Influence of Jean Jacques Rousseau's postulates, Johan Heinrich Pestalozzi, Antonio Rosmini-Serbati, Johann Friedrich Herbart and Karl Marx on the Theories of Education of the 20th and 21st Centuries

Abstract

This article summarizes Jean Jacques Rousseau’s naturalism and its influence on the contemporary pedagogy. His theory is related to the humanistic approach in order to define pedagogy as a science and as an autonomous activity. The article also describes Johan Heinrich Pestalozzi’s theory based on the affirmation that life educates. A contrast between Rousseau’s postulates and Pestalozzi’s ideas will be shown, as well as a comparison to Lev Vigotsky’s Sociocultural Theory. In addition, the theories presented by Johan Heinrich Pestalozzi, Antonio Rosmini-Serbati y Johann Friedrich Herbart will be studied in order to describe their ideas as the background that reflects on the definition of constructivism and on the teaching methods of the XX and XXI Centuries. Finally, Karl Marx’s postulates regarding the person’s physical, technical and spiritual development will be explained through a transcription of an extract from the book Sophie’s World and the vision of the human as material been and as materialworld transforming been. His ideas will be described as the basis for the development of knowledge, abilities and values within the curriculum.