Johann Basedow

Johann Basedow (c. 1724-1790), German educational reformer, born in Hamburg and educated there and at the University of Leipzig. Strongly influenced by the ideas of the English philosopher John Locke and the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in 1774 he projected a reform of the primary educational system of Germany. Basedow's views were widely acclaimed, leading to the establishment in Dessau of a model educational institution called the Philanthropinum, of which he was the director. The Philanthropinum and similar institutions, which were subsequently established in other cities, strove to improve the quality of education by relating schoolwork to the world outside the classroom. In 1778 Basedow resigned as director of the Philanthropinum, which was closed 15 years later. He wrote Elementarwerk (4 vols., 1774) and other works.