Friedrich Froebel’s philosophy of education
Friedrich Froebel is often referred to as the Father of the Kindergarten for his invaluable contribution to the field of early education (Tovey, 2016). Not only he created the term ‘kindergarten,’ but he also developed numerous materials and activities that are being used for child development in early years settings across the world. Gifts and occupations invented by him are called the Froebelian materials. Gifts include spheres, balls, and other objects of different forms and colors that are being used for the development of an understanding of “artistic principles such as color, shape, symmetry, and proportion” (Tovey, 2016, p. 76) through play and investigation.
Unlike gifts, occupations are activities that connect the Froebelian approach to early development. They include painting, sewing, paper pricking and cutting, pattern-making, and modeling with clay, among others. According to Froebel’s viewpoint, the teacher’s role is to lead children to better exercise their creative capacities. This belief was brilliantly summarized by the most prominent advocate of traditional kindergarten, Suan Blow, who said that a teacher should help children “to do anything better than they were originally able to do” (Kuschner, 2012, p. 244).
John Dewey’s philosophy of education
John Dewey’s philosophy of education hinges on the belief that learning should be active and not be restricted with long and tedious schooling (Garrison, Neubert, & Reich, 2012). Progressive education movement was promoted by Dewey’s education philosophy and revolved around the notion that schools have to become extensions of a democratic society. The proponents of the movement believed that active participation in the democratic process creates social cohesion that helps to achieve a common good. Therefore, education based on democratic principles has two essential goals: the promotion of respect for diversity and “the development of critical, socially engaged intelligence” (UVM, n.d. para. 1). Led by these aims, advocates of progressive education wanted to create child-centered educational facilities that will help children to relate to each other, recognize their unique abilities and traits as well as actively participate in the life of their community. The role of a teacher in this approach to education is based on the concept of self-activity. It means that a teacher, instead of indoctrinating children, should work toward encouragement of self-expression by engaging with children through play (UVM, n.d. para. 3).
Maria Montessori’s philosophy of education
According to Maria Montessori’s philosophy of education, a young learner has to be treated as “a motivated doer, rather than an empty vessel” (as cited in Walkup, 2013, p. 73). Therefore, the notion of active learning serves as an underlying principle of this philosophy. The prominent physician had extensive experience of working with children in psychiatric clinics that allowed her to connect concentration with a child’s ability to acquire knowledge. Montessori understood that intrinsic motivation generated by concentration functions as an engine that propels learners during their educational endeavors.
It means that educational environments should be safe and filled with materials necessary for developing children’s abilities that correspond to their natural interests and inclinations (Walkup, 2013). She designed numerous such materials that tied extrinsic rewards with activities aimed at the promotion of diverse concepts. Her idea about the role of a teacher in an educational environment emphasized that children have to be inspired by educators “by promoting sufficient curiosity to instigate a desire to explore and pursue active learning” (Walkup, 2013, p. 75). Moreover, teachers should not prevent learners from selecting their educational materials (Walkup, 2013).
References
Garrison, J., Neubert, S., & Reich, K. (2012). John Dewey’s philosophy of education: An introduction and contextualization of our times. London, England: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kuschner, D. (2012). Play is natural to childhood but school is not: The problem of integrating play into the curriculum. International Journal of Play, 1(3), 242-249.
Tovey, H. (2016). Bringing the Froebel approach to your early years practice (1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
UVM. (n.d.). A brief overview of progressive education.
Walkup, V. (2013). Exploring education studies. New York, NY: Routledge.