Exploration and Return: The Monumental Foundational Work of Scientific Pedagogy —— The Education Thought and Contemporary Significance of Allgemeine Pädagogik by Herbart

J. F. Herbart presented his educational ideas and teaching theories in Allgemeine Pädagogik. He criticized feudal education that restrained human nature at the time. His educational ideas and teaching theories exerted a profound influence on the subsequent development of education. In this work, Herbart primarily addressed fundamental issues such as educational purposes and theoretical foundations. He attempted to construct a normative system of pedagogy based on psychology and ethics. He laid a solid foundation for the scientific development of pedagogy. His work not only proposed some advanced ideas on key elements, such as insightful views on students, teachers, and textbooks, but clarified some basic principles for the core objectives, like teaching, interests, and moral education. Accordingly, it became a monumental foundational work in scientific pedagogy. In spite of some limitations like inadequate scientificity and horizon of teaching environment, mechanical classification of teaching process, and neglect of students’ individuality due to his time and class, the thought in this book is of great value to cultivate students’ virtue, deepen the functions of courses’ ideology, develop students’ interests and play the role of education’s punishment.