Georg Kerschensteiner

Georg Kerschensteiner (1854-1932), German educational theorist and pioneer in the field of vocational education. Born in Munich, Kerschensteiner earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Munich at the age of 27 before becoming a teacher in gymnasien (see Gymnasium), or German high schools.

In 1895, after 12 years of teaching, Kerschensteiner was named superintendent and state school inspector for the city of Munich, a position he held until 1919. While in this post, he initiated educational reforms that were designed to provide better educational opportunities for greater numbers of students. Kerschensteiner did not attempt to reform Munich’s entire secondary school system but instead established so-called vocational schools for students with specialized interests in math, science, social work, technology, and trade.

In addition to studying traditional academic subjects, students in Kerschensteiner’s vocational schools also worked in the general labor force, where they learned about industry and its role in society. Kerschensteiner was a firm believer in “learning by doing,” and he designed his schools to present this ethic as a necessary component of a well-rounded education. Kerschensteiner claimed that in learning a trade and understanding the economic and social impact of labor his students would gain a heightened awareness of their work and of themselves as members of society.

Kerschensteiner’s schools served as models of vocational education and led to the spread of formal vocational education throughout the world. Kerschensteiner wrote several books and essays on the value of a comprehensive and pragmatic education. He expressed his theories and their accomplishments in his last work, Theorie der Bildungsorganisation (Theory of Educational Organization, 1933).