Lesson 2: History of Early Childhood Education and Theorists

Don’t prepare the path for the child, prepare the child for the path. ~ Anonymous

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

• Describe your own beliefs and values as they relate to the history of early childhood
• Describe the impact of historical influences on current practices in the field of early childhood education
• Discuss the importance of understanding the history of early childhood education

Teaching 

The History of Early Childhood Education Theorists and Approaches
                                            
Early childhood education was not recognized in America until the late 1800’s, to shift some of the family responsibility of education back onto the schools.  The Revolutionary War brought on new religious freedom and educational rights.  By the end of the 1800’s a progressive movement changed the course of education recognizing that:

1. Children have individual needs and differences
2. Teachers should be more attentive to these needs
3. Children learn best when motivated and interested
4. Learning via rote memory is useless
5. The teacher should be aware of holistic development – including social, physical, intellectual and emotional
6. Children learn best through hands on experiences

This was not new news to the rest of the world who voiced early childhood philosophies as early as 427 BC when Plato and Aristotle spoke of the need to educate the younger child.

John Locke (1632-1704) 
John Locke was a doctor, academic, philosopher, and political figure. He theorized children come into the world with an empty mind and knowledge is gained by experience (known as "Tabula Rasa", or "Blank Slate"). Locke believed in discipline rather than punishment, emphasizing loving relationships.

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) 
Rousseau was a French writer, philosopher, and social theorist. He challenged the idea of ’original sin', believing children are born good then spoiled by civilization. He disagreed with Locke’s belief in reasoning with children.  Rousseau believed children and adults learned differently, believed children learn by experience and exploration. 

                                                                
Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827)  
Pestalozzi was a Swiss educator influenced by the views of Rousseau. Pestalozzi found Rousseau’s methods ineffective, believing education should be based on individual interests, abilities, and developmental level. He believed learning should be self-paced and involve social interactions.  

Friedrich Wilhelm Froebel (1782-1852) Froebel's Kindergarten
Froebel established the very first Kindergarten program in Germany in 1837. Froebel was influenced by Comenius and Pestalozzi. He believed education should focus on play, games, and toys in the intellectual, spiritual, and social development of children. Froebel believed children learned socially and that play was part of learning.

During his time, play was considered a waste of time; children were considered miniature adults.  Froebel believed children learned through movement, music, exploring nature, and that stories and rhymes were the beginning of later reading and math skills. He theorized children learning as similar to plants growing, at their own pace and nurtured by family and society. He later named his institution “Kindergarten”–a “garden” where children would learn and grow in a nurturing environment.

The kindergarten movement was propelled by the industrial revolution and the introduction of women into the factory labor force. Froebel encouraged women to teach kindergarten, usually in their own homes. Women travelled from the US to Germany to study his methods. The first English-speaking kindergarten was established in Boston, MA by a woman named Elizabeth Peabody, who, after studying with Froebel in Germany, founded the first Kindergarten teacher education program in the United States. The first public Kindergarten opened in St. Louis, MO, in 1873 and was followed by a rapid growth of kindergartens throughout the country over the following 27 years. 

Todays, kindergartens have lost some of Froebel’s intentions. While there are still quality programs, states often influence curriculum with bench marks, testing, and finances. Froebel intended kindergarten to be the “Children’s Garden”; the place where children are nurtured through play, hands-on exploration, and loving care. 

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
Freud is considered to be the founder of psychoanalysis.  Although, he mostly worked with adults who had depression, he did weigh in on young children and their psychosexual development.  Many of his theories have been discounted, but students still learn about his five stages ranging from Oral to Genital which includes the Oedipus and Electra complexes.
 
John Dewey (1859-1952)
John Dewey was the first real American influence on American Education.  He is considered the founder of the approach termed Progressivism. He believed learning flowed from the interests of the child and coined the term “child-centered curriculum.” He advocated for children to interact with the total environment and believed intellectual skills developed from a child’s interests and play. He believed the child’s interests should drive the subject matter taught by teachers.

The Montessori Method (1870-1952)
Maria Montessori was one of the first women in Italy to receive a medical degree. The focus of her early career was developing approaches for teaching children with serious developmental delays. In 1907 Rome, she founded the Casa dei Bambini where she applied and experimented with these approaches with children without developmental delays. While there is much more detail to the Montessori Method, the following is an overview of her philosophy:

• intelligence is not fixed
• experience can support or hinder learning
• children learn best through sensory experiences
• there are “sensitive” times for learning based on ability, motivation and interest
• learning should be purposeful and fulfill the needs of the whole child
• all children can learn and become independent, life-long learners
• touching and exploring is essential, especially for infants and toddlers
• the use of child size, age appropriate, and high quality materials
• self-teaching materials where children can learn from their mistakes
• Children learn to solve problems, make connections, make practical life applications (buttoning, zippering, etc.)
• specific teacher training as guides and observers
• older peers often mentor – sometimes multi-age grouping
• family connection is important

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Piaget is considered one of the major contributors on the development of knowledge in children and young adults. He believed children learn very differently from adults and his theory emphasized maturational and environmental influences. Piaget felt that maturation involves a sequence of cognitive “stages” and the interaction with the environment contributes to a child’s experiences. Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development that all children pass through.

