Didactic theories at the turn of the XX century

1. the concepts of free, universal, and compulsory education

2. ‘Volksschule’

2.1. a combination of apprenticeship and formal education;

2.2. instruction in practical skills at the workplace itself, coupled with theoretical consolidation in the school environment;

2.3. the ‘ideal individual’ can only be formed by way of the ‘useful individual’;

2.4. instruction in the citizen’s ‘duties’ takes precedence over instruction in the citizens’ ‘rights’

3. The Dewey school

3.1. divided into eleven age groups, the students pursued a variety of projects centred on particular historical or contemporary occupations

3.2. the youngest children (4 - 5 years old) - cooking, sewing and carpentry

3.3. the 6-year-olds - farming

3.4. the 7-year-olds studied prehistoric life in caves of their own design

3.5. the 8-year-old focused their attention on the sea-faring and adventurers, like Marco Polo, Magellan and Columbus

3.6. the 9-year-olds focused attention on history and geography

3.7. the10 years old studied colonial history and constructed a replica of a room in an early American house

3.8. the older groups of children were more focused on scientific experiments in anatomy, electro-magnetism, political economy, and photography

4. “The Dalton Plan”

4.1. Assignment, which gives learning responsibility to students to learn according to their interest and ability

4.2. Laboratory, where and when students can seek the best way to achieve the Assignment, including one on one time with specialist teacher or collaboration in small groups

4.3. House, where teachers act as a counselor to give lessons and where children belong to a community

4.4. the use of contracts as a way of individualizing learning projects

4.5. whenever a student is given responsibility for a particular piece of learning, he or she would instinctively seek the best way of achieving it

4.6. by taking responsibility a student proceed to act upon the decision with focus and rigor, leading to the finished project being highly successful

4.7. teachers vary the pace of instruction in the basic skills, enabling each child to achieve both personal and academic success

4.8. opportunities are provided at all levels to encourage children to become active and independent learners

4.9. homework is planned to help the student begin to learn time management, establish a routine for home study, and develop responsibility toward schoolwork

5. Kilpatrick’s project method

5.1. The project method is an educational enterprise in which children solve a practical problem over a period of several days or weeks

5.2. The crucial thing within the project method is that there should be some dominating purpose in which students wholeheartedly participate

5.3. Project work focuses on applying specific knowledge or skills, and on improving student involvement and motivation in order to foster independent thinking, self-confidence, and social responsibility

6. The Children’s Houses

6.1. The Children’s Houses were living environments specially adapted to children, in which they could grow and develop in keeping with their individual sense of responsibility

6.2. In the houses everything was adapted to the children and their specific attitudes and perspectives: cupboards, tables and chairs but also color, sound and architecture

6.3. The children were expected to live and move in this environment in a responsible way and deal with the tasks of creating and keeping order

7. Home for Orphans

7.1. children should be fully understood

7.2. first and foremost, children must be respected and loved, treated as partners and friends

7.3. schools should offer interesting and useful subjects, and promote a harmonious educational relationship

7.4. a group of children can function well only if provided with appropriate daily living conditions

7.5. children should be provided, as far as possible, with a proper educational atmosphere in a home environment

7.6. the children themselves should fulfill functions typical of family members; for instance, older children should take care of younger ones, and should participate in home-making activities

7.7. respect for work and an understanding of the need to work are important components of the educational programme

7.8. together with adults, children are to agree to rules governing the life of the child-care institution

8. focus on developing skills of observation, reasoning, knowledge construction, and self-study

9. the educational response to industrial and technological development was mainly to develop technical colleges, to promote adult education

10. a tremendous demand for secondary and higher education

11. The Ideals the School Reformers pursued

11.1. Industrially educated proletariat

11.2. Entrepreneurs achieving the goals

11.3. ‘Average’ man ready to conform to the existing living conditions

12. ‘L’Éducation nouvelle’

12.1. the tuition fees were high, only well off people could afford to send their children

12.2. active methods of teaching

12.3. environment stimulating the comprehensive development of a personality including the physical one as a basis for intellectual development

12.4. focus on developing hand-craft skills, aesthetic education and behaviour

13. The school of the future

13.1. a system of schooling alternating individual tuition with pauses and self-study

13.2. the school should have only one aim: to give to each individual as much self-development and happiness as possible

13.3. the importance of co-operation between school and home

13.4. the school should teach girls and boys to cooperate

13.5. the subjects grouping into fairly large units: thus history should comprise also the history of literature, church history and the history of art

13.6. no classes should have more than twelve pupils

13.7. teaching should be aimed at the pupils, their search for knowledge and in shaping their own opinions

14. Waldorf school

14.1. the pupils learn together in stable year groups from the first to the twelfth year of schooling

14.2. no official reports containing marks, the teachers write annual character portraits or learning reports in their own free wording

14.3. the syllabus and method of teaching are guided by the genetic and organic development of the child.

14.4. the teachers see themselves in the first place as educators and tutors remaining in charge of the same class for eight years

14.5. no standardized textbooks: the most important learning material consists of the notebooks prepared by the pupils themselves

14.6. no headmasters: the school is administered by weekly conferences arranged in a collegial manner