COMENIUS, JOHN AMOS

Czech Jan mos Komensk born March 28, 1592, Nivnice, Moravia, Habsburg domain [now in Czech Republic] died Nov. 15, 1670, Amsterdam, Neth. Czech educational reformer and religious leader, remembered mainly for his innovations in methods of teaching, especially languages. He favoured the learning of Latin to facilitate the study of European culture. Janua Linguarum Reserata (1631; Gate of Tongues Unlocked, 1633?) revolutionized Latin teaching and was translated into 16 languages. Additional reading Matthew Spinka, John Amos Comenius: That Incomparable Moravian (1943, reissued 1967); John Edward Sadler, J.A. Comenius and the Concept of Universal Education (1966).