| Ancient education | | | | to have children learn is for them to be loved, but |
| About 3000 BC, with the advent of writing, | | | | his method, though transmitted later in the school |
| education became more conscious or | | | | for educators he founded, has been thought "too |
| self-reflection, with specialized occupations | | | | unclear to be taught today". One result was, when |
| requiring particular skills and knowledge on how to | | | | he would ask, "Children, do you want to learn |
| be a scribe, an astronomer, etc. | | | | more or go to sleep?" they would reply, "Learn |
| Philosophy in ancient Greece led to questions of | | | | more!" |
| educational method entering national discourse. In | | | | 19th century - compulsory education |
| his Republic, Plato describes a system of | | | | The Prussian education system was a system of |
| instruction that he felt would lead to an ideal state. | | | | mandatory education dating to the early 19th |
| In his Dialogues, Plato describes the Socratic | | | | century. Parts of the Prussian education system |
| method. | | | | have served as models for the education |
| It has been the intent of many educators since | | | | systems in a number of other countries, including |
| then, such as the Roman educator Quintillion, to | | | | Japan and the United States. The Prussian model |
| find specific, interesting ways to encourage | | | | had a side effect of requiring additional classroom |
| students to use their intelligence and to help them | | | | management skills to be incorporated into the |
| to learn. | | | | teaching process or Teacher resources. |
| Medieval education | | | | 20th century |
| Comenius, in Bohemia, wanted all boys and girls to | | | | In the 20th century, the philosopher, Eli Siegel, |
| learn. In his The World in Pictures, he gave the | | | | who believed that all children are equally capable |
| first vivid, illustrated textbook which contained | | | | of learning regardless of ethnic background or |
| much that children would be familiar with in | | | | social class, stated: "The purpose of all education is |
| everyday life, and use it to teach the academic | | | | to like the world through knowing it." This is a goal |
| subjects they needed to know. Rabelais described | | | | which is implicit in previous educators, but in this |
| how the student Gargantuan learned about the | | | | principle, it is made conscious. With this principle at |
| world, and what is in it. | | | | basis, teachers, predominantly in New York, have |
| Much later, Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his Emile, | | | | found that students learn the curriculum with the |
| presented methodology to teach children the | | | | kind of eagerness that Pestalozzi describes for his |
| elements of science and much more. In it, he | | | | students at Stanza centuries earlier. |
| famously eschewed books, saying the world is | | | | Many current teaching philosophies are aimed at |
| one's book. And so Emile was brought out into | | | | fulfilling the precepts of a curriculum based on |
| the woods without breakfast to learn the cardinal | | | | Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English |
| directions and the positions of the sun as he | | | | (SDAIE). Arguably the qualities of a SDAIE |
| found his way home for something to eat. | | | | curriculum are as effective if not more so for all |
| There was also Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi of | | | | 'regular' classrooms. |
| Switzerland, whose methodology during Napoleonic | | | | 21st century - Rise of Met cognition The latest |
| warfare enabled refugee children, of a class | | | | Teacher resources, teaching approaches |
| believed to be unteachable, to learn - and love to | | | | encourage development of met cognition skills, |
| learn. He describes this in his account of the | | | | and often leverage information available from |
| educational experiment at Stanza. He felt the key | | | | neurophysiology studies. |