Celebrating the Life and Works of Professor Reuven Feuerstein

The Feuerstein Institute in Israel is celebrating “100 years of Feuerstein”, inspired by the life and works of its founder, the late Professor Reuven Feuerstein (1921-2014), a prominent clinical, developmental and cognitive psychologist. An online conference attended by international delegates was organised from 11 to 14 July 2021 as part of the commemorative activities.

Like Piaget and Vygotsky, who were pioneers in the field of early childhood learning, Feuerstein propounded theories and applied systems that saw widespread applications in clinical and classroom settings. Feuerstein's work on Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) and Mediated Learning Experience (MLE) has led to more than 2,000 scientific research and case studies. He was also a highly featured keynote speaker when the “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” vision was launched in Singapore in 1997 at a national conference.

Professor Tan Oon Seng, Centre Director of the Centre for Research in Child Development (CRCD) at NIE, was among the leading scholars invited to deliver a lecture at the centenary conference. Professor Tan first met Feuerstein in 1995, when he was in Israel to be trained in the use of Feuerstein’s tools of intervention. During his plenary keynote entitled “The Influence of Feuerstein’s Ideas on Early Childhood Education, Positive Psychology and Human Development”, Professor Tan explained how that meeting and their subsequent friendship had advanced his psychology and education research. He illustrated how Feuerstein’s theories and applications were incorporated into his work in problem-based learning, educational psychology and most recently, early childhood education. He also spoke about the developments in neuroscience and learning sciences, citing how they affirm Feuerstein’s theories. Professor Tan concluded by advocating that teacher education should include Feuerstein’s theory of MLE, where interaction between teachers and learners are optimised meaningfully across diverse contexts.

The plenary was opened by Rabbi Dr Professor Rafi Feuerstein, President of the Feuerstein Institute. Other familiar figures at the online conference included Professor David Perkins of Harvard University (who founded Project Zero), Professor Robert Sternberg of Cornell University (well-known for the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence) and Emeritus Professor Arthur Costa of California State University (renowned for Habits of Mind).