Johann Christoff Büss was a German bookbinder and educator who is best known for his work with Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. Büss developed a pedagogical method for drawing based on Pestalozzi’s ideas.
Early life
Büss was born at Tübingen in Württemberg, Germany in 1776. He was born into the working class; his father was employed in a subordinate position at the theological school. His father’s position enabled Büss better opportunities of early instruction than are usually enjoyed by his social class. In the grammar school he acquired considerable knowledgeable in Greek and Hebrew, logic and rhetoric. His father applied for Büss to attend the Stuttgart Academy established by Duke Charles, at Stuttgart, but this was refused. At about the same time, an edict was issued, prohibiting children of the middle and lower class from practicing a literary career. Although disappointed, Büss did not despair, but instead applied himself to the study of drawing. At age sixteen he was forced to give up drawing for an apprenticeship as a bookbinder. Not satisfied with this career, Büss traveled to Switzerland looking for a position as a private tutor. His lack of self-confidence made it impossible for him to find pupils and he once again reverted to bookbinding in order to make a living. It was at this point that he became acquainted with two of Pestalozzi’s assistants, Tobler and Krusi, and learned that Pestalozzi was looking for a teacher of drawing and music for his school at Burgdorf. Büss took this opportunity as a chance to advance his own education as well as to contribute to the work of the school, despite warnings from others:
Burgdorf
Büss joined Pestalozzi’s staff at Burgdorf in 1800. Upon being interviewed by Pestalozzi, Büss was taken aback by his disheveled appearance and the way his school was run. The next morning Büss observed a class and described it as ‘apparent disorder’ and ‘uncomfortable bustle’. Upon observing Pestalozzi’s method based on spiral learning, he realized the advantages: Pestalozzi gave Büss the task of developing a method based on spiral learning to teach drawing. Büss struggled to understand Pestalozzi’s ideas that lines, angles and curves were the basis of all drawing. After several months of experimentation, Büss realized the required teaching method and wrote ABC der Anschauung in a few days. Upon the completion of ABC der Anschauung, Büss’ whole perceptual process was transformed:
Büss’ writings
ABC der Anschauung, 1803. ABC der Anschauung was prepared by Büss as a realization of the Pestalozzian method applied to drawing, and only its preface is by Pestalozzi himself, although he is known to have approved of Büss’ interpretation of his pedagogical method. Each lesson was designed to follow a predetermined structure in which the teacher demonstrated and named the figure to be learned, followed by a question and answer session about its form. The lesson was ended with the children drawing the figure for themselves. The teaching method used in ABC der Anschauung served as a model for numerous subsequent methods in drawing as well as the teaching of any subject at the elementary level.
