Abstract:

Long ago, there was an idea for people to gather children to the countryside. In Rousseau's “Emile: on education”, the city is directly criticized as “an abyss to sink the humanity”. Pestalozzi’s Element Pedagogy, which is in line with Rousseau’s ideas, is also a set of pedagogy tailored for the poor, or what Bernstein called “visible pedagogy” as a reproduction system. In reality, the familiar emphasis on rural culture and labor education has not truly recognized the pedagogical implications of the city too. Although the Element Pedagogy is ultimately oriented to the city, what it reflects are still the sides such as utility or functional satisfaction pursued in the rural area. And “the culture ‘about’ the rural” is actually just a cultural nostalgia of urban society. Even Marx’s combination of education and productive labor is itself oriented towards the city. The pedagogy of the city or leisure to break through boundaries, present ourselves, pursue skills, show off our strength, and touch another world, is precisely the educational reliance that helps us break free from the narrow rural community. If we cannot see the interconnection between the city and the countryside, we will fundamentally misunderstand the rural community and the growth.

Key words: urban orientation, urban pedagogy, pedagogy tailored for the poor, labor education, pedagogy of the leisure