Jan Amos Komenský (nombre en checo pronunciado), en latín Comenius, derivando actualmente en el apellido Commentz (Uherský Brod, Moravia, 28 de marzo de 1592 - Ámsterdam, 15 de noviembre de 1670) fue un teólogo, filósofo y pedagogo nacido en la actual República Checa.
Fue un hombre cosmopolita y universal, convencido del importante papel
de la educación en el desarrollo del hombre. La obra que le dio fama
por toda Europa y es considerada como la más importante es Didáctica Magna, y su primera edición apareció en el año de 1679. Le dio real importancia al estudio de las lenguas y creó una obra llamada Puerta Abierta a las Lenguas.
Se le conoce como el Padre de la Pedagogía, ya que fue quien la estructuró como ciencia autónoma y estableció sus primeros principios fundamentales. En su obra ¨Las Nuevas Realidades¨, Peter Drucker realza la posición de Comenio como el inventor del libro de texto,
en un intento (exitoso por cierto) de incentivar la autonomía del
proceso formativo para evitar que el gobierno católico eliminara del
todo al protestantismo en la República Checa. ¨Si la gente lee la biblia en casa, no podrán confundirse¨ fue el pensamiento de Comenio.
Los grandes aportes realizados a la Pedagogía, sus viajes por
diferentes países de Europa (en muchos de ellos, invitado por reyes y
gobernadores), y la alta preparación y constancia en su labor de educar,
le valieron el título de "Maestro de Naciones".
Who was Comenius?
Comenius
Jan Amos Comenius was born in 1592 in Moravia in the Bohemian Kingdom,
now within the Czech Republic. He studied theology and philosophy and
was ordained as a minister in the Bohemian Brotherhood. He married and
became a teacher and preacher.
Bohemia was defeated in 1620 during the Thirty Years war. Comenius lost
his wife and two young children to the plague and was himself forced
to flee persecution. After much wandering, Comenius was adopted by the
rich merchant family de Geer in Amsterdam. Here he worked on his
theological, philosophical and educational work until his death in
1670.
What is he famous for?
Comenius is especially remembered for his idea that the proper
education of young people is of prime importance. In schools, everyone
must be taught everything. He developed a school and teaching system
which was later built on by others including Rousseau, Frobel,
Pestalozzi and Montessori.
Comenius also studied and wrote about theology, philosophy, cartography, astronomy, music, languages and medicine.
Comenius is forgotten and re-discovered
Comenius had joined the Wallonian (French-speaking) Church and his body
was buried in the Wallonian church in Naarden. His grave became
forgotten and neglected after the church was dissolved in 1819. Much
later, the Czechoslovakian Government launched a search for his last
resting place, and in 1929 Czech and Dutch scholars found his grave in
Naarden. The dilapidated church was restored and turned into a Comenius
Mausoleum whilst a Comenius museum was set up next door.
Much of the above information was obtained from the Comenius Museum website, www.comeniusmuseum.nl