1.
Foundations of Education
Philosophies & Ideas
• Essentialism – Focus on basic skills (reading, writing, math) and discipline.
• Existentialism – Believes each student is unique and free to make choices.
• Perennialism – Sticks to unchanging truths and classics.
• Pragmatism/Progressivism – Learning through real-life experiences and problem-
solving.
• Idealism – Focus on values, truth, and beauty, often linked with moral and religious
teaching.
• Realism – Teaches facts and the physical world.
• Social Reconstructionism – Education should solve society’s problems and create
a better world.
• Nationalism – Promotes love for one’s country.
Historical Influences
• Greek – Focused on physical training and citizenship.
• Roman – Linked education to everyday life and citizenship training.
• Chinese (Confucianism) – Stressed respect, rituals, and moral values.
• Japanese (WWII) – Focused on vocational and health education.
• Spanish Colonization – Taught Catholic faith and morality.
• American Period – Promoted democracy, English language, and public schooling.
2. Child and Adolescent Development
Key People & Theories
• Sigmund Freud (Psychosexual Stages) – Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital; talks
about early life shaping personality.
• Erik Erikson (Psychosocial Stages) – Trust vs Mistrust, Identity vs Role Confusion,
etc., focusing on social challenges at each age.
• Jean Piaget (Cognitive Development) – Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete,
Formal Operational stages.
• Lev Vygotsky – Learning happens through social interaction (Zone of Proximal
Development).
• Lawrence Kohlberg (Moral Development) – Pre-conventional, Conventional, Post-
conventional morality.
• Urie Bronfenbrenner (Ecological Systems) – Environment layers: Microsystem,
Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem.
Key Concepts
• Growth – Physical changes like height and weight.
• Development – Skills, knowledge, and emotional changes.
• Maturation – Natural readiness for skills (e.g., walking at 1 year).
• Learning – Gaining new knowledge/skills through experience.
• Socialization & Enculturation – Learning customs, language, and culture.
3. Principles of Learning & Motivation
Learning Theories
• Behaviorism (Skinner, Thorndike) – Learning through rewards, punishments, and
repetition (Stimulus-Response).
• Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) – Learning by associating two things.
• Operant Conditioning – Learning shaped by rewards and consequences.
• Social Learning Theory (Bandura) – Learn by watching others.
• Constructivism (Piaget, Vygotsky) – Learners build their own understanding
through experience.
• Meaningful Learning (Ausubel) – Connects new knowledge to what you already
know.
Motivation
• Intrinsic – Learning because you enjoy it.
• Extrinsic – Learning for rewards or to avoid punishment.
• Drive Theory – Behavior is driven by needs (like hunger).
• Expectancy-Value Theory – We do things if we believe we can succeed and it’s
worth it.
4. Principles & Strategies of Teaching
• Teaching Methods
o Lecture – Teacher talks, students listen.
o Demonstration – Teacher shows how to do something.
o Laboratory/Experiment – Hands-on activities.
o Inductive – From examples to general rule.
o Deductive – From rule to examples.
o Problem Solving – Students find solutions to real problems.
o Cooperative Learning – Students work together.
• Lesson Parts
o Motivation – Get students interested.
o Development – Teach the new topic.
o Generalization – Summarize key ideas.
o Application – Use what was learned.
o Evaluation – Check understanding.
5. Curriculum Development
• Types
o Subject-Centered – Focus on academic subjects.
o Learner-Centered – Based on students’ needs and interests.
o Experience-Centered – Learning through life experiences.
• Good Curriculum Qualities
o Meets needs of all learners.
o Encourages independent thinking.
o Flexible and updated.
o Helps students develop socially, morally, and academically.
Child and Adolescent Development
1. Basic Concepts
Before we jump to the theories, let’s get the basics straight:
• Growth → Physical changes (height, weight, body size).
• Development → All the changes (physical, mental, emotional, social) that make you
more mature.
• Maturation → Natural “ripening” of the body/mind to be ready for certain skills.
• Learning → Gaining knowledge/skills from experience or teaching.
• Socialization → Learning how to behave in your society.
• Enculturation → Absorbing your culture’s customs, language, and values.
