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Jan 1, 1483
Martin Luther
Martin Luther believed that schools were necessary to teach kids to read and write. He also translated the Bible into German. He believed it was important for people to be able to read the Bible in their own language. -
John Locke
Locke believed that children were a 'blank tablet' and that an individual's experiences are the basis of all learning. This theory is still regarded as significant today. He suggests that a child's home life, socioeconomic background and early education experiences can influence their ability to learn going forward. -
Johann Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi believed that mothers could teach their children best. This influenced the modern idea of home schooling. He believed that education was best taught through discovery and use of the senses. He felt it was important to stimulate learning by drawing, writing and feeling. -
Robert Owen
Robert Owen believed that society can shape the character of the child. He felt that a quality education can counteract a child's poor environment. -
Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel
Froebel founded the first Kindergarten in Germany in 1837. He believed that the best learning happened during play. The teacher (or gardner) would guide the play by providing what he referred to as 'gifts' such as books, geometric shapes and balls of yarn. He created a program for 4 -6 year olds and wanted it to be a place where children were nurtured. This is how the name kinder (child) garten (garden) was born. -
John Dewey
Dewey's ideas changed the course of education. He suggested that education should be more child-centered. According to Dewey there are 5 basic principles that guide a school. He suggests that students learn best when they learn cooperation, work on problem solving (rather than strictly math equations) and have internal motivation. The classroom is also a direct reflection of their home life, and teachers know their children well enough to create interesting problems and lessons for them. -
Maria Montessori
Montessori believed that children learned best when given an opportunity to explore their own world. She felt that children were self-motivated and had the ability to look for the experiences that suited them best. Her classrooms mixed ages and abilities and they were allowed to move more freely to discover their individual strengths. Montessori believed that respect was the foundation of a successful classroom. -
Abraham Maslow
Maslow created the theory of self-actualization. Self actualization is attained after certain basic needs of the individual (or child) is met.
The very basic needs start with food, air and water. From there nutritional needs must be met, security and safety follows, then belonging, love and acceptance is necessary. As each of these needs are met, they continue on to build towards self actualization.
The final two steps are achievement and recognition, as well as meeting aesthetic needs. -
Howard Gardner
A more recent influencer in early childhood education is Howard Gardner. His theory suggests that children learn in a variety of different ways. He states that children have multiple intelligences and breaks them down into nine abilities. These abilities include: visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, logical, rhythmic, interpersonal, bodily/kinesthetic, naturalist, intrapersonal, and existentialist. His contributions will have an impact on teachers and the way students learn for years to come.