Important People in the History of Education EDU 224 | Newberry College

Important People in the History of Education Think about Horace Mann, John Dewey, and Paulo Freire. Who were they? What did they say (and what did it mean)? How did their work affect education today? Who were some other influential people?

Horace Mann The Father of American Public Education Influential politician; first Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education; President of Antioch College Self-educated; enrolled at Brown University at the age of 20 Published extensively – annual reports, The Common School Journal

Horace Mann Quotes from The Education of Free Men (Tenth Annual Report and Twelfth Annual Report, 1846 and 1848) “We can cite no attribute or purpose of the divine nature, for giving birth to any human being, and then inflicting upon that being the curse of ignorance, of poverty and of vice, with all their attendant calamities.”

Horace Mann “The Common School, improved and energized, as it can easily be, may become the most effective and benignant of all the forces of civilization. “When its faculties shall be fully developed, when it shall be trained to wield its mighty energies for the protection of society from the giant vices which now invade and torment it; - against intemperance, avarice, war, slavery, bigotry, the woes of want and the wickedness of waste, - then, there will not be a height to which these enemies…can escape….”

Horace Mann “Education, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the condition of men – the balance-wheel of the social machinery.”

Horace Mann What ideas about education did he give us? All children – rich and poor – should be educated. (Mann established public elementary schools.) The public should pay to school its children. Education will create social harmony and alleviate poverty.

John Dewey Progressivism Philosopher and psychologist; President of American Psychological Association (APA) Believed in democracy and truth/knowledge as a function of experience Published extensively – The School and Society (1900), Democracy and Education (1916)

John Dewey Quotes from Experience and Education (1938) “If one attempts to formulate the philosophy of education implicit in the practices of [progressivism], we may…discover certain common principles…. To imposition from above is opposed expression and cultivation of individuality; to external discipline is opposed free activity; to learning from texts and teachers, learning through experience; to acquisition of isolated skills and techniques by drill is opposed acquisition of them as a means of attaining ends which make direct vital appeal; to preparation for a more or less remote future is opposed making the most of the opportunities of present life; to static aims and materials is opposed acquaintance with a changing world.”

John Dewey “Everything depends on the quality of [the learning] experience which is had. The central problem of an education based upon experience is to select the kind of present experiences that live fruitfully and creatively in subsequent experiences.”

John Dewey “It is…a much more difficult task to work out the kinds of materials, of methods, and of social relationships that are appropriate to the new education than is the case with traditional education.”

John Dewey What ideas about education did he give us? A school’s curriculum should be broad (include health and vocational education). Knowledge is actively constructed through experience, not passively memorized. Teachers should build on students’ interests.

Paulo Freire Critical Pedagogy and Consciousness From background of poverty in Brazil Became a teacher working with the poor (at that time literacy was a requirement for voting) Published extensively – Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968)

Paulo Freire Quotes from Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1968) “In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing.” “Attempting to liberate the oppressed without their reflective participation in the act of liberation is to treat them as objects that must be saved from a burning building.”

Paulo Freire “It is necessary to trust in the oppressed and in their ability to reason.” “While no one liberates himself by his own efforts alone, neither is he liberated by others.”

Paulo Freire "The correct method lies in dialogue. The conviction of the oppressed that they must fight in their liberation is not a gift bestowed by the revolutionary leadership, but the result of their own conscientização [critical consciousness].” "It is essential for the oppressed to realize that when they accept the struggle for humanization they also accept, from that moment, their total responsibility for the struggle."

Paulo Freire What ideas about education did he give us? We need to educate native populations with education that is non- traditional and anti- colonial. Democratic classroom practices – teacher as learner/ student as teacher Praxis = informed action

Other Famous Educators from the 1700s to today Friedrich Froebel Prudence Crandall Maria Montessori Mary McLeod Bethune Jean Piaget B.F. Skinner Sylvia Ashton-Warner Kenneth Clark For Piaget and Skinner, use the textbook Online Learning Center. Go to click Student Edition, choose Chapter 5, and look under “Profile in Education.”

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