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John Locke
Locke coined the term "tabula rasa" which means blank slate. This basically means that only nurture plays a roll. children are born with blank slates ready to learn. Experiences are the basis of all childrens' learning. -
Jean- Jacques Rousseau
Rousseau believed that children should be educated "naturally" without interference or restrictions in developement. Educators must must match their teachings to each individual child's needs and developemental levels. -
John Dewey
Dewey believed in a child-centered form of education. The curriculum must be based on the interest of the children and how they would learn best. He was a huge part of the Progressive education movement. -
Maria Montessori
Montessori believed that children's knowledge comes from their sensory experiences. The learning environment must be rich in sensory based materials that the children can use and learn from freely. Schools were developed that specifically follow the Montessori ideals. Educators at Montessori school must be specially trained and equiped to support children's learning. -
Jean Piaget
Piagets most important contribution was the theory of Cognitive Developement. This theory is based on the four developemental stages: Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Piaget believed that all children must develope through these milestones. Piaget also coined constructivism and ways children adapt to new experiences. -
Lev Vygotsky
Vygotsky theorized the Zone of Proximal Developement which illustrates how a child learns with the help of others. Vygotsky also coined the Sociocultural theory which is based on interpersonal relationships in social developement. He believed that scaffolding is very important to learning. Scaffolding is when an educator or parent helps a child learn a certain task or idea by modeling it themselves. -
Erik Erikson
Erikson's main focus was social developement. He organized critical periods of social developement into eight stages. He said that all children need realiable love and care at all stages of developement. -
Abraham Maslow
Maslow developed the heirarchy of basic needs. This is the steps that children must go through in order to meet certain needs in life. These needs are motivators for children to move to the next "needs' and milestones of developement. Maslow also helped develope Humanistic psychology.