爱默生教育学说探究

Interpretation of Emerson’s Educational Theory

作为超验主义教育观,爱默生教育学说是一种旨在实现“灵魂自立”的内发教育观。在爱默生眼中,“教育”并不是一种技能或专业,而是一种宽泛的、包含生活所有面向的、持续的自我完善的过程。这实际上是爱默生超验主义哲学的延伸。这种教育通过自然、书籍和行动三个方面开展。爱默生秉持一种尊重儿童、尊重天性的观点,认为儿童教育需要去保护其天性的同时对其加以知识的武装。这需要教师付出耐心,投入“幻想和想象力”。除此之外,爱默生的教育学说体现出一种民主精神,反对从众心理,呼吁知识平等,认为每个人都能通过教育获得智力的增长。对于学校教育,爱默生提出要不断更新经验,用主动的、创新的学习方式去抵抗僵化的知识灌输。

Emerson’s transcendentalist view of education is an internal one that aims to achieve self-reliance.Emerson believes that education is not a skill or profession,but a broad process of continuous self-improvement that encompasses all aspects of life,which is an extension of his transcendentalist philosophy,and education is carried out through nature,book,and action.He respects children and human nature,and believes that children education should protect their nature and arm them with knowledge,which requires teacher’s patience,fancy and imagination.In addition,selfreliance embodies democratic spirit,rejecting herd mentality and calling for intellectual equality and believing that everyone can gain intellectual growth through education.For school education,Emerson proposes that active and innovative learning should be used to resist rigid transfer of knowledge.