Johann (John) Amos Comenius (1592-1670)

Quotation

If, in each hour, a man could learn a single fragment of some branch of knowledge, a single rule of some mechanical art, a single pleasing story or proverb (the acquisition of which would require no effort), what a vast stock of learning he might lay by. Seneca is therefore right when he says: "Life is long, if we know how to use it." It is consequently of importance that we understand the art of making the very best use of our lives.

Books

Please browse our Amazon list of titles about Johann Amos Comenius. For rare and hard to find works we recommend our Alibris list of titles about Johann Amos Comenius.

Research

COPAC UK: John Comenius
Library of Canada: John Comenius
Library of Congress: John Comenius
Other Library Catalogs: John Comenius

Biographical

Throughout his life Comenius tried to improve the ways students were taught. His first success in this area was a beginning Latin textbook, Janua Linguarum Reserata ("The Gate of Languages Unlocked"), published in 1631. Much later in life, he showed that he still had the needs of beginners on his mind, producing the first-ever children's picture book, Orbis Pictus ("The World Illustrated"), published in 1658. Both these books became best-sellers, translated into every major European language and used by beginning learners for over a hundred years. Comenius's most important work, however, was written between 1628 and 1632, first in Czech and then in Latin: the Didactica Magna, usually called in English The Great Didactic. Perhaps a more meaningful translation would be "The Whole Art of Teaching."

It explored how people learn and how they should be taught from infancy through the university and beyond. Published in 1649, it was a radical work for its time. In an age when people believed that human beings were born naturally evil and that goodness and knowledge had to be beaten into them, Comenius believed that they were born with a natural craving for knowledge and goodness, and that schools beat it out of them. Although he did not use the modern words (nor did the Victorian translator who made his work available in English), Comenius addressed such topics as: Education for everyone; Students' natural tendency to learn; Learning by easy stages; Financial aid; Career preparation; Extracurricular activities; and Lifelong learning. [Adapted from Moravian College]

Books from Alibris: Johann Amos Comenius