Historical roots of American education

What are the influences of the following European thinkers on American education? Group 1--Comenius Group 2--Locke Group 3--Rousseau Group 4--Pestalozzi Group 5--Herbart Group 6--Froebel

John Amos Comenius The idea of organizing learning into sequential grade schools. Views education as preparation for life

John Locke Human mind at birth is a blank slate (tabula rasa). Knowledge is gained through experience.

Jean Jacques Rousseau People are are naturally born to be good. School should protect children from society and let children grow naturally. education should encourage children to think, see, and feel. See Emile (p. 41)

Johann Herinrich Pestalozzi Suggested that education could be an agent to improve society. introduced the idea that teachers should be provided with special kinds of training.

John Herbart Introduced the idea of preparing systematic formal lesson plans similar to present day’s lesson planning formats.

Friedrich Froebel Known as ‘the father of kindergarten’; stressed the importance of educating young learners.

Benjamin Franklin First to give American education a practical orientation; established the Franklin Academy in a nonsectarian institution which offered such practical subjects as mathematics, astronomy, navigation and bookkeeping.

Group Work What role did religion and values play in early American schools, and what role do you think they should play in the schools today?

Assignment Influence of European thinkers (handout)

Diverse educational opportunities for diverse people  African American Slaves  Native Americans  Spanish-Speaking People in Spain’s American colonies  Women  Education for People with Disabilities

Answer the following: 1. What issues, problems and dilemmas faced this group of people in terms of their access to education? 2. What did many people perceive to be the role of education in the lives of this group? Did the perceptions match the values of the people themselves? 3. Who were the key individuals or groups that affected educational opportunities for this group?

Answer the following: (cont.) 4. Some groups of people had limited opportunities because of values and perceptions of the time. Evaluate the educational opportunities now available to the group on which you focus. How have these opportunities changed? To what extent do these group of people face the same issues as they did in the mid-nineteenth century?

What do you think? Should school attendance beyond the elementary level become voluntary?