Educational Philosophers

  • 400 BCE

    Socrates & Plato

    Socratic Method: focused on giving students questions not answers in order for students to arrive at their own conclusion.
    Idealism: material or physical forms are merely decaying copies of the original idea. An idea cannot be killed in the physical world.
  • Johann Amos Comenius

    Promoted education for career preparation. Believed children have a natural tendency to want to learn and should not be punished do to failure. Teachers should adapt to the students needs.
  • Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

    Father of modern education, believed in hands on learning and that children should feel welcome and comfortable in learning.
  • Charles Sanders Peirce

    Pragmatism: being able to see the success of a practical application reveals truth behind theories and beliefs.
  • Smith & Hughes

    Promoted education in agriculture, trades, industries, commerce, and home economics in secondary schools. Started vocational education in 1917.
  • John Dewey

    Used problem solving methods, believed in importance of vocational education. Learning should be by doing and learning should be relevant.
  • Kolb

    Focused on experiential learning, the individual and social change, career development, and executive and professional education
  • Howard Gardener

    Founded the idea of Multiple Intelligence (MI) the 9 types include Verbal, Visual, Logical, Bodily, Musical, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Naturalist, and Existentailist.