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Early Childhood Development Leaders
Historical Roots of Early Childhood Education
In order for us to value our current research in the early childhood education field it is important to get an in-depth understanding of how it all started. Child development beliefs and theories are heavily influenced by cultural beliefs. Theories also change by the decade and one of the still most heavily debated topics is whether or not if you hold an infant constantly they become spoiled. In the 16th century people of the time viewed children as miniature adults, which is illustrated in artwork from that time (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2009, pg. 8). During this century John Locke introduced his theory of Tabula Rasa, which theorizes that each child is born with a blank slate. The concept of childhood was not considered until the late 18th century as an effect of the Industrial Revolution. As children underwent more schooling and girls had more opportunities educators became more interested in the development of children. Developmental science was born in the early 1800s and Charles Darwin became heavily influential. Questions were explored such as how much of children’s dispositions are environmentally or hereditarily influenced. In the early 1900s Sigmund Freud developed the Psychosexual Stages that emphasized that early childhood experiences can have an effect on the adult life and alter their personalities. Erik Erikson critiqued this theory and developed the Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages. These specific stages focused on social and cultural factors that children experienced and how they affected their adult life and personality.
The three most influential theorists to the early childhood education field today are Maria Montessori, Lev Vygotsky, and Jean Piaget. Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory highlights the importance of interpersonal relationships in cognitive and social development (Morrison, 2014, pg. 74). Vygotsky also came up with the idea of zone of proximal development, which states that children learn more with someone who is at a higher level. Jean Piaget believed that children develop their own intelligence and created a theory of cognitive development based on age groups and stages (Morrison, 2014, pg. 74). Lastly Montessori was an Italian theorist who developed her own Montessori method and school of teaching. She believed that all knowledge is learned through sensory experiences and that educators need to provide experiences appropriate to their level of learning. There is a high respect for each child’s individual needs and teachers create a prepared learning environment for them to explore.
Author of 154 books and was the first to incorporate pictures in his books. He also believed that children should learn through their senses and that school should gradually increase in difficulty.
Created a sociocultural theory that stresses the importance of interpersonal relationships for a child’s social and cognitive development. Coined the concept of zone of proximal development meaning that children learn more with the help of a more competent person. Came up with the concept of scaffolding, which is the communication amongst students and teachers to increase learning level.
Founded the term “tabula rasa” meaning that all children are born with a blank slate. Locke believed knowledge was not innate and that we acquire it over time by what we have been taught.
An Italian theorist that believed that mothers have the best approach and potential at teaching their children.
Montessori created her famous 4 Plane Development Theory to give us a better understanding of children. She believed that children teach themselves and that they should learn at their own pace. Children should learn from hands-on experiences through exploring their senses. Classrooms need to be set up to create learning environments with proper learning materials. Respecting each child’s individual development is the basis for her theory. Montessori left a lasting impression on the educational f
Strongly believed in natural education without any restriction or interference. Children “unfold” by learning from their environment. Best remembered for his novel Emilie that illustrates his viewpoints on education.
Associated with his self-actualization theory that is based on needs motivation. Maslow believed that human development is a system of meeting basic human needs and that everyone is entitled to.
He believed that education could be used as a tool to build a new society. Owen believed that the environment influenced a child’s achievements, behavior, and beliefs.
He referred as epistemology as the development of children through logic and biological interactions. Still believed that genetics played a role. Teaching boys at the Grange-Aux belles Street School in Paris sparked his interest to become a developmental psychologist. Piaget sought to better understand why children asked so many “why?” questions. The basis of his work stemmed from children’s intellectual abilities. Believed that each child constructs his or her own moral view of the world. With
Best known for his multiple intelligence theory that expresses how we process information in a variety of ways that are independent of one another. There are a total of nine intelligences that include musical/rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, existential, logical/mathematical, bodily/kinesthetic, verbal/linguistic, and visual/spatial.
Erikson was heavily influenced by Freudian theory and developed his theory of psychosocial development. Erikson believed that cognitive development develops in unison with social development. His theory outlines eight stages with specific critical periods for social development.
Best remembered for being a top leader in educational and social reform during the progressive education movement. Dewey believed in discovery learning and that curriculum should be designed on children’s interests.
Devised the Ecological Systems Theory that states that each child unfolds or develops through a system of relationships such as social, cultural, political, economic, and psychological.
Best known as the “Father of Kindergarten” and that children grow similar to plants. Kindergarten acts s the “Garden of Children” where play is essential to how children develop. The teacher acts as the gardener and prepares classrooms to encourage play.
Used his knowledge of language to translate the Bible from Latin to vernacular giving all people an opportunity for education in their native tongue. He heavily influenced the concept of universal education.
