Education That Transforms Lives and Communities
Inspired by Pestalozzi’s vision of love, and compassion, ideas for future learning.
Reimagining Education Through the Lens of Pestalozzi
As we increasingly recognise the need to transform the global education system from rising inequality to mental health crises, from outdated, reductionist curricula to a world in urgent need of systematic thinking and ethical, creative thinkers, now is the time to revisit the radical relevance of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi.
Pestalozzi’s philosophy, grounded in the holistic development of head, heart, and hands, offers a compelling springboard for thought leadership on educational reform. His belief that education must be rooted in love, guided by nature, responsive to individuality, encourage critical thinking and tied to the real needs of community and society is strikingly aligned with the most urgent conversations in education today.
We invite educators, researchers, practitioners, and changemakers to join us in dialogue around building on Pestalozzi’s principles to reimagine learning in the 21st century.
How can his legacy shape new models of schooling that encourage critical thinking and are inclusive and experiential? Schooling that is of and for the community, and that leads to regeneration? How might ‘education of the heart’ inform policy, pedagogy, and what we mean by schooling and teaching?
Pestalozzi is not just a historical figure — he is a catalyst for bold thinking about what education could be. Our aim is to use his vision as a lens to lead thought provoking conversations about the future of learning — for individuals, communities, and the world.
Educating the Powers of the Heart: A conversation with Teacher and Speaker - Klara Stenqvist and our Educational Director - Dr Jo Nair PhD and
This episode explores what it means to “educate the heart” and develop true critical thinking in young people. It features insights from our Educational Director Dr. Jo Nair. Jo explains our “Head, Heart and Hands” approach, which helps students shape their lives based on their potential rather than their backgrounds. Inspired by Swiss philosopher Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, we continue his holistic vision of educating intellect, emotion and practical capability. Though his ideas are 250 years old, they remain remarkably modern and with today’s global challenges, the call is clear: it’s time to actively put them into practice.
Reclaiming Humanity in Education: How Pestalozzi's Vision Can Heal Our Failing Schools
In her latest article, Reclaiming Humanity in Education, Dr Jo Nair explores how Pestalozzi’s 19th-century philosophy offers the blueprint for healing modern schooling. By restoring love, moral purpose, and community connection to learning, she argues, we can build education systems that nurture agency, compassion, and sustainability shaping changemakers for the common good.
Learning Through Direct Experience
Pestalozzi’s fundamental educational doctrine of ‘Anschauung’ involves perception gained through direct concrete observation involving all the senses in an active learning experience. ‘The thing or distinction must somehow be seen or felt or otherwise observed in the concrete. Pestalozzi’s followers developed from this the commonly recognized principles: from the known to the unknown, from the simple to the complex, from the concrete to the abstract’ (Kilpatrick, 1952, p.ix)
