-
In Hunter-Gatherer culture, more than 10,000 years ago, children learned through self-directed plan and exploration. Children learned about their society naturally, through helping with daily tasks and exploring the world around them. Childhood curiosity likely would have been encouraged because it would serve the good of the group - children would need to know about which plants are safe and which to avoid. These tasks were more enjoyable and less labor-intensive than later years. -
Eventually the concept of agriculture was invented, which gradually shifted how work and education coexist. Farming was labor-intensive, and children were required to help the family. Owning property and putting down roots (literally and figuratively) came at the cost of hard work, even for children. -
The idea of mandatory education began to spread across Europe as early as the 1500s. It was viewed as children's work, although it seemed there was little agreement as to what should be taught. Industrial giants thought that "soft skills" were most important...so they could have a new group of young adults to work their factories.
-
Play, creativity, and exploration were no longer vehicles to drive education. To make "good students", children were frequently beaten into being submissive. Being swatted with rulers or paddles, or having your ears boxed were fairly common punishments for students who dared misbehave (read: try to play or simply not sit still) -
Advancements in technology led to a shift from manual labor to the use of machines. However, people - children - still had to operate them. Children were forced into labor long before the Industrial Revolution, but instead of working in a home as a servant, or outside as a farmer, they were forced into dangerous and filthy factories. -
Schools gradually started to shift into what we recognize now as public education. It was still viewed as a child's job to attend school, but the curriculum was expanded and physical punishment (eventually) tapered off. But still we insisted on a model of education that is unrealistic for children's development: rote memorization and repetition is tedious and rather ineffective. It goes against their natural instinct to learn about the world through investigation. -
The invention of the home computer changed the face of education. Apple, through tax incentives, put computers in schools across the USA. 1980s kids will always remember The Oregon Trail and Number Munchers. Thanks, Steve! -
Today, education is literally in everyone's back pocket. Kids have access to learn about any subject under the sun. Even in a traditional setting, we can use personal smart devices for everything from studying vocabulary to self-publishing to exploring virtual reality. Or we can just watch puppy videos on YouTube. :-)