Frbels Pedagogy of Kindergarten and Play

This text provides a comprehensive analysis of historical archives, letters, and primary sources to offer unique insight into how Frbels pedagogy of kindergarten and play has been understood, interpreted, and modified throughout history and in particular, as a consequence of its adoption in the US. Tracing the development, modification, and global spread of the kindergarten movement, this volume demonstrates the far-reaching impacts of Frbels work, and asks how far contemporary understandings of the kindergarten pedagogy reflect the educationalists original intentions. Recognizing that Frbels pedagogy has at times been simplified or misunderstood, the book tackles issues caused by translation, or transfer to non-German speaking countries such as the US, and so demonstrates how and why contemporary research and Froebelian practice is in the danger of diverging from the original ideas expressed in Frbels work. By returning to original documents produced by Frbel, Wasmuth traces various interpretations, and explains how and why some of these understandings established themselves in the context of US Early Childhood Education, whilst others did not. This insightful text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, professionals and policy makers in the fields of early childhood education, history of education, Philosophy of Education and Teacher Education.