Social Pedagogy is an academic discipline concerned with theory and practice of holistic education and care. Social pedagogy is a ‘function of society’ – it reflects how a given society at a given time thinks about education and upbringing, about the relationship between the individual and society, and about social welfare for its marginalised members. Consequently, social pedagogues work within a range of different settings, from early years through adulthood to working with disadvantaged adult groups as well as older people.
To achieve a holistic perspective within each of these settings, social pedagogy draws together theories and concepts from related disciplines such as sociology, psychology, education, philosophy, medical sciences, or social work. Social pedagogy is based on humanistic values stressing human dignity, mutual respect, trust, unconditional appreciation, and equality, to mention but a few. It is underpinned by a fundamental concept of children, young people and adults as equal human beings with rich and extraordinary potential and considers them competent, resourceful and active agents.
Overall, social pedagogy aims to achieve: * Holistic education – education of head (cognitive knowledge), heart (emotional and spiritual learning), and hands (practical and physical skills)? ; * Holistic well-being – strengthening health-sustaining factors and providing support for people to enjoy a long-lasting feeling of happiness; * To enable children, young people as well as adults to empower themselves and be self-responsible persons who take responsibility for their society; * To promote human welfare and prevent or ease social problems.
The Term Paper on A Philosophy of a Social Studies Education
In consideration of every field in education I believe that there is none more impactful than that of a social studies class at an adolescent level. Whereas other disciplines can also challenge students to think critically and in new, creative ways, a social studies course has the unique opportunity to teach content in a way fundamentally essential to the progression of society. If the next ...
Herman Nohl. In Germany the first political opportunity for putting social pedagogy into practise occurred with the social-democratic reforms of the Weimar Republic. Their social service aspects were strongly influenced by the work of the philosopher and pedagogue Herman Nohl (1879-1960).
For him social pedagogy is the third area, besides the family and the school, which requires a supportive social policy framework in its own right and consequently needs appropriately trained staff.
The use of the term ‘social pedagogy’ means that such diverse areas of practise as work in creches and nurseries, day-care centres, youth clubs work with offenders and probationers, vocational training of unemployed people and denominational parish work can be united under one conceptual and professional umbrella. For Nohl, this underlying unity is of great importance as it raises all these activities above the level of sectional, political interests to address the material and spiritual well-being of the nation as a collective body (Nohl 1962a : 21) – an idealisation which a short decade later would be usurped by Nazi propaganda.
Taking up the high-spirited ideals of the youth movement of the pre-war ear, Nohl considers the ‘experience of life itself’ and the values contained in friendship and personal solidarity across all social division, to be the pedagogical material and the pedagogical impetus for a fundamental social reconstruction. His pedagogy also seeks to integrate the ideas and energies contained in other initiatives ‘from the basis’ like the women’s or the labour movement, and he specifically refers to the value of Freud’s and Adler’s psychology for personalising pedagogical practise.
