LibGuides: EDUC 200: Foundations of Education : Educational Theories and Theorists

Reference sources are a great starting point for research because they can provide background information, quick facts, and help find other sources. Use reference sources to gain a general overview of a topic or background information on a variety of educational theories and theorists. Examples of reference sources are dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, and handbooks.

The following reference sources are provided by the Sandor Teszler Library.

Credo Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Online reference library providing access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books. Subjects covered include art, biography, history, literature, music, religion, science, and technology.
Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window
Contains the texts of more than 250 reference titles published by Oxford University Press from all subject areas.
Salem Reference This link opens in a new window
The titles in Salem Reference include literature, history, science and health and include information on current events, environmental issues, and critical studies.

Education Today: Concepts, Issues, Policies and Politics by Salem Press
Call Number: EBOOK - Unlimited Users
ISBN: 1682177122
Publication Date: 2018-06-30
This new 3-volume set includes a wide range of important issues and debate topics surrounding education in America today. From Gender Issues and Diversity Education to Funding and Parental Involvement, these information-packed entries provide students and researchers with a wide variety of ways to examine the education system in America.

Educator's Reference Complete This link opens in a new window
This comprehensive database covers multiple levels of education from preschool to college and includes virtually every educational specialty, such as bilingual studies, health, technology and testing. The database also includes resources on issues related to administration, funding and policy in education.

Educational Theories and Theorists

The following reference source entries provide a general overview of an educational theory or theorist. Access is provided by the Sandor Teszler Library and authenticated using your myWofford credentials.

B. F. Skinner
Rudowski, V. A. (2008). B. F. Skinner. In R. F. Gorman (Ed.), Great Lives from History: The Twentieth Century. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
Cognitive development: Jean Piaget
DeWolfe, T. E. (2015). Cognitive development: Jean Piaget. In P. Moglia (Ed.), Psychology & Behavioral Health. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
Dewey Applies Pragmatism to Education
Weinel, I. (2007). Dewey Applies Pragmatism to Education. In R. F. Gorman (Ed.), Great Events from History: The Twentieth Century, 1901-1940. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
Ego psychology: Erik H. Erikson
Aanstoos, C. M. (2015). Ego psychology: Erik H. Erikson. In P. Moglia (Ed.), Psychology & Behavioral Health. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
Montessori Education
Thayer-Bacon, B., J. (2014). Montessori education. In D. C. Phillips (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Theory and Philosophy (1st ed.). Sage Publications. https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6ODY4NDQ2?aid=101594
Vygotsky, Lev Semyonovich
Veer, R. V. D. (2008). Vygotsky, Lev Semyonovich. In Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography (Vol. 25, pp. 192-197). Charles Scribner's Sons. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2830906184/GVRL?u=teszler&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ebf4ab67

Streaming Videos

Streaming videos are a great way to enhance your understanding of key educational topics and theories. The Sandor Teszler Library offers streaming video collections for educational purposes through platforms like Academic Video Online and Kanopy. These resources provide access to thousands of documentaries, educational films, and expert interviews, covering a wide range of subjects.

To find videos related to your research, you can use OneSearch and enter the names of specific theorists, such as Piaget or Dewey, or search for particular theories, like constructivism or cognitive development, then filter by resource type "video."

B. F. Skinner on Education, Parts 1 & 2
Call Number: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 1972
In a conversation with John M. Whiteley, Skinner addresses important issues in education. He advocates using reinforcement techniques to aid teachers and proposes redesigning the educational system.
Erik H. Erikson, a life's work
Call Number: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 1991
Narrated by Erikson's colleague, Margaret Brenman-Gibson, Ph.D. and Ruthie Mickles, Ph.D. Using archival materials, this film introduces students to the rich wisdom of Erik H. Erikson. Best known for his identification of the eight stages of the life cycle, Erikson spent a lifetime observing and studying the way in which the interplay of genetics, cultural influences and unique experiences produces individual human lives. This film combines biographical information about Erikson with his theoretical proposals to give students an understanding of the relationship between the life experience of a theorist and the work that is produced.
John Dewey -- his life and work
Call Number: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 2001
John Dewey wrote extensively about philosophy, psychology, education, political science, and the arts. In his very full 92 years of life (1859-1952), he not only wrote about the breadth of life, he participated in it as a teacher, social critic, political activist and involved family man. This fully produced video introduces students to his philosophy and his critical studies of education, the arts and the implications of democracy for the lives of individuals and their communities.
The Montessori Method
Call Number: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 2009
Italian physician Maria Montessori developed the Montessori method in the early 1900s while observing that children learn best when engaged in purposeful activity. Dr. Montessori inspired a movement that enabled children to teach themselves through sensory-rich, hands-on materials, nurture and love. Montessori's philosophy and practices have since been spread and influenced the educational landscape. Discover the ways in which Montessori classrooms differ from the traditional school setting in this enlightening documentary. Observe different levels of Montessori, including infants, toddlers, early childhood, and elementary, and how each utilizes the Montessori method. Find out: · Characteristics of a Montessori classroom · How children teach themselves · What is most appealing about Montessori? · What are sensitive periods? · The role of the teacher in Montessori · How conflict is handled.
Piaget's Developmental Theory: An Overview
Call Number: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 1989
The work of Jean Piaget has become the foundation of current developmental psychology and the basis for changes in educational practice. David Elkind, author of The Hurried Child and Miseducation, and a student of Jean Piaget, explores the roots of Piaget's work and outlines important vocabulary and concepts that structure much of the study of child development. Using both archival film of Dr. Piaget and newly shot sequences of Dr. Elkind conducting interviews with children of varying ages, this film presents an overview of Piaget's developmental theory, its scope and content.
Vygotsky's developmental theory : an introduction
Call Number: Streaming Video
Publication Date: 1994
The work of Lev Vygotsky is increasingly cited as we reconsider the theory and practice of constructivist education. This program introduces the life, vocabulary and concepts of Lev Vygotsky. The video illustrates four basic concepts integral to his work: Children construct knowledge, learning can lead development, development cannot be separated from its social context, and language plays a central role in cognitive development. Elena Bodrova brings an easy familiarity to these concepts. Deborah Leong's commentary and the lively classroom examples enable students, teachers in training, and classroom teachers to incorporate these concepts into their understanding of child development.

Britannica Academic

Britannica Academic access is provided by DISCUS, the South Carolina State Library. Access is location-dependent on you using an Internet connection within South Carolina.

The following theorists are covered in Encyclopedia Britannica:

Socrates

Plato

Aristotle

Quintilian

Charlemagne

Alcuin

Thomas Aquinas

Vittorino da Feltre

Erasmus

Martin Luther

Ignatius of Loyola

Comenius

John Locke

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

Johann Friedrich Herbart

Horace Mann

Henry Barnard

Frederick Douglass

John Chavis

Prudence Crandall

Booker T. Washington

Emma Willard

Ella Flagg Young

Mary McLeod Bethune

Alfred North Whitehead

John Dewey

Charles Sanders Peirce

Richard Rorty

Jean-Paul Sartre

Friedrich Nietzsche

Maxine Green