Means of education

definition

Educational tools are tools in education that are used to achieve a specific educational goal. Certain measures, actions and situations can act as a means of education.

The action of the educational means should serve to form, consolidate or change the attitude or motives of the adolescent. Examples of means of education are praise, blame, reminder, or punishment.

A certain educational tool can be used in different situations and by different people and can have a completely different effect on the adolescent.

What means of education are there?

There are numerous methods that can be used in raising children. Here are some of them:

  • deflection
  • recognition
  • Incentive to compete
  • appeal
  • Task, mission
  • Instruction
  • reward
  • consultation
  • evaluation
  • You're welcome
  • threat
  • memory
  • admonition
  • encouragement
  • bid
  • Getting used to
  • praise
  • disapproval
  • Message
  • punishment
  • Rebuke
  • training
  • monitoring
  • exercise
  • Prohibition
  • promise
  • reference
  • warning
  • Repetition
  • Rebuke

This topic could also be of interest to you: Educational Aid - What is it?

What positive educational tools are there?

So-called positive educational tools serve to support and strengthen the self-esteem and self-image of the adolescent. There are few positive educational tools compared to numerous negative ones.

Examples of positive educational tools are praise and reward. Praise and reward are among the most important means of education. These educational means lead to the fact that the child to be brought up sees himself confirmed in his action or in his behavior and will consequently show this behavior more often.

In the case of positive educational means, it should be noted that the educator should question his or her personal motives. If an educator tries to misuse praise or reward for his own purposes, the means of education will not achieve the desired educational effect. It is essential that the child is not given false motivation. If positive educational tools are used properly, they can strengthen or promote the self-confidence of the adolescent.

Another positive educational tool is encouragement. Encouragement creates motivation and affirmation in the adolescent. In the long term, this leads to a strengthening of self-confidence and at the same time promotes self-motivation of the child to take on new or difficult tasks.

Praise and reward are positive educational tools that often quickly lead to a positive effect, while encouragement has a particularly positive long-term effect on the development of the adolescent.

For more general information about parenting, read our next article under: Anti-authoritarian education

What is the positive reinforcement educational tool?

Educational tools with positive reinforcement are used to teach the child to do certain actions out of their own motivation. If an adolescent does something right on his own initiative, it should be praised and thus valued and confirmed.

In this way the child learns what is right and is positively reinforced in his correct behavior. It will continue to strive to behave appropriately and will develop more and more self-confidence.

How useful is punishment as a means of education?

In upbringing, punishment is a deliberately brought about situation that leads to uncomfortable inner states in the child. These uncomfortable inner states are an occurrence that the person concerned usually wants to avoid.

In upbringing, punishment is used as a means of upbringing so that adolescents obey rules and norms. Punishment must never be used in education to torture children, for retaliation or revenge. As a means of education, punishment leads to the suffering of the child.

The child should learn to refrain from this behavior for fear of the suffering inflicted in the sentence. In addition, a punishment can also take the form of termination or the future absence of a pleasant situation.

Punishments are highly controversial in education and can be problematic. Punishment often only suppresses the undesirable behavior for a short time and does not eliminate it. A logical consequence as a means of education can lead to success in the long term.

In addition, a punishment can lead the child to try to avoid the punishment through new behaviors such as flight, lying, or ingratiation. In addition, frequent punishments cause the child to lose motivation and self-esteem. Punishments should therefore be used carefully and with caution.

Are you interested in this topic? Then read our new article below: Punishment in Education - How Helpful is it?

Educational means according to Montessori

The Montessori method places the child and his or her individuality at the center of education. The founder, Maria Montessori, believed in the self-worth of adolescents and advocated free learning for children, without judgment or disability.

The Montessori method rejects educational tools, i.e. both rewards and penalties have no place in this theory.

It is a pedagogical educational concept that has different phases of the adolescent that are only observed by the teacher.

The aim is that the child observes teachers and wants to learn, according to the motto “Help me to do it myself”.

What educational materials are used in kindergarten?

In the kindergarten, extra-parental upbringing begins by pedagogical staff - the educators. Educators have the appropriate training to support the kindergarten children accordingly.

Educators work with positive educational tools, they praise and confirm kindergarten children in their correct behavior. Educational challenges include refusal to eat by the children, insufficient hand washing after using the toilet or brushing teeth. In such situations, reminders, admonitions, rebukes, and appeals come into play.

Penalties are also used if children do not follow instructions after repeated prompts.

The spectrum of educational resources in kindergarten is extensive and is used in different ways.

But there are also other educational aids that are used in kindergarten. Read our next article on this below: Montessori Kindergarten

What educational tools are used in the school?

Praise, reprimand, reminder, admonition, appeal, prohibition, warning, threat and punishment are common educational tools in everyday school life. In addition to the educational resources mentioned, schools provide special regulatory measures if pupils violate duties.

Detention, housework, the temporary removal of objects and exclusion from class are permitted. Depending on the severity of the breach of duty, students can be suspended from class for a month to three months, transferred to a parallel class or even expelled from school.

Find out more about the topic: Are children allowed to attend school?

Expulsion from school requires approval from the school authorities. Unfortunately, teachers are not always to be equated with pedagogues and often abuse their position and means of education.The schools' regulatory measures are stipulated by law in the federal states and should be questioned if abuse is suspected.

This topic may also be of interest to you: Checklist for school enrollment - What does my child need for school enrollment?

Recommendations from the editorial team

For more general information see:

  • raising children
  • Authoritative parenting - everything related to this parenting style
  • Educational mandate - what is it?
  • Concentration training
  • What type of learner am I?