Herbartian Approach

1. Herbartian
Approach
Dr Sajeena S

2. Herbartian
Approach
• Herbart’s theory of education is based
on the assimilative function of the
mind. Mind assimilates the
knowledge by linking new
experiences with the old. While
Herbart emphasized only four steps
his followers modified it in to six
steps. These six steps are termed as
Herbartian steps in lesson planning.

3. Preparation/
Introduction
• According to Herbart the mind of the child must be prepared to
receive new knowledge. It is just like preparing the land before
sawing the seed. There are several techniques to prepare the
students for learning.
 Asking questions related to previous knowledge
 Narrating a story related to the topic
 Arousing curiosity by presenting an exhibit or new facts
 Doing a simple experiment leading to the lesson
 Narrating a situation which leads to the lesson
• It is better if the preparation stage culminates in the
announcement of the title of the lesson.

4. Presentation
• In the presentation stage pupils acquire
new ideas and knowledge. Both teacher
and the pupils should be active
participants in the teaching learning
process. The teacher should try to elicit
from the students as much as possible
using questioning. Demonstration,
charts, models and other teaching aids
shall be used to make the lesson more
interesting. Black board is to be used to
summarize the lesson.

5. Comparison
and
Association
• Learning becomes permanent when the
new knowledge is associated with
already known facts, concepts and
experiences. Isolated bits of information
are easily forgotten. A number of
possible connections should be made by
giving examples and recalling ideas that
students already know and that will have
bearing on the new content. Students are
asked to observe two situations and
compare/contrast and infer from it.

6. Generalization
• Generalization is a process of abstraction. This process helps the
learner to develop an understanding about a group of objects or
events. At this stage teacher converges the ideas into a generalized
form in the style of definition, principle or formula.

7. Application
• The knowledge and
understanding developed by a
student is worth only if he or
she uses it in new situations.
The application stage gives
learner an opportunity to make
use of the acquired knowledge
in new or unfamiliar situations.

8. Recapitulation
• Teacher summarizes the complete lesson and students understanding
by putting some suitable questions. It is reviewing the students’
achievement.