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Jan 1, 1522
Martin Luther
Martin Luther translated the Bible into a language people could understand, which took away the power of the Catholic Church, but also gave people an opportunity to learn in their own way, using their own minds and words.
Martin Luther was also the first advocate to teach children to read in school. -
John Comenius
John believed children learned through their experiences and needed to be taught gradually, at their skill level. He disagreed with the fact that only priviledged children should receive an education, as he believed ALL children should be educated regardless of social standing, disability, race, or otherwise. So, in 1658 he authored the first children's picture book titled Orbis Pictus, or The Visible World in Pictures, to assist in the education of children. -
John Locke
John Locke believed children were born as "blank tablets" and these tablets were filled up with what they experienced through their childhood, which would determine their personality. In 1697 he wrote "Some Thoughts Concerning Education" in which he stated that education began in early childhood and that our education needed to be gradual and cumulative. -
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was one of the first advocates of the child labor laws and set up education as an alternative for children working in mills. He also set up two buildings to educate both children and adults, having both morning and evening classes. Owen set up one of the first "nursery schools" so parents with infants could leave their children there while they were learning. He believed that your environment determined your behaviors and society could "shape your character". -
Freidrich Froebel
Freidrich was an advocate for abolishing child laborl. He said children were like plants and should be cared for as you do a garden. He believed all children, like plants, required several different materials in order to grow and mature. He started his own school which he called "The Garden of Children" which is known today as Kindergarten. -
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori began by observing children in a classroom and came up with the belief that children learn most through sensory. She developed a more hands on learning approach, which is still in practice in many schools today. She said respect was the foundation of learning. -
Jean Piaget
He created the International Center for Genetic Epistemology and directed it until his death in 1980. He believed children to be "little scientists" and could create their own ways of learning. He said children required mental, as well as physical activities. -
Erik Erikson
Erik Erikson believed life could be broken into 8 different stages spanning from birth until death, each representing a different stage of development. He believed parent and teacher relationships would directly influence a childs development. -
Economic Opprotunity Act
This Act was started by Lyndon B. Johnson in his attempt to strike out poverty. It was designed to assist in health, education and the general livelihood of low income families. In 1965 the EOA started the Headstart Act, which provided early childhood education to children living in poverty and low income. In 1981, the EOA changed it's name to The Head Start Act. -
Individuals with Disablities Education Act
In 1975, The Education of Handicapped Children started. It required all states to provide a free education to children with disabilities. In 1990, it was renamed to IDEA to include children with many disabilities, such as behavior and learning, not just physical. IDEA also worked to combine Special Early Childhood Education with Early Childhood Education. -
No Child Left Behind Act
This act was formally set up as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. The ESEA provided help to those in low income families by offering additional educational support so children can achieve state standards. The NCLBA continues this practice yet holds schools responsible for the academic standards children are taught.
