social pedagogy unit 1 2.3

Social pedagogy can be defined as an academic discipline that is concerned with holistic education and care; combining concepts and theories from psychology, sociology, social work, education, medical sciences and philosophy. The word “pedagogy” originates from the Greek “pais” (child) and “agein” (to lead). The “social” prefix suggests that bringing up children is a shared responsibility of parents and society. Social pedagogy first started being used in 19th century Germany by Karl Mager who was considered to be the “founding father” of the approach and coined the term in 1844. It was used as an alternative to the domineering approaches to schooling. However, by the late 20th century it became increasingly associated with social work in most European countries. Social pedagogy promotes children as active learners and views them as competent human beings and aims to find ways of working with children to improve their social outcomes and life chances. Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi highlighted the core concept of social pedagogy: the heart, hands and head. The head refers to stimulating curiosity. He suggested that the heart provides a sense of direction in terms of morality. The hands refer to physical experiences leading to an understanding of the child’s world. Children learn through play. Pestalozzi argues that play can benefit children very much. Children who play receive advantages of developing: universal learning skills, creativity and imagination, relationships, self-esteem, a natural love of learning, a basic trust in the world.

References:
Cameron. C, Moss. P (2011) Social Pedagogy and Working with Children and Young People. London: Kingsley Publishers
Walker. M (2011) Children and Young People’s Workforce. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes
Tassoni. P (2010) Children and Young People’s Workforce. United Kingdom: Heinemann
http://www.childrenwebmag.com/articles/social-pedagogy/what-is-social-pedagogy

References: Cameron. C, Moss. P (2011) Social Pedagogy and Working with Children and Young People. London: Kingsley Publishers Walker. M (2011) Children and Young People’s Workforce. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Tassoni. P (2010) Children and Young People’s Workforce. United Kingdom: Heinemann http://www.childrenwebmag.com/articles/social-pedagogy/what-is-social-pedagogy