Historical Timeline

Brianna Roe
COLONIAL AMERICA
John Amos
★ View of children Comenius
○ As soon as children could walk, they were treated like adults 3/28/1592-
○ Childhood was not valued 11/15/1670
★ Education practices
○ Dame schools - run by women, and focused mostly on the Bible
○ Children should be taught to read the Bible at home, by their father
★ Societal influences
○ The Bible had a huge impact on the way of life during this time
○ Society believed that a child’s education, morals, and character should be built
around the Bible and its beliefs
★ Key people
○ John Amos Comenius: Western European religious leader who believed children
should learn through play and activities
○ John Locke: Doctor and philosopher who emphasized the importance of formal
education
John Locke
8/29/1632-
10/28/1704

1600-1700
HANDS-ON LEARNING
★ View of children
○ Children are active learners and explorers
○ Not forcing young children into strict academic instruction
★ Education practices
○ Use of manipulative materials and concrete objects for learning
○ Using routine of life as learning experiences
○ Emphasis on play Children exploring fossils by
★ Societal influences digging them up themselves
○ The Enlightenment: caused education to be more modernized and
focus more on a universal approach
★ Key people A child
○ Jean-Jacques Rousseau: French philosopher who believed looking at a
childhood should be allowed to develop naturally, not pushed into butterfly, in
academics too soon nature not a
○ Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi: Swiss educator who believed all classroom
children were capable of learning and really focused on the whole
child
1700-1800
THE FIRST KINDERGARTEN “Father of
Kindergarten”
★ View of children Fredrich
○ Children could be looked at as a “garden” that needed to be nurtured Froebel
and grown by teachers
★ Education practices
○ Day Nurseries were created - provided safe child care while working
class mothers were trying to survive
○ Play based philosophy was becoming more prominent
★ Societal influences
○ Inclusion of other races, as well as working mothers was starting to
become more of a goal for society
★ Key people
○ Friedrich Froebel: Father of the First Kindergarten who focused on play
based philosophy
○ Elizabeth Palmer Peabody: American Educator who added
individualized instruction, which focused on children’s interests, needs,
and abilities
○ Susan Blow: Created the American Froebel Society to regulate the
quality and authenticity of Froebel’s program

1800-1900
PROGRESSIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL
★ View of children
○ Developmental stages were largely emphasized in curriculum
○ It was important for students to love learning by not spending too much time
in the classroom
★ Education practices
○ Teachers would use observations to guide educational practice
★ Societal influences
○ Discourses on education shifted from religious influences to more scientific
approaches
★ Key people
○ G. Stanley Hall: First American to receive his DR in Psychology and advocated
for students to spend less time in the classroom and more time playing
outside
○ Arnold Gesell: Student of Hall’s who emphasized the developmental
importance of early childhood
○ John Dewey: American Education Scholar who valued the child’s psychological
and social dimensions
1900-2000