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Period: 427 BCE to 348 BCE
Plato
Plato encouraged the education of girls, disagreed with the use of corporal punishment and believed that play was essential to learning. His impact on ECE was that many philosophers that came after him incorporated his ideas into their work. -
Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE
Aristotle
Aristotle discovered that good habits must be established early in life. He believed in the potential excellence of human beings and emphasized the development of the mind and body. Like Plato, Aristotle valued play time for children. Aristotle's impact on ECE was that his ideas were used by philosophers who came after him. -
Period: 35 BCE to 95 BCE
Quintilian
Quintilian discovered that children under the age of 7 did not benefit from customary educational practices. He also discovered that children respond better to imitation rather than intimidation. Along with Plato and Aristotle, philosophers who came after Quintilian used his ideas for their own methods. -
Period: 500 to Jan 1, 1450
The Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, the church was in charge of educating the children. Monks and Nuns taught the children. -
Period: Nov 10, 1523 to Feb 18, 1546
Martin Luther
Martin Luther believed that education should be for all children. He recognized the importance of individual literacy and that all aspects of development are important. His impact on ECE was that philosophers applied these ideas to their work. -
Period: to
John Amos Comenius
Comenius discovered that the period from birth to age 6 is the most important for human development. He also taught that language is the foundation for later learning and that learning should be meaningful and personally relevant. He also believed that children should be educated by their mothers before attending school. His impact on ECE was the use of picture books and toys(puzzles, block, etc.) in learning and like many who preceded him, his ideas were used by educational philosophers. -
Period: to
John Locke
John Locke had many theories. The first one was that a child enters the world with a blank slate. He also discovered that knowledge is received through the senses. Another theory is nurturing a child is more important than letting the environment (nature) that they grow up in raise them. He also taught that prolonged swaddling does not help children and is not good for them. His impact on ECE is playful teaching and focusing on the child in education. -
Period: to
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Similar to philosophers who came before him, Rousseau also believed that children learn through their own, natural undirected play. He also discovered that children learn best from exploration of the environment and experience. He also taught that education begins and birth and continue until adulthood. His impact on ECE was the belief in free play and focusing on direct experience. -
Period: to
Johann Pestalozzi
Pestalozzi believed that all children have the right to an education and that education can help develop a child's potential. He noted that the first year in a child's life is the most important in his or her development. He also found that instruction should be adapted to the abilities, interests and stages of development for each child. These ideas impacted ECE by allowing self-paced learning and a focus on sensory exploration. -
Period: to
Robert Owen
Owen wanted to establish a school for children under the age of 5. He didn't believe in pressuring children to learn. He thought that the nature of people and society could be transformed through the education of young children. He also believed that natural consequences will teach children right from wrong. Owen had several impacts on ECE. He influenced later educational systems in America and Britain. In addition, stories, singing and physical exercise were introduced to ECE classrooms. -
Friedrich Froebel establishes the first Kindergarten
Froebel created Kindergarten or "Child Garden" for children ages 4-6. Teachers would supervise the children and give them objects to play with such as blocks, yarn or ask them to mold or cut. These activities helped the to enhance their sensory and spiritual development. Froebel's' impact on ECE is that his principles are still used today. Children still play with blocks or clay as a form of teaching activities and materials. -
Period: to
John Dewey and Progressive Education
Progressive Education was created in the 19th century in response to the problems that came after the industrialization of the United States. Progressive Education included ideas from Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Froebel. John Dewey was the biggest spokesperson for Progressive Education, he believed that school should be a place where children can learn and grow physically, intellectually and socially. Progressive teaching practices are still used today curriculum is based on a child's needs. -
Period: to
Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf Programs
In 1919, Rudolf Steiner created his first school in order to educate the children of workers who were employed at a cigarette factory. Steiner's method involves developing a child's mind, body and spirit. He focused on teaching children through the use of puppetry and imaginative play. He used natural materials such as homemade dolls and the classroom felt very warm and secure. The Waldorf education system is still used in many countries today, and is very appealing to teachers and parents. -
Period: to
Maria Montessori and The Montessori Method
Maria Montessori was the one of the first women in Italy to receive a medical degree. Throughout her medical career, she focused on how to teach children with learning disabilities. She believed that learning was not fixed and it could be improved or hindered based on experiences. She founded her own program which focuses on helping children develop through their senses. In the Montessori program children work independently and the teacher directs the child's learning rather than instructing. -
Margaret and Rachel McMillan introduce the Nursery School
The McMillan sisters created the first Nursery School in order to help children who lived in poor communities. Because these children had so many health problems the school was open-air and the program was play-orientated. The purpose of the Nursery School was to nurture and care for the children and also to assist parents in raising their children. The Nursery School impacted programs such as Head Start which also helps low-income children and their families. -
Arnold Gesell and The Maturational Theory
