Early Childhood Education

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Suzanne Krogh, Kristine Slentz, Suzanne L. Krogh, Kristine L. Slentz

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780415878265
• eBook ISBN: 9781136902758
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Educación infantil

In an accessible and meaningful way, Early Childhood Education examines foundational topics that encourage early childhood education students to think, reflect, and develop opinions, theories, and philosophies about their field. This interactive book invites the reader to develop a personal philosophy of early childhood education and an identity as an early educator, in order to build a sufficient foundation for continual growth as a teacher.

Divided into three sections that deal with the past, present, and future, Early Childhood Education asks the reader to think about important ideas underlying and encompassing today's early childhood education. First providing historical and philosophical perspectives of the field, authors Krogh and Slentz then look at careers in early education and what it's like to be a teacher or caregiver today, compare and contrast contemporary models of early childhood education, and examine cultural and individual differences that confront and challenge teachers. Finally, the book looks to the future of the field and discusses debates of current issues. The newly updated edition includes the most contemporary issues in the field since the first edition and integrates further discussion of diversity and children with special needs throughout the entire book.

Special Features:

• End of chapter questions invite readers to develop an ongoing philosophy of teaching and learning.
• "Extending your Learning" activities provide opportunities for further discussion and debate.
• Glossary and Internet Resources offer important tools for the early childhood education student.

part one
Yesterday

The first section of this textbook is just one chapter long, but covers a long history of over 2,500 years related to the early childhood profession. In addition, we introduce a wide variety of educational philosophies that originated and have evolved across a two-century plus time span. The history of our profession provides the background for the remainder of the book, and you will see many of the concepts and philosophies reflected in subsequent chapters. This first chapter also asks you to consider which philosophies and which historical figures most appeal to you, as a first step in developing your own identity as an early educator. As you identify those ideas and people you are most drawn to, ask yourself what it is about each that appeals to you. Then, take your conclusions with you into the following chapters and build upon them to begin constructing a knowledge base and a metaphor for your own practice in early childhood education.

one
Perspectives on History and Theory

Always and everywhere children take an active role in the construction and acquisition of learning and understanding. … So it is that in many situations, especially when one sets up challenges, children show us they know how to walk along the path to understanding.

Loris Malaguzzi (1920–1994)

Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

Identify significant leaders in early childhood education.

Understand and apply the major ideas and contributions to early childhood education of history’s most important figures.

As you think about and apply chapter content on your own, you should be able to:

Begin to formulate your own philosophy of early childhood education, with awareness of the original sources of your thinking.

Observe elements of historical influence in various early childhood settings.

When you look at a young child, what do you see? Surely your interest in pursuing a career in early childhood education means that you see beyond outward appearances: an open smile, an adorable outfit, a charmingly awkward pose. If you think of yourself as a teacher of this child, do you see a small being waiting eagerly for you to share the knowledge that you have gained over the years? Or do you see someone who will learn best if allowed to remain independent, with you as an occasional guide? Do you see this child as innately good but in danger of losing that good ness within a hostile environment? Or do you see a child born neutral, ready to soak up the social environment as a sponge might?

All these views, and many more, have been held by large groups of adults at different times in history, with many remaining today, in whole or in part. A primary purpose of this chapter is to help you better understand your own attitudes toward young children by seeking out the roots of these attitudes. To do this, we must look back at key figures in history because what and how we think today is part of an intellectual tradition that dates from antiquity.

Some Ancient History

The centuries of prehistory are, of course, unknown to us, but we can safely assume that the education of young children during this period was directly related to survival issues and was nearly always the responsibility of the same-sex parent. Teaching techniques were probably quite simple and direct. We can relate to this method, for example, when we take a child out for her first walk in the woods. Since there may be poisonous plants and dangerous areas to avoid, we depend on simple instructions rather than hands-on discovery learning. Thus, in survival situations, we still retain a close kinship to our ancient ancestors.

Once beyond the survival level of instruction, however, we can begin thinking about what else children might need or want to learn and how we might best teach them. To look at the oldest recorded thoughts on early education, we turn first to the ideas of the Greek philosopher Plato and then move on to the Romans and the early Christians. At this point, you may wonder why we appear to ignore philosophies from other parts of the world. Our reason, quite simply, is that the cultures we discuss are those that still influence the way we view and teach children here in the United States.

The Early Greeks

So, let us begin with Plato (427?–347 B.C.), who, in the fourth century B.C., could look at and respond to a fairly well-developed educational system and comment on the status of childhood itself. Although the Greek view of infants and young children varied from state to state, it is fair to say that young children were not generally cherished. Infanticide was a universal practice, particularly in regard to girls and infants with birth defects. At best, an unwanted infant might be “potted,” that is, put in a pot or basket and left at a temple gate in hopes that someone who needed a servant might adopt it. As Lloyd deMause (1974) noted, “The further back in history one goes, the lower the level of child care, and the more likely children are to be killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorized, and sexually abused” (p. 1).

