-
1483
Martin Luther
Promoted children's ability to read. Suggested all towns and villages have schools, boys and girls should be educated, and schools should foster multiple types of development. -
Period: 1483 to 1546
Martin Luther
Promoted children's ability to read. Suggested all towns and villages have schools, boys and girls should be educated, and schools should foster multiple types of development. -
Period: to
John Amos Comenius
Promoted idea that first years of life are crucial to development. Believed that young children learn best from natural, real-world experiences. -
Period: to
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Advocated children not have formal education until 12 years old, learn from natural world and forbid books before this age. Educational focus on sensory experiences. -
Period: to
Johann Pestalozzi
Modeled practices such as careful observation of children, recognizing each child's potential, strengthening peer relations, sensory learning. One of first practitioners to emphasize importance of strong adult-child relationship. -
Period: to
Friedrich Froebel
Referred to as father of modern kindergarten. Emphasized benefits of play, incorporated children's natural tendency to join hands and make a circle, developing "circle time." Believed songs and musical experiences should be incorporated into classroom. -
Period: to
Sigmund Freud
Influenced child-rearing practices and encouraged parents and providers to allow gratifying experiences for children. -
Period: to
John Dewey
Philosophy teacher who applied his ideas to study of education. Believed that education should be integrated with life, should preserve social values, occurs in social situations, active learning is essential, and that children's instincts and powers create starting points for education. -
Period: to
Margaret McMillan
Founded the "Open-Air Nursery" with her sister for children ages 1-6. Emphasized outdoor play, facilitating emotional development, parent involvement and children's art. -
Period: to
Patty Smith Hill
Created a strong curriculum for young children based off work of Froebel and Dewey. Help found the laboratory nursery school at Columbia University and Founded the National Association for Nursery Education. -
Period: to
Maria Montessori
First female physician in Italy. Prepared children with handicaps to pass examinations for primary certificates. Opened Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) in slums of Rome. -
Period: to
John B. Watson
Known as father of behaviorism, also became child rearing expert. Believed that parents should approach child-rearing as a professional application of behaviorism. -
Period: to
Lucy Sprague Mitchell
Helped start laboratory nursery school at the Bureau of Education Experiments in New York. Initiated excellent model program. -
Period: to
Arnold Gesell
Discovered "norms" of development and identified observable changes in growth and behavior. -
Period: to
Abigail Eliot
Directed Ruggles Street Nursery in Boston. School was a model for Head Start programs which included child-sized equipment, comprehensive program, variety of materials, full-day program, and worked with parents. -
Period: to
Lev Vygotsky
Zone of proximal development, relationship between language and thought, also known for the value of play. -
Period: to
Jean Piaget
Believed the child actively constructs rather than receives knowledge. Started learning as a social and collaborative endeavor, learner-centered activities, cross-disciplinary activities, student's drive topics of inquiry from interests, emphasis on understanding and application, and authentic measure of assessment. -
Period: to
Erik Erikson
Extended and refined the work of Freud. He developed three main additions and defined eight psychosocial stages of development. -
Period: to
B.F. Skinner
Developed concept of operant conditioning. Influencing behavior with positive and negative reinforcements. -
Period: to
J. McVicker Hunt
Strong advocate for early childhood enrichment programs. believed that intelligence is shaped by environment. -
Children's House opened
Maria Montessori opened Casa dei Bambini (Children's House) in slums of Rome. -
Period: to
Abraham Maslow
Advocate of humanistic psychology and developed a hierarchy of needs. -
Period: to
Benjamin Bloom
Writings led to increase interest in early care and education, popularized the importance of development in early years, and promoted idea that intelligence was strongly influenced by environmental factors. -
Period: to
Jerome Bruner
Challenged education at all levels and believed that children should be taught basic concepts of subjects. Promoted discovery learning. -
Laboratory Nursery School Founded
Laboratory Nursery School at Columbia University was founded. -
Period: to
Lillian Katz
Professor, author, and founder of two journals (Early Childhood Research Quarterly and Early Childhood Research and Practice) also popularized "project approach" to learning in the classroom. -
Period: to
Joe L. Frost
Published books on children and poverty and leading proponent of play especially in outdoor settings. -
Period: to
David P. Weikart
Started Perry Preschool Project, set up High Scope Education Research Foundation with several colleagues, powerful effect of teaching and learning in early childhood settings. -
Period: to
New Teaching Strategies
Piaget popular and led to new teaching strategies for primary education. -
Head Start
Head Start program begins -
Public Law
Public Law (PL) 94-142 ages three and up special needs children provided free and appropriate public education. -
Multiage Classroom
renewed interest in multiage classroom -
Louise Derman-Sparks
Helped develop High/Scope program, published "Anti-Biased Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children," and strong influence on diversity education. -
Military Child Care Act
-
NAEYC
NAEYC Code of Ethics adopted -
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Public Law 94-142 renamed and revised to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. -
Uses of Play Identified
Wassermann identified ways children in primary grades use play to enhance language development, learn concepts, and build social relationships. -
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
-
NAEYC Code of Ethics
revised -
NAEYC Code of Ethics
updated -
Children's Defense Fund