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Period: Jan 1, 1483 to
History of Early Childhood Education
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Jan 1, 1534
Martin Luther translates the Bible into German
Martin Luther emphasized the importance of establishing schools to teach children to read. He translated the Bible into German and marked the beginning of people learning to read in their native languages. Literacy is still a national concern today.
history of Luther -
John Locke's Theory of Tabula Rasa
Tabula rasa. The mind is a blank slate.
John Locke believed that experience and environment literally form the mind; development comes from stimulation given by caregivers and experiences in a child'senvironment.
Implications of this belief are evident today in the premise that universal schooling programs of 3 and 4 year olds to will erase any negative effects of poverty or neglect and erase differences in a child’s achievement due to differences in socioeconomic levels. -
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi develops "object lessons"
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi believes that through sensory experience children achieve their natural potentail. He develops "object lessons," manipulatives like counting, measuring, and touching. Pestalozzi wrote two books How Gertrude Teaches Her Children and Book for Mothers that continue to influence child rearing to this day. -
Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel “the father of kindergarten”
Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel believes play is a process through which children learn; play is the cornerstone of learning. He likens children to a seed that needs to be nourished and teacher to the gardener. The word kindergartner translates to “garden of children”. -
Maria Montessori organizes “Children’s House”
Trained as a physician, Montessori “instinctively believes that mental deficiency is more of an educational than a medical problem.”
The Montessori Method is currently used in over 4,000 early childhood programs. -
John Dewy introduces progressivism
John Dewy's progressivism emphasizes children and their interests rather than subject matter and introduces the terms child-centered curriculum and child centered school.
He believes that education is “a process of living and not a preparation for future living" and he uses cooking as a practical way of teaching math and reading. The five principles of Dewy’s school are still very contemporary and relevant today. -
National Defense Education Act (NDEA)
In response to Soviet Union launching Sputnik in 1957 the US passes the NDEA. The founding idea is that the best defense is a good education and provides federal funding for science, technology, math, engineering, and foreign language.
Current emphasis on math, technology and science is a result of the launch of Sputnik and the race for world superiority. -
The Civil Rights Act
The civil rights movement caused the federal government to be more involved in ensuring education for all and in altering the environment of education. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed, it protects the rights of individuals in public facilities including schools. This was later amended to include Title X1 which provides equality in sports for women.