It was to the city-state of Athens that Plato wrote his philosophical views, at a time when its government was in some disarray. In the context of describing the ideal state, Plato suggested a design for early childhood education. From birth to age 6, learning should be informal, for “knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind. So do not use compulsion, but let early education be a sort of amusement” (Gwynne-Thomas, 1981, p. 14). Good health and good social habits were to be inculcated by attentive parents who would provide plenty of close supervision; freedom was only to be earned over time.

For boys old enough to start school (at about age 6), Plato argued that the racier stories about the gods should be cleaned up and presented in a more ideal fashion to impressionable young minds. His enthusiasm for musical training also came with reservations, and he suggested that music be chosen that would promote the right attitudes, particularly toward the state.

It should be pointed out that Plato’s ideas about education were tied to an ideal republic that could only function successfully with a large slave class. In fact, the word pedagogue is almost identical to the Greek word for slave–teacher: an educated person, enslaved by victors of a battle, assigned as a child’s tutor and companion.

Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), like his teacher and mentor Plato, believed that early education was important. He argued that children have varying talents and skills, and that these should be enhanced. Thus he may be the first writer to recognize the educational importance of individual differences (Osborn, 1980).

The Early Romans

The inability of the Greek states to stop warring among themselves eventually led to their downfall, as Roman armies conquered them one by one. Once again, many educated Greeks found themselves in the role of teacher–slave, this time to the eager-to-learn Romans. Until their rise to power, Roman thought was considerably less sensitive, inventive, and curious than the Greeks’. Roman education was restricted to the basic necessities of life: fighting, farming, swimming, and riding, for example. There was little to read except for the rules of the state gathered in “The Laws of the Twelve Tables,” published in 450 B.C. Greek influence changed all that.

Perhaps the best known and most influential Greco-Roman thinker was Quintilian (A.D. 35–97). Born in Spain but educated in Rome, Quintilian felt that in order to produce young adults of good character, education must begin at the age of 1. Responsible parents and tutors, as well as carefully chosen companions, were important because they set examples for impressionable youngsters. And examples were important in the development of character and speech patterns. According to Quintilian, what the child learned while young and still at home would have lifelong implications.

Quintilian recommended making lessons as interesting as possible. Encouragement should come from the use of praise and never from corporal punishment. Academics should be balanced with gymnastic training, Quintilian said, in order to promote health.

Rome’s overexpansion eventually made it impossible for it to keep all its territories fortified and under control. As new groups of less educated outsiders began to conquer Roman territories, education began to decline, until much of the learning of the past centuries was all but lost.

The Early Christians

By the middle of the fifth century A.D., the Roman Empire had officially collapsed, and new struggles for control took place. Most notable was the Christian church’s rise to power. Earlier this had worked in favor of young children, since the newborn was deemed the owner of a soul, and infanticide was considered murder and punishable. In 313, the emperor Constantine decreed Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and Christian schools spread throughout much of Europe.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, the influence of the Christian church began to be increasingly anti-intellectual. Fewer and fewer lay people were educated, and the newly emerging monasteries became the principal repositories of knowledge. Even there, however, intellectual freedom was highly constrained. For example, one monk who tried to translate all of Plato and Aristotle from the Greek to Latin was sentenced to die for his “crime.” Over the next five centuries, few children received an education: only those who planned to enter the monastery and those who belonged to wealthy families. As convents arose, girls were occasionally educated, particularly in what is now Germany.

The prevailing view of young children and their upbringing changed gradually from the Greek, Roman, and early Christian attitudes. As the concept of original sin took hold in religious thought, children came to be seen as inherently evil and subject to punishments that today we would define as child abuse. Furthermore, the concept of childhood itself changed. As soon as children had outgrown the most helpless stages of infancy, they joined in the general adult life, both for work and play.

It was for later generations to term these centuries (from the Fall of Rome to the rebirth of Greek and Roman ideas) the Middle or Dark Ages. The people who lived through this period knew little, if anything, about better times. But better times did come, and with them new interpretations of the ancient ideas that provide the foundation for today’s views of early education.

The onset of the Renaissance (from the Latin meaning rebirth) was very good news for young children. During the Middle Ages physical and sexual abuse had been widespread, even condoned by some of the great philosophers and religious thinkers. The beginning of the Renaissance produced an increasing number of child instruction manuals, demonstrating a new view of children that could only be an improvement on that of the previous centuries. These manuals and other writings show a new understanding of children’s needs and identities as being separate from those of adults.

To some extent, Greek and Roman views of child development and learning have been revisited and revised over the centuries, as we shall see. First, we shall delve into the biographies of, and the history surrounding, some especially influential men and women. Following that, the theories that have evolved based on their philosophies will be explained.

The Roots of Today’s Views on Early Childhood Education

Whereas the Middle Ages gave us no educational leaders in the field of early child hood education, later centuries did. Like ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, influential thinkers wrote about their ideas so that today we can look back and evaluate them. The Moravian John Amos Comenius was the first to posit a complete system of education in the style of Plato.

John Comenius

John Amos Comenius (Jan Amos Komensky in the original Czech, 1592–1670) was a bishop in the persecuted Moravian church who spent most of his adult life in exile. Nevertheless, his educational ideas were widely received throughout Europe, his book...

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• part one Yesterday
• part two Today
• part three Tomorrow
• appendix A NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment
• appendix B DEC Code of Ethics
• Index