The contributions of the main pioneers of education laid the foundations of what today are considered the foundations of teaching. At the time, these characters presented an innovative approach that, even today, serves as a guide for the development of comprehensive training at all levels.
Who are the pioneers of education?
Throughout history, you will find the pioneers of education, people who with their effort, tenacity and wisdom, contributed to the development and improvement of the processes that are carried out to impart knowledge in educational work.
In short, educators are in charge of materializing educational programs, transmitting knowledge with effective techniques and methods, in addition to sowing the seeds of curiosity, stimulating creativity, the use of the intellect and logical reasoning.
The first jobs at the professional level of the pioneers in the educational area are systematic models of effective procedures to raise the quality of the education that is imparted, where the greatest benefit is the development of a human being with capacities and abilities that can be applied in any field of knowledge.
Lev Vygotsky
He is an intellectual of Russian origin, who made important contributions in the area of ​​psychology and psychopedagogy, with which he manages to contribute to forming an educational vision with his book Thought and Language.
Vygotsky carried out extensive research in the field of neuropsychology, for which he carried out studies in which he concluded that the environment where the educational process takes place directly influences the quality of the reception of the education imparted.
One of the statements of this renowned pedagogue is that the environment affects the development of an individual’s abilities to a greater degree than the mental or genetic condition.
Maria Montessori
She is a woman with a fascinating life whose intelligence led her to excel in different areas, such as philosophy, anthropology, biology, and women’s rights activist.
In his performance as an educational professional, he carries out scientifically endorsed studies, which prove his thesis that children can learn through games, since they demonstrate the ability to investigate their environment while acquiring knowledge.
She is the author of many theories and procedures, which are collected in the Practical Manual of the Montessori method, where you can find excellent proposals to provide quality education.
Regarding the bases of his legacy, education must be taught from a humanistic approach, with 3 important aspects: the environment, love and the child-environment relationship.
The Montessori Method consists of giving the child “freedom with responsibility“, the pedagogue emphasizes that there must be an environment specially prepared to carry out the educational process by a professional trained for this purpose.
Juan Bautista La Salle
He is a professional pedagogy who was in charge of training teachers to educate low-income children. He is also a promoter of the creation of free schools and introduced changes in the educational system at all levels.
La Salle was a lawyer, a great pedagogue, a priest, and a specialist in theology. Their contributions to education are the foundations to make learning processes more effective.
His contribution to the educational system was through writings, thoughts and proposals that achieved positive changes in the way knowledge is imparted.
John Dewey
He is considered one of the most prominent American philosophers, a supporter of the progressive pedagogy movement. His contribution faced concepts of traditional education, in which knowledge was imparted in an authoritarian, inflexible and excessively formal way.
Dewey proposes a democratic and inclusive educational model, where the process is carried out with dynamic interactions, eliminating the memorization of concepts and theories, emphasizing practical learning and analysis.
Although this article brings together great figures whose influences provided the basic pillars of education, it should be added that they were not the only ones, other scholars, scientists and educators also offered their teachings to complement all this knowledge and shape the educational system of today in day.