Educational ideas by Janusz Korczak in his literature for children

Abstract

The turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the beginning of the twentieth century, in which Janusz Korczak came to act and create, was marked by great reformist concepts in the field of education. The mainstream progressive movement initiated in America at the end of the nineteenth century, which opposed Herbart's didacticism and postulated a change in view of the child, quickly came to Europe, becoming the New Education.
Already in 1900, the Swedish writer, Ellen Key, made bold postulates for changes in education, announcing the 20th century of the age of child. The new pedagogical trend focused on the child himself, emphasizing freedom and spontaneity in upbringing and development, and his main directions became paidocentrism and activism. At that time, many educators and psychologists created their own pedagogical concepts, often tested in institutions that they founded for their child, including Montessori, Freinet, Neill, Decroly, and many others.
Janusz Korczak joined this movement early on using the experience of great reformers. He visited their experimental facilities during his travels to France, England, Germany, Switzerland, studied literature, explored the knowledge of the child under the guidance of masters (including Jan Władysław Dawid, who conducts research in the field of psychology and experimental pedagogy).