Robert Owen: Improving the Lives of Children
Robert Owen was born in 1771 and lived through the ages of romanticism and enlightenment (Davis "O’Hagan, 2014). During this period, there were advancements and dramatic changes in the economic and social ideas. Robert believed that he had the ability to contribute to social and moral improvement through eradication of crime and poverty.
Child Labor and Poor Conditions
During his time, many children did not receive any formal education, most parents sent their children to work since the income was more important. When he bought the New Lanark mill there were close to 500 children who worked in the mill (Davis "O’Hagan, 2014). Most employers removed the children from Parish workhouses to employ them as laborers since they were expected to work. The owner of the mills fed, housed, educated, and clothed their apprentices (Davis "O’Hagan, 2014). However, few of them fulfilled their duties adequately leading to malnourished children, illiterate, deaths, and crippled children due to negligence and poor safety conditions. After buying the mill, Owen did not take any more pauper children as his workers, especially children below the age of 10, and sought to improve the conditions of the factory. He ensured that the children and the women worked for fewer hours. Owen encouraged and rewarded cleanliness and good behavior. In 1815, Owen called for a meeting for all Glasgow manufacturers and proposed an appeal that limited the hour's children were allowed to work in labor mills (Davis "O’Hagan, 2014).
Robert Owen's Different Views on Children
Robert Owen had different views and theories regarding children during his time. In that era, parents did not value the empowerment of their children. Most parents relied on the informal education where apprentices taught the children skills to continue with the work duties. The New Lanark mills proved that work was more important since it helped lessen the burden and the impact of poverty in their lives. Robert, on the other hand, believed that children needed education. Robert Owen began by introducing social reforms in the factories named Owenism. Owen was known as the first British socialist who believed that social evils were as the result of ignorance, wealth competition, and social class. Additionally, he affirmed that the only way to eradicate the evils was through socialist ideals that encouraged communal decisions and sharing. Moreover, during the time, children were taught only the 3R's which included writing, arithmetic, and writing. In New Lanark, Owen made his first experimental base to prove the positive outcome of his socialist theory. According to Owen, the environment has a significant impact on a person's character. He believed he had the ability to produce good, well-behaved, and rational individuals if he created the right environment in the mills and in New Lanark.
Impact on Early Childhood Education
Robert Owen had an immense impact and contribution to the development of early childhood education (Miller " Pound, 2010, p.137). Owen's thoughts about childhood education lead to widespread interest in childhood education. Many towns in England founded and started infant schools (Miller " Pound, 2010, p. 72). Owen, after his arrival at the New Lanark Mill, stopped children below the age of ten from working in the mills. He ensured the other children above ten who worked in the mills had strictly 10 hours of work each day and attended school for the rest of the day. The young children who were in school were not forced to read books. Owen stated, "The children were not to be annoyed with books; but were to be taught the uses and nature or qualities of the common things around them" (Bantock, 2012). It is for this reason that Owen bought many transparent pictures with objects that were interesting to grow minds. The pictures encouraged small children to learn new words and form new ideas. The main basis of Owen's idea revolved around the suggestion that education for small children should be unstructured and natural so that children can enjoy learning (Bantock, 2012). Owen instructed the teachers to allow the children to roam, sing, and dance instead of confining them in seats. The teachers had the strict rule not to employ any form of punishment to the children or use harsh words when addressing the mistakes they do (Bantock, 2012). These standards formed the foundation of the nursery schools that exist today. Most of the schools still follow Owen's ideas where children dance and learn from singing. Most schools in the contemporary world allow pictures and colorful objects in class to help small children read (Bantock, 2012). Their system of learning is purely free to encourage children to love reading and develop an interest in education.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Robert Owen's ideas helped in the development of early childhood education. His socialist and educational initiatives led to a transformation and eradication of social evils in New Lanark. Additionally, Owen's ideas are not far removed from reality. Most of the early childhood education systems today still employ the use of music, dance, and colorful pictures to teach small children. While his thoughts might have come as goodwill intentions or as an experiment, Robert Owen has immense significance in Early Childhood education.
References
Bantock, G. H. (2012). Studies in the History of Educational Theory Vol 1 (RLE Edu H): Nature and Artifice, 1350-1765. Routledge.
Davis, R. A., " O’Hagan, F. (2014). Robert Owen. A"C Black.
Fidler, W. (2013, September 29). Who was Robert Owen? | Practical Pre-School | Vol 2009, No 105. Retrieved from https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/prps.2009.1.105.44204?journalCode=prps
Miller, L., " Pound, L. (Eds.). (2010). Theories and approaches to learning in the early years. Sage.
