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1520
Martin Luther
Martin Luther (1483-1546) wanted to educate children so that more people could read as adults. He believed if more people could read they could use this skill to read the bible. He wanted to make universal education by creating public education from tax funding. Even though reading is very important for nonreligious reasons today public education is still around. -
John Amos Comenius
John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) also wanted public and universal education. He believed that children learn better through sensory experiences rather than just words being read or shown to them. He wrote what is thought to be the first picture book Orbis Pictus. He published it and used as an example of how to teach children with pictures. -
John Locke
John Locke (1632-1704) described children as blank slates when they are young. Throughout their lives experiences determine who a child becomes. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) thought everything should be done in his version of what is "natural". Natural child rearing allows education to happen without strict planning or stress. He believed children's nature will become seen as time goes on without force. He then showed his 5 stages of development (Early childhood, boyhood, preadolescence, adolescence, and adulthood) which have been built off of to make future models of development. He wrote the book Emile, or On Education. -
Johann Pestalozzi
Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827) though all education should be given through home schooling. He believed that mothers are best teachers and family centered learning was the best and only way a child could truly learn. He also stated that children learn through discoveries rather than just being told what will happen. -
Robert Owen
Robert Owen (1771-1858) talked about how important a childs education can be on the world. A society can be changed based on the education the children receive. This kind of builds off of the blank slate theory that children can be taught anything. He also believed the created environment will determine what a child can achieve. If they are limited in education so will their futures. -
Friedrich Froebel
Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) founded the first kindergarten which opened it in Germany. It was the first educational system put in place for children six and under. This kindergarten focused a lot on play and how children can learn and develop by playing. This school used fun seeming activities that were rooted in academic subjects allowing children to learn more quickly. He often compared children to plants and teachers as gardeners -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann (1796-1859) like many others belived education should be free and universal but he also had the idea that religion and education should be separate which is often seen today in public schools. He advocated for women to teach young children because they were more nurturing. -
Patty Smith Hill
Patty Smith Hill (1868-1946) founded the NAEYC or the National Association for the Education of Young Children . She thought children would learn better through the arts. She used music poems and books as learning tools for her students. Today we still use the arts to teach children especially very young children. -
Susan Blow
Sudan Blow (1843-1916) founded first public kindergarden in United states allowing young children to get an education without coming from wealth. She was also a founder of the IKU or International Kindergarten Union. She used and improved upon Frobels method using play and art as a strong learning tool. -
Elizabeth Harrison
Elizabeth Harrison (1849-1927) wanted all children to receive the same education from teachers that were also taught the same. She created professional standards for early childhood education for teachers that have been updated and continued to be used to this day. She founded the Chicago Kindergarten Training College in order to do this. -
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) created the montessori method of teaching. This method was based around resepct for children, child motivated learning, and prepared environments. This method teaches children how to self correct and prepares them for real world experiences. This method is still used to this day and is currently gaining more popularity. -
Lucy Sprague Mitchell
Lucy Sprague Mitchell (1878-1967) like others wanted to base education around the child's interests. She thought this was the best way to promote cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development. She also brought the idea of field trips to public schools so children can see the world while learning. She founded the Bureau of Educational Experiments. -
John Dewey
John Dewey (1859-1952) based his teachings on the idea that learning should originate from a childs interests. Children would pay more attention and understand things they cared about. He used a more hands on approach to see when a child is ready to learn something and when teaching them. -
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) he believd all learning should be based on the Waldorf approach using real world experiences rather than a textbook. He thought education needs art, science, and spirituality to be complete and well formed. His ideals are the basis of project based learning used today. -
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) He also broke down a childs development into stages. Sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage. He thought children should have direct and active interaction with the environment. He noticed children's brains work different from adults and because of that they have to learn differently. He also helped form what is now called project based learning. His basic idea was projects help you learn. -
Abraham Maslow
Hiarchy of needs to be met -
Erik Erikson
how adults interact with kids will form who the child is
predictable and consistent love, care, and education is required
eight stages of development -
Lev Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) He belived social interaction between children or with adults is how children learned best. He also talked about how the more competent a teacher the more a child will learn. He was the source to use social and cooperative learning -
Jule Sugarman
Jule Sugarman (1927-2010) He founded and directed the head start program to feed and educate low income children and underfunded communities. He spent most of his life fighting for children's rights saying all children should be given the same opportunities to a good education. -
David Weikart
David Weikart (1931-2003) He founded the HighScope Educational Research Foundation. This foundation studies how children are taught and the long term achievements and success of the children. In the beginning it focused on underprivileged children and children with developmental disorders but since then has opened up to studying all children. -
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) He believed that five developmental systems have an impact on children. These all influence each other and are equally important. These systems were named microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. He also thought teachers understand children best because they can see how a child sees the world. His other idea was that different environmental factors (family, school,neighborhood) affect a child development. Today this is know to be true. -
Loris Malaguzzi
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994) He realized teaching children can not be perfectly uniform. All children are different and need to learn at different paces. His idea was to document what children learn, understand, and are interested in and use that to teach the next week's lesson. Allowing children to not fall behind. -
David Kolbs
David Kolbs (1939-Present) He agreed that children must experience something to correctly learn in. He also came up with the four stages in a learning cycle. These stages are stage 1: concrete experience assimilating information, stage 2: reflective observation processing information, stage 3: abstract conceptualization assimilating information, and stage 4: active experimentation. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama (1961-Present) He made the No Child Left Behind Act and later revised it to be the Every Student Succeeds Act. These bills are helping student be able to succeed. The new revised act gets rid of unnecessary tests and assessments that are seen as one size fits all. This will help students that don't test well or that may need extra help in the classroom.