• Sensorimotor— (birth to 2 years)--knowledge is constructed through sensory and motor perception
• Preoperational—(ages 2-7)--emergence of language
• Concrete operations—(ages 7-11)--the beginning of logical, systematic thinking
• Formal operations—(12 years to adulthood)--abstract thinking, logical thinking, problem solving

Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)
Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who wrote Mind in Society (1978), in which he stated children are products of social and cultural environments. He believed social interactions fostered intellectual development in children and also contributed to the development of social competence. Vygotsky is best known for his term: the zone of proximal development. The ZPD is the distance between the child’s actual developmental level and the level of possible development with the guidance of an adult or an older peer. Scaffolding is another term associated with his work; scaffolding is the assistance given to a child by an adult or older peer that allows the child to function independently and build and learn new concepts. Vygotsky was called the “Father of Soviet Defectology,” which means special education. He believed children with special needs should be educated in the same manner as typical peers and he was an early advocate of integration.
 
Erik Erickson (1902-1994)
Erickson was an American developmental psychologist who was best known for his stages of psychosocial development in young children. These stages are still widely known and used as a base for early childhood practice.  The stages are as follows:

• Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to One Year)
• Autonomy vs. Shame (One year to Three Years)
• Initiative vs. Guilt (Three Years to Six Years)
• Industry vs. Inferiority (Six Years to Eleven Years)
• Identify vs. Role Confusion ( Twelve Years to Eighteen Years)
• Intimacy vs. Isolation (Eighteen Years to Thirsty-Five Years)
• Generativity vs. Stagnation (Thirsty-Five Years to Sixty-four Years)
• Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Sixty Five to Death)

Reggio Emilia – an approach
The Reggio Emilia approach was developed in a city in Italy by the same name. Built originally in 1948, Loria Malaguzzi was its director. The single school became a government-funded system of Early Childhood in 1963 with programs throughout Italy.  The philosophies of Reggio Emilia include:

• focus on the rights of the children, teachers, and parents
• children are competent individuals
• relationships and interactions are vital to education
• language is a strong component of learning
• curriculum based on teacher observations of children’s interests – emergent curriculum
• project based, in depth and time permitted to focus using a variety of materials
• environment includes natural elements with an atelier (art studio), piazza (central gathering area)
• strong family and community connections

High Scope – an approach
The High Scope approach was developed in the 1960’s, and implemented more widely in the 70s to combat the effects of poverty. The focus was on providing key experiences where children spend time in learning centers. Daily activities often include "Plan-Do-Review"; children meet to plan what they will do, manipulate and explore materials (including clean up), then reflect. Adults play a supportive role and document daily observations. Group interactions are frequent, as is a regular routine. Classroom areas and materials are often labeled and stored at child level.  

Waldorf Schools – an approach
Founded by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). Steiner believed childhood was an important part of development with emphasis on creativity and imagination. The Waldorf approach emphasized healthy learning opportunities based on a child’s stage of development and the opportunity to focus on their interests. He stressed the development of the child's body, mind, and spirit, and that educational activities should be practical, imitative, and hands-on. The classroom environment is considered important with the attempt to create a home-like atmosphere. Children tend to stay with the same learning group for three years. The focus in the Waldorf classroom is on sensory exploration and self-discovery rather than formal instruction and merit, helping children develop a sense of compassion and responsibility.

Head Start – an approach
Head Start launched in the 1960s for low income, disadvantaged, preschool children.  It was perceived that this was education’s place to fight the “war on poverty” and was based on the same goals of Froebel and Montessori.  This program aimed at more than just simply taking care of children but aimed at providing educational, social, medical, dental, nutritional, and mental health services.  Since the beginning, Head Start has delivered comprehensive services to over 10 million children and their families, extended to Early Head Start services, survived massive budget cuts and been a leader in providing high quality programming.

Assessment

Lesson 2 Assignment

Chose a theorist or approach whose beliefs closely match your own.  Research a little bit more information and provide a one page summary of:

1. Why did you chose this particular theorist and/or approach?
2. How do the beliefs and ideas impact the early childhood education field today?

Lesson 2 Discussion

Why do you think it is important to know the history of early childhood education and theories about child development?