The ''Great Didactic'' or ( la, Didactica Magna), full title ( la, Didactica Magna, Universale Omnes Omnia Docendi Artificium Exhibens), ''The Great Didactic, The Whole Art of Teaching all Things to all Man'', is a book written by Czech philosopher,

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 a ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinization (literature), Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech Philosophy, philosopher, Ped ...

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 a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

) 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" ( la, omnes omnia omnino excoli). 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, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

too, outside

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes comp ...

contexts. If a child is in a school, he argued that learning should extend beyond the classroom 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

Summary

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References

External links