Research Journal of Educational Methods
Online ISSN : 2189-907X
Print ISSN : 0385-9746
ISSN-L : 0385-9746
The Principles of Early Childhood Education in The Rhetoric : With Reference to the "New Rhetoric" by C, Perelman
Yayoi KOMOTO
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1994 Volume 19 Pages 29-36

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Abstract

"Rhetoric" has currently been translated in Japanese as "study of figure of speech" , or "art of persuasive or impressive speaking" , and generally been understood as demagotic technique or art of elaborate writing. We must note, however, that "Rhetoric" has originally been developing as a part of methods of communication, conversation, and discussion with language as a central medium. Rhetoric places importance on a listener which is equal to or more than that on a speaker, in the meaning of speaking with the unification of ethos, parthos, and logos. That is to say, there exists a mutual independence principle where a listener and a speaker reach a standard of values with each other's situation in mind while deeply understanding and sympathizing each other. Man can establish a standard of values in his action and be "independent" as one human being only by the dual structure of conversation of mutual independence. Educational demand by a kindergarten teacher is communicated to children through external expression, gesture, look, and utterance. Children can read teacher's demands only through the teacher's daily talking and expression, while they themselves communicate their requests to their teacher by using their whole bodies. Thus you see, the technique of expression and response to convey one's demands to others and read the other's demands is a matter of Rhetoric. Therefore, under the present situation, I believe that kindergarten's teachers should continue talking to children "rhetorically" , so that the children can bring up their own "independence" while promoting their abilities of right self expression (art of Rhetoric). It should be noted that "Guidance" is not a forming action to "grasp and give" teacher's demands to children, but a responsive education development to "point at and lead" to communicate what the teacher.

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© 1994 National Association for the Study of Educational Methods
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