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Rousseau
Rousseau recommended that a Childs early education should only require that they learn things they are developmentally ready for. He believed in children finding their own way of learning and that having formal instruction could interfere with development. -
Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi developed principles for learning that were a combination of informal instruction and natural learning. He felt that children did need adult help to learn concepts such as reading effectively. Pestalozzi also believed that manipulative objects through touch, smell, language, size and shape. -
Froebel
Froebel believed in the natural unfolding of children just as Petsalozzi did. He was a strong believer in the benefits of learning through play. Froebel was the first educator to create a curriculum for young children that included objects and materials. Froebel himself was the person to come up with he term kindergarten and his strategies are still used in classrooms today -
Reading Readiness
Developmental psychologists advocated maturation as the most important factor in learning to read. Educators focused on nurturing maturation through skills that were prerequisites for reading. These skills are auditory discrimination, visual discrimination, visual motor skills, and large motor skills. -
Dewey
Deweys educational philosophy was called progressive education and led to the concept of child centered curriculum. The basis of Deweys philosophy was that children learning should be built around their interests and learning through social interactions.Dewey also beloved that learning is maximized through integrating content areas. His focus was on social, emotional, physical and intellectual development of children with minimal formal instruction in reading and writing. -
Emergent Literacy
To acquire literacy skills children need models to emulate and to create their own format of reading, writing and speaking. The emergent literacy perspective exposes children to books early on. It is a child-centered approach where social interaction and problem solving emphasized with a less direct instruction of skills. -
Piaget
Piagets theory of cognitive development describes the intellectual capabilities of children at their different stages of cognitive development. The stages are sensorimotor (0-2 years), preoperational period (2-7years), Concrete operational period (7-11years), formal operations period (11-adult). Piagets belief was that children acquire knowledge by interacting with the world. -
The Research Era
Investigators looked at the cognitive development of children using varied research methods such as experimental studies, correlational research, interviews, observations, video tapes and case studies. This research had strong impact on how educators understand how children become literate. -
Vygotsky
Vygotsky's general theory was that children learned as they acquired new concepts. The new concepts are then stored in your memory and used to make predictions, generalizations or inferences. New concepts are formed as children interact with others who provide feedback for their thoughts. He also believes that adults should take a step back and allow children to practice tasks on their own. -
Montessori
Montessori focused on senses and systems of young children. She believed that children needed early, orderly, systematic training in order to master skills. Her classroom was an environment that supplied materials that pertained to specific learning concepts. Montessori materials has children using their five senses by manipulating materials designed to teach skills. Montessori's curriculum is based on behaviorist theory. -
Skinner
Skinners focus was on Behaviorism. Behaviorism states that learning is a permanent change in behavior that is caused by a response to an experience or stimulus. Behaviorists believe that we learn through imitation, association and conditioning. Skinner discovered that human learning was not automatic and did require explicit instruction. Behaviorist programs are skill based with little time for social, emotional or physical development. -
Constructivism and Whole Language Instruction
Whole language instruction is similar to the emergent literacy perspective but it considers children who are reading conventionally. In a whole language approach, literacy learning is a child centered approach because it is designed to be meaningful, relevant and functional.