Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education Instructor Resource
Chapter 2: History: Exploring the Beginnings of Early Childhood Education
Test Bank
1. _____________ believed that education was the right of ordinary male offspring of the free
citizens of the state and not just the right of the upper class.
2. ____________ wrote about the need for a more humane treatment of children, an idea that was
not necessarily upheld by the Greeks.
3. The ____________ played a significant role in the history of early childhood education and
the evolution of the concept of childhood.
4. Who believed that in order for children to develop human nature and to be prepared for their
life on earth, as well as for eternal life, they need to be educated?
5. In The School of Infancy, Comenius introduced the idea that home is
6. ____________ is associated with the idea of the tabula rasa (the view of the child’s mind as a
blank slate that is sensitive and responsive to instruction).
7. Who wrote books that were attacked and condemned by the church, leading him to fear for his
life?
8. __________ established a new early childhood school, which would end up being named
kindergarten.
9. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Froebel’s kindergarten activities also included a collection of
games, songs, and stories designed to promote children’s
10. In order to prevent children from becoming gravely ill, an open-air nursery school was
opened by
11. Margaret McMillan valued children’s ______ and encouraged _____________.
12. Maria Montessori reported that children under 6 years of age had an astonishing power of the
mind, which she called the
13. Which of the following is NOT one of Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development?
14. Vygotsky recognized that learning takes place within the context of
15. Whose educational philosophy touted the need to get rid of rote memorization in schools and
replace it with a more child-centered approach?
16. This person was known as a leader in the National Association for Nursery Schools, which is
now known as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
17. Erik Erikson developed five psychosocial crises that children progress through before
reaching young adulthood. Which one occurs during the preschool years (3 to 6 years of age)?
18. Erik Erikson developed five psychosocial crises that children progress through before
reaching young adulthood. Which one occurs first (infancy)?
19. _______________ believed that positive early experiences during the period of childhood
shaped one’s emotional development.
20. The _____________ allows children an opportunity to revisit basic ideas and concepts
repeatedly.
21. In the beginning of early childhood education in the United States, educators were not
experienced. Who was the person who helped professionalize the field of early childhood
education?
22. During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, boys and girls were required to move
toward a more personal relationship with God.
23. Rousseau was among the first individuals to acknowledge that young children were not
simply “miniature adults.”
24. Maria Montessori created a specific type of school aimed at gifted children.
25. When teachers would present the occupations to the children in Froebel’s kindergartens, this
marked the birth of circle time.
26. Montessori schools are very popular in the United States.
27. Elizabeth Peabody established kindergartens in every state of the Union before she died in
1894.
Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education Instructor Resource
28. None of Friedrich Froebel’s gifts or occupations are used today in kindergarten.
29. The language spoken in the early kindergartens was English.
30. The Bank Street College of Education served as a model for the design of subsequent early
education programs in the country.
31. Children learn best when they are involved in rote memorization activities.
32. What specifically from Margaret McMillan’s work is evident in early childhood programs
today?
33. Why does Pestalozzi represent a beginning point for early childhood education?
34. What did Martin Luther do to get excommunicated from the church?
35. Historically, the need for formal education was twofold. What were the reasons that
civilizations felt a need for education?
36. What are the two competing ideas regarding education at any level?
37. Explain the three ideas Martin Luther proposed about education.
38. As part of the kindergarten curriculum, Froebel developed a series of gifts and occupations.
List and describe some of these gifts and occupations.
39. Maria Montessori had a very specific pedagogical approach. List the ideas that were included
in her pedagogy.
40. Analyze Lev Vygotsky’s concepts of the zone of proximal development and scaffolding.
41. Compare and contrast the opposing views of Friedrich Froebel and John Dewey.