Arnold Gesell discovered that genetic differences are directly related with a child's development. A child cannot progress academically until they have matured and grown to face the new challenges. Gesell's theory led to the concept of "readiness" which dictates if a child will academically succeed or fail depending on how developmentally ready they are. Many children enter kindergarten when they are older because they may need to mature in order to be "school ready". -
The NAEYC is founded
Patty Smith Hill founded the National Association for the education of Young Children. This association provides education for children from birth to age 8. They promote the importance of Early Childhood Education and childhood development. The NAEYC sets the standards for centers where children are taught and the standards for teachers who want to teach young children. -
Jean Piaget and The Constructivist Theory
In his studies, Jean Piaget noticed that the thoughts and actions of children are very different than those of adults. He realized that children create their own understanding of the world based on their personal experiences and interactions. As children grow and develop their understandings are changed and revised. This is known as the Constructivist Theory. -
Lev Vygotsky and The Sociocultural Theory
Lev Vygotsky studied how children develop language and thought. His Sociocultural Theory states that a child's culture influences their development. He found that language influences learning and the social and cognitive development are interactive. A child's social context(how they were raised, geographic location of community, etc.) influence how they think and act. Today, Vygotsky's theory allows teachers to appreciate each child's culture and understand that everyone's beliefs are different. -
B.F. Skinner and The Behaviorist Theory
Skinner's theory is based on the knowledge that individuals will change their behavior based on the consequences that follow. Skinner's theory is different from most theories because it applies to all learners regardless of age. This theory also includes the concept of operant conditioning, which states that positive consequences encourage a repetition of the behavior while negative consequences decrease the frequency of the behavior. -
Abraham Maslow and The Self-Actualization Theory
Maslow's theory is a hierarchy of basic needs and can be shown in the form of a pyramid. At the base of the pyramid is physiological needs such as food, water, sleep and exercise. At the top of the pyramid is when a person reaches self-actualization. This allows the person to be creative, form positive relationships and see reality clearly. Like many theories, a person must complete one stage until he/she can reach the next one. In order for a child to develop, their basic needs must be met. -
Urie Bronfenbrenner and The Ecologiocal Theory
Bronfenbrenner's theory shows that social, political, legal and economic systems influence a child's development. There are four layers to this theory. The microsystem which is a child'smfamily and peers, the mesosystem which is the relationships the family has with the environment around them, the exosystem which is environments that don't directly affect the child such as a parents workplace and the macrosystem which is cultural beliefs and values. -
Laurence Kohlberg and The Moral Development Theory
Laurence Kohlberg found that there are three stages to moral development in humans. Humans move from each stage based on their own experiences and what they have been taught. As a person matures, they are able to see contradictions in their beliefs. In order to teach children what is right and wrong, rewards and punishments are used to help them understand. -
High/Scope program created
The purpose of the High/Scope program was to lessen the effects of poverty on young children's development. The program was created by David Weikart and focuses on ideas that were taught by Jean Piaget. Children who participate in High/Scope go through a three step process "plan-do-review". The teacher discusses with the class what they will be working on, the children then do the assignment and afterwards discuss what they learned. -
Erik Erikson and The Phychosocial Theory
In his theory, Erik Erikson discusses 8 stages of social and emotional development. Each stage represents a major challenge or task. The first stage which is developed in infancy is trust, for a toddler it is autonomy, for a preschooler it is initiative and for a child attending primary school it is industriousness. This theory has shown how important the relationship between young children and adults are because children rely on adults when they are young. -
Period: to
Loris Malaguzzi and the Reggio Emilia Approach
Reggio Emilia is a small town in Italy where Loris Malaguzzi developed several ECE programs. Malaguzzi focused on children being involved with the community (friends, family, teachers) and teachers were seen as a learner, researcher and a co-collaborator. Malaguzzi understood how the environment impacts a child's development, so his classrooms were functional and beautiful. Art is a big part of the curriculum and children's work is displayed throughout the school. -
The Head Start Program is founded
The Head Start program was created in order to help low-income children receive a quality education. The purposes of Head Start are improve cognitive and social development, improve children's health and benefit the families of the children. Studies have shown that children who go through the Head Start program are more likely to become successful adults and stay out of trouble as teenagers. -
Howard Gardner and The Multiple Intelligences Theory
Gardner's theory is a learning theory rather than a developmental one. It discusses that everyone learns differently and that certain learning techniques appeal to some people more than others. These intelligences range from musical, logical, spatial, natural, linguistic and if a person learns better independently or with discussing with a group. Gardner's theory helps teachers to understand all the different ways they can approach a lesson so all of their students can learn. -
The No Child Left Behind Act is passed
This act was passed by Congress in order to provide education for under-privileged kids and required standard testing that each school must complete each year. -
Reducing the amount of knowledge lost during the summer
Many teachers worry that when students start the school year after summer vacation they will forget everything the students learned from the previous year. Dr. Rebecca Palacios encourages parents to read to their young children daily and take them to the public library. She also encourages them to spend time outside and turn each outing into a learning opportunity, this promotes school readiness for the upcoming year.