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Introduction
Educational Theory is not a new concept. Through out the years, new theories have been created, and existing theories have been modified. This timeline illustrates four theories that have been created within the past century. While there are many more theories, this timeline captures the most prevalent educational theories. -
Montessori
Students learn through self-directed activities. Students are put in an environment provided with materials for learning specific concepts to meet specific objectives.
Strengths- Students learn independence, children are more engage when control of what they are learning.
Weaknesses- Students may have challenges going to a traditional classroom in the future.
Fact- There are 20,000 Montessori schools word wide, with 8,000 in the United States -
Dewey
Believed that people learn through a hands-on approach, which led him to develop a child-centered curriculum.
Strength- Students are more engaged and tend to retain more information when learning through hands-on activities.
Weakness- Many schools have curriculum that they follow, which restricts teachers from doing a lot of hands-on projects.
Fact- Dewey has been generally recognized as the most renowned and influential American philosopher of education. -
Piaget
Believed that students learn through interactions. He developed four stages of cognitive development that students go through at different ages.
Strengths- The theory focuses on child development in stages, which helps parents and teachers have a better understanding of a child’s development stage.
Weaknesses- The research does not take different backgrounds into consideration.
Fact- Piaget performed many of his early studies on his children. -
Vygotsky
Believed that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky also created “zone of proximal development” (ZPD), which is what a learner can do with help, and what a learner can do without help.
Strengths- Helps teachers personalize learning for students.
Weaknesses- ZPD is vague, and does not provide an accurate picture of a child’s learning ability.
Fact- Vygotsky considered language to be the most fundamental cultural tool. -
Conclusion
Each one of these educators have made a impact on the history of education. Their forethought and dedication to the educational profession, have enabled them to make large contributions to educational theory. Education is not a one size fits all concept!
