"Konduktive Förderung"

"Hero for the day"

I am waiting to make my final comments on the Munich conference till after I have been in Budapest later this week, to take part in and soak up the real "conductive culture" and put the whole thing in context.

But "German conference reports, Where's the elephant?" a recent posting by Andrew Sutton gives a German definition that I just cannot let pass.

First though here it is translated it into English. I won't even attempt to translate "Konduktive Förderung " and I will leave it in Andrew's inverted commas. Konduktive Förderung although is not "so called", it is what it is, "konduktive Förderung", which I believe is something very different from the conductive upbringing which is the basis of my work. It a German name coined early on after Germany's rather late discovery of Conductive Education, and the following paragraph actually describes well the directions in which the work in some centres appears to be developing.

My translation

"Konduktive Förderung" is based on the ideas that the Hungarian doctor and pedagogue Professor András Petö developed about 40 years ago: the logical combination of upbringing, education and therapy, the multidisciplinary team, the innovative furniture, and the strict daily routine, the close work with parents, the integration into the school system and last but not least the high requirements in professional qualifications and further training.

In a centre with Konduktive Förderung a constant team is occupied with the kindergarten group or the class of school children; from teachers conductors, therapists. And it doesn't matter whether it is in lessons, personal care, break times or therapy, everything is integrated into the schedule of the group and it often takes place all in the same room: The “caretakers” give constant support depending on the needs of each individual and what leads to their greatest possible independence.

My reaction as a conductor

Petö would certainly be spinning in his urn, couldn't the author at least read his books?

This passage above describes very well what is happening in Germany. The original Petö pur centres with conductors are becoming fewer. The more PTKs the more school projects there are with a PTK/teacher and a conductor or with a PTK/kindergarten nurse with no conductor at all.

I will try to check out how many of the 56 "Konduktive Förderung " centres in Germany now have conductors.

Notes

Andrew Sutton - "German conference reports, Where's the elephant?"

http://andrew-sutton.blogspot.com/2008/11/german-conference-reports.html

PTKs – therapists and teachers with an additional qualification, see my blog of 24th October, 2008 "An Oktoberfest to build Conductive bridges in Germany".

http://konduktorin.blogspot.com/2008/10/it-is-october-and-it-is-fest-but-theres.html

In the translation above I have used the English word "nursery nurse" to translate the word Erziehern which is the qualification one needs to work in a kindergarten in Germany. I used the word "caretaker" as the translation for Betreuer which is someone responsible for looking after someone else at a specific time, not necessarily a nursery nurse, a teacher or a therapist, it can be a mother, a sister or maybe an assistant.

András Petö’s book - Unfug der Krankheit - Triumph der Heilkunst
Verlag – Karl Schustek, Hanau/Main