2. Major Theories & People
A. Sigmund Freud – Psychosexual Development
Freud believed personality develops through five stages focused on different body
“pleasure zones.”
If a stage is not resolved, it may cause “fixations” in adulthood.
1. Oral Stage (0–1 year)
o Focus: Mouth (sucking, biting).
o Key need: Feeding and comfort.
o Fixation → Smoking, overeating, nail-biting.
2. Anal Stage (1–3 years)
o Focus: Toilet training.
o Key need: Control and order.
o Fixation → Messiness or extreme neatness.
3. Phallic Stage (3–6 years)
o Focus: Genitals.
o Oedipus Complex (boys jealous of father) & Electra Complex (girls jealous of
mother).
o Learning gender identity.
4. Latency Stage (6–12 years)
o Sexual feelings are dormant.
o Focus on school, hobbies, and friends.
5. Genital Stage (12+ years)
o Mature sexual interests and relationships.
o Goal: Healthy love and work balance.
B. Erik Erikson – Psychosocial Development
Erikson expanded Freud’s ideas, focusing on social challenges at every stage of life. Each
stage has a “crisis” to resolve.
1. Infancy (0–1) – Trust vs. Mistrust
o If cared for → trust in people.
o If neglected → mistrust.
2. Early Childhood (1–3) – Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
o Encouragement → independence.
o Over-control → shame.
3. Preschool (3–6) – Initiative vs. Guilt
o Support → leadership and creativity.
o Discouragement → guilt.
4. School Age (6–12) – Industry vs. Inferiority
o Success in school → competence.
o Failure → feeling “less than others.”
5. Adolescence (12–18) – Identity vs. Role Confusion
o Explore “Who am I?”
o Confusion → not knowing one’s role in life.
6. Young Adulthood (18–40) – Intimacy vs. Isolation
o Forming close relationships.
o Failure → loneliness.
7. Middle Adulthood (40–65) – Generativity vs. Stagnation
o Helping next generation vs. feeling unproductive.
8. Late Adulthood (65+) – Integrity vs. Despair
o Looking back with satisfaction vs. regret.
C. Jean Piaget – Cognitive Development
Piaget explained how thinking changes as children grow.
1. Sensorimotor Stage (0–2)
o Learn through senses & movement.
o Develop object permanence (knowing things still exist when not seen).
2. Preoperational Stage (2–7)
o Symbolic thinking (words, pictures).
o Egocentrism (can’t see others’ viewpoints).
o Pretend play develops.
3. Concrete Operational Stage (7–11)
o Logical thinking about concrete events.
o Understand conservation (things keep quantity even if shape changes).
4. Formal Operational Stage (12+)
o Abstract and hypothetical thinking.
o Problem-solving with logic.
D. Lev Vygotsky – Sociocultural Theory
• Believed learning happens through social interaction.
• Key ideas:
o Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) – Skills a child can do with help, but not
yet alone.
o Scaffolding – Support given by a teacher or peer, gradually removed as child
learns.
o Language is central to learning.
E. Lawrence Kohlberg – Moral Development
Focused on how people’s sense of right/wrong evolves.
1. Pre-Conventional Level (Children)
o Stage 1: Avoid punishment.
o Stage 2: Get rewards.
2. Conventional Level (Teens & Adults)
o Stage 3: Please others, be “good.”
o Stage 4: Follow laws and rules.
3. Post-Conventional Level (Some adults)
o Stage 5: Social contract – laws are important but can be changed for the
greater good.
o Stage 6: Universal ethics – follow moral principles even if laws oppose them.
F. Urie Bronfenbrenner – Ecological Systems Theory
Development is shaped by different “layers” of environment:
1. Microsystem – Closest to the child (family, school, peers).
2. Mesosystem – Interactions between microsystems (parent-teacher talks).
3. Exosystem – Indirect influences (parent’s workplace).
4. Macrosystem – Culture, values, laws.
5. Chronosystem – Changes over time (technology, life events).
3. How These Theories Connect
• Freud explains personality roots.
• Erikson builds on that with social growth.
• Piaget explains how thinking develops.
• Vygotsky shows the power of social interaction.
• Kohlberg focuses on moral reasoning.
• Bronfenbrenner zooms out to show environment’s role.
