Monday, March 16, 2015

Great Thinkers Think Great Things

Plato

Plato Silanion Musei Capitolini MC1377.jpg
Sculpture of Plato (click on image for URL)

A Brief History

Plato was a very famous Greek philosopher, who was born and lived in Athens, Greece (Wolfe, 2012). He was born in 427 B.C.E and died in 347 B.C.E (Wolfe, 2012).  He was inspired by Socrates, another famous Greek philosopher and as a child who grew up and was raised during the Peloponnesian War, many of his philosophies reflect his experiences during this time (Wolfe, 2012). 

His Great Influence

Plato was one of the first to believe in equal education for both sexes, up to the age of 6. This was a new concept and was not considered during his era. Girls were expected to only receive education for domestic arts. Plato also believed in Utopia, and he envisioned that everyone, no matter the sex or social class would be treated equally (Wolfe, 2002).

In Plato's opinion, play held a very important role in a child's learning. According to Plato, 

"For the free man there should be no element of slavery in learning. Enforced exercise does no harm to the body, but enforced learning will not stay in the mind. So avoid compulsion, and let your children's lessons take the form of play." -Republic

He believed that simply feeding a child information directly does not effectively teach the child. Adults should allow a child to play and learn from experience and self discovery. Plato also believed that children should be active and not be held quiet (Wolfe, 2002). He also started the belief in observing children to learn what they are interested in and understanding their needs (Wolfe, 2002).


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John Amos Comenius

Painting of Comenius (Click Image for URL)

A Brief History

John Amos Comenius was born on 1592 in Uhersky Brod and died in 1670 (Wolfe, 2002). His life was filled with tragedy and death and he grew up feeling like school was a slaughter house (Wolfe, 2002). He witnessed poor teaching methods that used corporal punishment and emphasized memorizing information. Despite his dislike for practices in education, he enjoyed learning new information. 

His Great Influences  

One of his key ideas was that teaching methods should be pleasant and thorough, not harsh (Wolfe, 2002). Comenius believed that children should learn through their senses and he emphasized the importance of learning through nature. This philosophy has been carried out and practiced today as many child care centres aim for children to learn through their senses. Presently, our society is struggling to keep up with this practice as technology evolves and has become a big part of children's lives.

Comenius was also the first to introduce illustrations in books (Wolfe, 2002). He published his first illustration book in 1658, naming it Orbis Pictus (Wolfe, 2002). Illustrations books helped reinforce his belief that children should learn through senses, and the illustrations also provided a way for children to relate what they are reading to their environment. Presently the use of picture books are widely used and has been seen to effectively help children be engaged in literacy as well as improve their vocabulary.

Similar to Plato, Comenius also believed that both boys and girls from all social classes should have equal access to education despite his belief that girls and boys had different roles in life (Wolfe, 2002). This belief has been extended to how all children have the right to education presently in Canadian Law. Comenius believed that the role of a teacher is similar to a gardener and should guide children's learning rather than leading.

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Friedrich Willhelm August Froebel


Frederick-Froebel-Bardeen.jpeg
Image of Froebel (Click Image for URL)

A Brief History

Friedrich Willhelm August Froebel was born on 1782 in Eastern Germany and died in 1852 (Wolfe, 2002). His mother passed away while he was still young and his teachers did not think he was bright (Wolfe, 2002). Froebel remembered his childhood being filled with neglect and loneliness. His father sent him away and he grew up with his mother's brother, Johann Christoph Hoffman (Wolfe, 2002) where he gained more self-confidence as he interacted with other children

His Great Influence

Froebel introduced many gifts for children to help aid them understand abstract ideas. His ideas later evolved into present education toys used in many elementary school classrooms. He was also the Father of Kindergarten (Wolfe, 2002) and believed that young children should not study in a structured school system.

Here is an example of Froebel's gifts:


-Jessica Su, Stacey Asuncion, Lubomyr Stasyszyn, Suvetha Suthakaran


Reference
Wolfe, J. (2002). Learning from the Past: Historical Voices in Early Childhood Education. 2nd edition.  Mayerthorpe  Alberta: Piney Branch Press

Monday, March 9, 2015

Open-Box Early Learning Centre Philosophy

Open -Box Early Learning Centre


We believe every child deserves an equal opportunity to play, learn, create, explore and discover. Every child should be treated equally no matter their race, religion, sex, family, etc.

Our values and beliefs. . .