Encouraged the idea of the tutor as a means of education. There are many famous educators that were influenced by Rousseau. One of his most famous followers was Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi who believed that children’s nature, rather than the structure of the arts and sciences should be the starting point of education. Freidrich Froebel was also greatly influenced by Rousseau. Froebel emphasized self-activity s the central feature of childhood education. Johann Herbart, a German philosopher, psychologist, and educator, 19th century thinker, and acknowledged to be the “father of scientific pedagogy,” was also influenced by the ideas of Rousseau.

Rousseau’s educational thought revolved around the following major themes:

1. Emphasized nature and the natural way of doing things. Education should occur in a natural rather than artificial environment.
   
2. Human beings are by nature good, but are corrupted by the institutions of “civilized society.”
   
3. Childhood is unlike adulthood and those differences should be allowed and encouraged. Children should not be expected to take on adult responsibilities or be forced to live by adult standards.
   
4. Because the child is innately good and the teacher has been corrupted, the educational process should be child-centered, not content-centered or teacher-centered.
   
5. In motivating children we should rely on natural curiosity not force.
   
6. Education should be negative or subtractive. Meaning that the less the teacher interferes in the child’s natural development, the better off the child will be. Teacher is guide or facilitator.
   
7. Education should be informal. It should occur outside the school in the “real” world and should grow out of the experiences the child has on a day to day basis.
   
8. We should rely on natural punishments to teach a child morality rather than contrived rules and teacher imposed punishments.
   
9. Parents should be involved in education. The parents are the people nature has chosen to educate children. (Online)

Publications

Discourse on the Arts and Sciences (1750),

Emile (1757)

The Social Contract (1762)

Confessions