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The Sophists expanded on the previous tutor and tutee format and invented the lecture. "For the first time, the relationship was not between a tutor and a single disciple, but between a teacher and a group of pupils" (Saettler, 1990, p.24). -
The Socratic Method, which is still used today, was based on student inquiry "guided by a series of leading questions" (Saettler, 1990, p.26). Today, Socratic seminars are a common feature of English Language Arts classrooms. The teacher simply starts the discussion with a guiding question, and the students are asked to propel the discussion forward by expanding, responding, and refuting the points of their peers.
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Scholasticism was introduced by Abelard into theological education. Scholasticism encouraged contextual analysis and critical thinking in the study of scriptures. Abelard encouraged his students to use a progression of syllogisms to arrive at their own conclusions about Scripture (Saettler, 1990, p.27).
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Comenius has been called "the first true forerunner of modern educational technology" (Saettler, 1990, p. 31). He approached education scientifically & believed "the goal of education was to be derived deductively using Christian philosophy; the instructional process had to be analyzed and improved inductively, according to science" (Saettler, 1990, p. 29). He concluded that instructional content should be organized by difficulty & be appropriate for the learner's developmental stage. -
Pestalozzi sought to "psychologize instruction" (Saettler, 1990, p.36). Basing his instruction on the theories of Rousseau, Pestalozzi developed a system of instruction that moved from "concrete to abstract concepts" and "[broke] "down content into its simplest elements and then develop[ed] graduated exercises" (Saettler, 1990, p. 37 - 38). He also encouraged observational learning and firsthand experience. His work can be seen in modern education through chunking and scaffolding content. -
The rise of radio and television provided new mediums for education delivery. "Education broadcasting was seen as a quick, efficient, inexpensive means of satisfying the nation's instructional needs" (Hezel, 1980, as cited by Reiser, 2001a, p.58). Despite fading from popularity, in the mid-1960s, it could be argued that these programs were the forerunners for educational YouTube channels and podcasts.
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B.F. Skinner and others helped to introduce an "empirical approach to solving educational problems" (Reiser, 2001b, p.59). The development of programmed instruction was meant to improve instructional materials by requiring them to "present instruction in small steps, required overt responses to frequent questions, provide immediate feedback, and allow for learner self-pacing" (Reiser, 2001b, p. 59). This systematic approach to education is still used today in modern classrooms.
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With the advent of the computer came the first Learning Management Systems. Currently, there are multiple LMS (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.), but the first LMS was SoftArc in 1990 (Rottman, Barreto, & Rabidoux, 2020). With increased online learning, LMS became useful tools to organize instructional tools and resources. LMS streamlines many processes, offers 24/7 access to learners, and includes multimedia offerings (Rottman, Barreto, & Rabidoux, 2020).
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With the increased presence of home computers, distance learning became a new form of instructional delivery. It improved access to education & pushed for new pedagogical strategies. "As the demand for distance learning programs has grown, so has the recognition that in order to be effective, such programs cannot simply be online replicas of the instruction delivered in classrooms" (Reiser, 2001b, p. 63-64). Additionally, the pandemic expedited improvements to distance learning education.
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First defined by UNESCO in 2002, Open Education Resources are any "teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution" (BCCampus Open Education, 2016). OERs are meant to provide education at no cost to the learner. OERs have provided access to learners who could not afford traditional education.
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As early as 2000, intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have been a form of AI in education. ITS can provide "immediate and tailored instruction or feedback to students" (Steenbergen-Hu & Cooper, 2014, as cited by Guan, Mou, & Jiang, 2020). In more recent years, the "emergence of a new theme data indicates a more evidence-based approach to AIEd practices (Guan, Mou, & Jiang, 2020). AI is transforming education by creating a level of student personalization that was previously unattainable.