DECROLY, OVIDE

born July 23, 1871, Ronse, Belg. died Sept. 10, 1932, Brussels Belgian pioneer in the education of handicapped and normal children. He was a physician who became involved in a school for abnormal children and consequently became interested in education. One outcome of this interest was his establishment in 1901 of the Institute for Abnormal Children in Uccle, Belg., a school that provided a homelike atmosphere in which Decroly obtained better and more consistent learning results than many schools for normal children were able to achieve. His success prompted Decroly in 1907 to open the cole de l'Ermitage, a school for normal children in which he further applied his methods. Viewing the classroom as a workshop, Decroly based his curriculum on an analysis of children's needs organized within the four categories of food, shelter, defense, and work. One's needs formed the centre of a year's study, and, within the framework of their needs, children were encouraged to develop their individual interests. His program became known as the Decroly method.