the US and, say, Brazil (as I recall). He would go down to Brazil and ask students what the such-and-such law of Physics was, and students would repeat back to him a PERFECT definition, he was quite impressed. But then, when asked to apply it, he found they really had no idea what it meant. Being able to repeat the words, even perfectly, is not the same thing as understanding, and what we really want is understanding. Accordingly "active learning" methods that force the student to immediately apply what they are learning (or discover it by their own action) are worth the consideration of any school.

From my own perspective as a college teacher, perhaps the most personally discomforting section was the part about how the concrete must precede the abstract. It is very common (in college textbooks, say), to reverse that, to present the general principle and then give examples of it. Comenius would be, at least somewhat against that practice, but it is implied that he is especially against that practice for younger ages (younger children indeed being less good at the abstract, I think)... but something to think about anyway.

[David Petz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed learning about how Comenius connected faith with life in practical ways in education.

[Cidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Comenius until I read an article in a newspaper and then spent £15 buying this short 77 page book from Oxfam online. Comenius was born in 1592 and died in 1670 and was said to be the father of education. It is an extremely good book, it begins with his birth in Moravia which is the Czech republic today, and he was orphaned at 12yrs and was raised by other family members. He was widely read and deep thinking and a very pious man. Comenius believed that children learnt through play and the working out of what it was they were doing, they needed to experience things to understand how they work. This was in an age when children, boys only, sat at desks and were talked at all day by tutors and only thought of what they were told to think. Girls weren't considered worthy of schooling. Comenius believed that both girls and boys should be educated and together too. So he was about 450yrs ahead of his time there!

He also thought that children should not begin schooling until they were 6yrs old and had experienced life with their mothers, fathers if they were still around, family and friends first and then began education with an enquiring mind. In the world of the under 5s today, and well about 25 yrs ago really, it is believed that children should only play and learn though play rather than sit at desks directly after their 4th birthday or sit on carpets with teachers talking at them and having no clue what it is they are listening to. They are far too young to start school then, they should still be at home learning with their family which is where education first begins.

He also believed strongly in piety, which is being kind and thoughtful towards others and with hopefully a love of God. And I'm glad I bought and read this expensive short book about him!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written by someone who clearly knows his stuff. He would certainly have liked it to be longer. One thing – he mentions in the audiobook several times the pictures on the website. They are not there and the publisher was surprised that they should have been, when I enquired. Also, the audio book chapters are out of sync by 1.

These do not deter in any way from what Mr Smith has to tell us about Komensky.
My only qualm was the Sunday school ending. Could have done without that. It made it seem like the whole book was written for a christian audience not students of pedagogy.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had heard/read a bit about Comenius from Karen Glass, and as I read this interesting little book, I could see several parallels between his ideas and Charlotte Mason’s educational principles. She wasn’t writing in a historical vacuum! ;)

[Luke Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about an interesting character but I struggled to read it for more than a chapter at a time despite it being a short book.

Comenius definitely had some interesting ideas and led an incredible life that has, without doubt, shaped the way we teach today in some regard.

[Phillip Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summery of Comenius’ educational philosophy by Smith. Helpful for those wanting an introduction to his key ideas.