ECE Chapter 1 Timeline

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    Johann Amos Comenius

    He wrote the first picture book for children. He believed that education should follow the basic order of things, and also the concept of "learning by doing". He said that he will educate the poor and the rich.
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    John Locke

    The founder of modern educational philosophy. He creates theories, for example, the tabula rasa, which is the belief that a child is born with a "clean slate". He had a great influence on education through his life.
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    Jean-Jacques Rosseau

    Swiss writer and philosopher, claimed that children are not inherently evil but naturally good. "There is no original sin in the human heart". He described the education system according to nature and he was the first philosopher to do this.
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    Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

    He was a Swiss educator who formed the basics of many common teaching practices of early childhood education. He used nature study as part of the curriculum. He believed that children should learn using their senses.
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    Robert Owen

    He established schooling for labor workers' children (infant school), because at times children would begin working in cotton mills as young as 6 years old. He was a philosopher who believed that people were natrually good but corrupted by harsh environment and poor treatment.
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    Friedrich Willhelm Froebel

    Major contributor to early childhood education. He is known as the Father of the Kindergarten. Since his own childhood was unhappy, he wanted other kids' childhood to be a pleasant experience. He believed that children deserved the right to play. He also believed that teachers should be friendly instead of stern.
  • Social Reform

    An ethic that states schooling for young children leads to social change and improvement. For example, Head Start and High Scope try to improve children's health by attending to the child's physical and social welfare.
  • Kindergarten

    German was the first country to have kindergarten. Kindergarten has gone through many social changes throughout the years. At first it was for poor students and then it went to be led by churches. The kindergarten we know today is the first grade that students enter when they go to school to help them become more independent and prepared for the following grades.
  • Nursery Schools

    Began at the same time that kindergarten was becoming popular in the US. Nursery schools and day nurseries went beyond custodial health care. The children in nursery schools came from different middle and upper class households. Nursery schools enforced active learning and social cooperation.
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    Rudolf Steiner

    He was an Australian philosopher, scientist, and artist. He created the establishment of schools known as the Waldorf Education. He theorized that childhood is an important phase of life. He believed that the role of a teacher was to be similar to that of a mother figure.
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    Maria Montessori

    She was the first female physician in Italy. She opened a preschool, for kids aged 2-5. She believed that children needed the right environment and motivation to learn, and that learning started at birth. She designed materials and classrooms to enforce her theory. She was the first person who could really understand the needs of the growing child, due to her medical and psychiatric training.
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    A. S. Neill

    He claimed that most education was defective because many teachers assumed that children were inherently evil. He thought that a child was instead innately wise and realistic. He believed that children should explore their right to freedom and not feel repression and guilt.
  • Media and Technology

    Children get many different messages from the use of technology overall, but it is important to not push children towards adulthood too fast and away from childhood too quickly. Children can be pushed unnecessarily fast when exposed to social media and can make them feel pressured to succeed, which is unhealthy.
  • Sputnik

    The launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union led to an overhaul of American education, especially in STEM. The curriculum emphasized fast learning in math and science to help compete in the Space Race.
  • Head Start

    The largest publicly funded education program in the US. It helped preschool children living in poverty. Provided educational, social, medical, dental, nutritional, and mental health services to these children. It was a part-day, full year program.
  • High Scope

    Created to address the effects of poverty on children's development. It was a study funded by the federal government. This study made positive long term impacts on how early childhood education delivers preschool education.
  • DAP

    Stands for Developmentally Appropriate Practices. This means that you should teach at the level that is appropriate for the children in front of you. It states that a teacher's goal should be to empower students and prepare students to be a "winner in their own life".
  • No Child Left Behind

    Begun the requirement of state testing for all students. It held states accountable to keep up on their state testing and standards because states that fell behind risked closing/shutdown.
  • Standards

    Common Core state standards for grades K-12 in english, language arts, and mathematics are published.