Today, I want to explain what kind of educational reflections Rousseau brought out from his experiences Rousseau was a great philosopher of his time, whose philosophy of education was entirely based on Naturalism. He was one of the great proponents of the theory of naturalism. He suggested that the education of children should be imparted in natural surroundings. 

He believed that in the lap of nature, they could learn everything in a better way. He opined that all the ills and miseries of civilization are due to people’s indifference towards nature this departure from ‘Nature’. So he had chosen the slogan ‘Return to Nature’ to cure and protect human life from all the ills and miseries. 

Rousseau said that  “Everything  is good as It comes from the hands of the author of Nature, but everything  degenerates  in the hands of men”. He was not at all in favour of any type of artificiality and duplicity at any level of education.

Rousseau emphasised the three bases of education: man, nature and objects. The most important contribution of Rousseau in the field of education is his scheme of education, which was related to and suggested by him for the different stages of human life. Rousseau has mentioned  the scheme of education in his book ‘Emile’, which contains five parts 

•Part one of the Book deals with the education of infants 

•Part two with the childhood 

•Part three with the pre-adolescent 

•Part four with the adolescence 

•Part five is about the girl's education.

The progressive idea of Rousseau in education -:  Progressive idea of Rousseau can be ascertained in the following  points,

• Observation of Children 

• Child Centred Education   

• Teacher Regard for Children 

• Learn by doing 

• Very Little from Books  

• Play-way Method in Education. 

• The Teachers Role in Teaching 

• Heuristic Method of  Education. 

 All the sense organs and body as well, become part of education As Rousseau propounded “ We give too much importance to words, we produce by chattering education charters. If you are teaching morals all the time to the child, you will make him a fool. If  only your  mind giving instructions  his mind will  become useless, whatever the child learns in the playground is four times more useful than whatever he learns in the classroom.”

Objectives of Education -:  

Rousseau was of the view, that the natural development of a child‘s inner strength and faculties is the main aim of education, Education should help the child to stay alive. Life doesn't mean merely breathing it is about working also, because proper working develops not only the use of the various parts of the body and the sense organs but other physical powers also. The aims of education change at different stages of childhood, because each stage has got different needs so the changes take place accordingly. 

These are the various objectives which have been set for the different levels of development of the childd -: 

Infancy-: 

The developmental process of the child of since birth up to five-year consider infancy. The development and strength of every body part subsequently strengthen the process of the mind.

Childhood-: 

This is the period of five up to twelve years the sense organs get developed in this period. Understandings and observation play a vital role in developing the sense organs.

Adolescence-: 

According to ‘Emile' the period of the twelve up to the fifteenth years comes in adolescence. During this period individuals should be given various kinds of knowledge that enable them to fulfil their needs.

Youth-: During this period emotional and enthusiastic development takes place. 

As Rousseau Mentioned  -: “ We have formed his body, his senses and intelligence, it remains to give him a heart.”

Educational Method and  Discipline-:

 Rousseau criticised the prevalent teaching method at that time in education. He said, “ I want some wise man should tell us the art of counselling the child. This art will be valuable to us". Rousseau wished to adopt the play-way method in education in place of verbal teaching.  The infant should learn how to utilize his sense organs to react to the environment.

Theory of Education-:

Rousseau is a naturalist, whether it is a method of education or a curriculum of education. He emphasised the importance of two following principles, to make the process of education run smoothly. 

Self-experiences-: 

Rousseau wanted to educate "Emile,” through experience rather than the Book itself. He was absolutely against the bookish education. 

Learn by Doing -: 

Rousseau didn't approve of the rote method at all. He was of the view that knowledge gained through actual doing or actual experiences is far more permanent instead of than knowledge which is acquired through words. That's why Rousseau was absolutely against the existing method of classroom teaching. 

He believed that the child should learn through his experiences, observation, and analysis. Whenever the child was instructed to learn some or other things, it obstructed not only his freedom but also his appetite for learning new things.

Discipline-:

Rousseau as a naturalist, wanted complete freedom in rendering discipline to the child. He didn't wish to see any kind of restrictions on the child. He felt they could hinder the development of the discipline. Rousseau didn’t want to put together any arrangements for punishment in his scheme of education. He used to feel that punishment ought to be the natural outcome of their own mistakes. 

This is the concept of naturalists regarding punishment. It is supposed that the child has no knowledge of good or bad but if does anything right he becomes happy when he makes a mistake he suffers pain also. So he is rewarded for good things this theory is believed by the naturalists. This is the natural way of punishment.  Rousseau had a strong impression of this theory of reward and punishment 

As the things elaborated above confirmed Rousseau’s idea of education. The way he objected to the system of school education. As a naturalist, how well convinced he was, in his idea of a child’s innocence and purity, and neither he was a bit in favour of spoiling it anyway. 

The child's freedom should not be obstructed. The defective environment of school could defy or distort the child, the suitable environment for every kind is defective and impure. Rousseau said, "Nature wants a child should remain a child before he becomes an adult." If this sequence tried to be changed the fruits will remain raw and might perish soon. Rousseau believed that the child has got his way of seeing, thinking and experiencing. We have no right to impose our perceptions or concepts on the child.

Conclusion -: 

It is accepted that man can change his environment to a very great extent, but he can not be believed to be independent while Interacting with it. Such an interaction demands some subordination from the individual. 

On the other side, adaptation is accepted as the aim of education evolutionists. It's often forgotten that struggle has its importance and value in the process of growth. This presumption that every violation of the law will bring him pain and compel him to change the way of his behaviour, is not well accepted. This principle of natural consequences does not go with human nature.