Kádner, Otakar

Born May 11, 1870, in Uhonice; died May 6, 1936, in Poděbrady. Czech democratic educator. Became an assistant professor of pedagogy at Charles University in Prague in 1907 and a full professor in 1911. He did research primarily in the history of pedagogy, general pedagogy, and organization of schools. His main works are The History of Pedagogy (vols. 1–3, 1909–23), Fundamentals of General Pedagogy (vols. 1–3, 1925–26), and The Development of the School and the Contemporary School System (vols. 1—4-, 1929— 38).

Kádner understood general pedagogy as the philosophy of education and as the sum of the theoretical propositions about the content, aims, and methods of education. The great interest he took in the experimental method and factual accounts was a reflection of the influence of positivist philosophy on him. Emphasizing the social role of education and the dependence of educational institutions on the level of development of society, Kádner regarded the goal of education as the harmonious development of all the physical and inner capabilities of the individual. He called for the democratization of education, holding that each person should receive education to the extent of his natural abilities and therefore that all class and social barriers in the school system should be abolished and the schools should become national in both content and organization. Kádner actively opposed clericalism and bureaucracy in the schools.

Kádner attributed great importance to teacher training and helped to found higher pedagogical institutions in Prague and Brno in 1921. They were organized by the teachers themselves, and the school in Prague was headed by Kádner from the day of its founding until his death.