Educational psychology: authors who have taught us how we learn

Aristotle once said that “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. Much has happened since then in the world of educational psychology, but we could say that his words were accurate and perhaps they are as relevant today as they were more than 2000 years ago.

Over time, Educational psychology emerges as a mix between pedagogy and psychology itself. Years ago, interest was born in finding the psychological foundation of educational practice. In this way, psychological principles can be applied to education, obtaining great results.

The origins of educational psychology

It cannot be said that educational psychology existed centuries ago. However, Greek thinkers, such as Aristotle or Plato, established the bases of a cognitivist conception to determine human behavior. In fact, Aristotle considers that education is the duty of the State towards its citizens.. Thus, he distinguishes between science, as his teacher Plato did, and adds the importance of virtue and ethics.

Centuries later, it will be Saint Thomas Aquinas who takes up these theories based on learning as a process of intellectual acquisition of knowledge gradually.

The Renaissance and Humanism

During the Renaissance The idea of ​​a teaching that is based on experience is born. Thus, authors such as Luis Vives appear, considered the father of modern psychology, who applies ideas such as motivation, learning or teaching rhythms.

Later, authors such as Juan Huarte de San Juan began to distinguish with their theories of differential psychology between men who show different abilities. His school counseling studies state the existence of men with varied temperaments and different abilities.

This is when metaphysics and psychology are separated. It is at this moment that the real path towards a psychology of education opens.

New science

There comes a historic moment when education follows reason as a cardinal point and experiments with sources of knowledge. Rationalism develops its logic from authors such as Descartes and his methodological requirements. Authors such as Comenius affirm that there are four fundamental educational characteristics, based on the laws of nature, the cyclical order of teaching, the inductive method and active and pragmatic teaching.

Then we get to Locke or Hume, who They try to rescue the value of experience in the face of logic and reason. For them, all knowledge comes from experience. Therefore, education must be oriented towards disciplines that form the mind. Others like Rousseau introduce a naturalist current. Thus, it encourages reaching the pure state of man with an education that serves as a guide and teacher in a natural way.

scientific psychology

Thus we reach modern times, where Authors such as Herbart appear, who affirms that the teacher must know the educational purpose to be good in his actions. That is why he defends educational action from a psychological point of view. In this way we come to Pestalozzi, who is considered the father of modern psychology. He puts naturalism into practice, but observes that the student needs society to develop.

And we reach Dewey, who considers his active school as the need for educational renewal with three important aspects, the attitude towards the child, the student as the axis of educational activity and the importance of the teaching content.

Modern educational psychology

This is how we reach the most current authors, who during the last century have made the world of modern psychology evolve. It all begins at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, with authors such as Galton, Hall, Binet, James or Cattell.

Subsequently, figures such as Thorndike appear, who raises the problem of learning and its transfer. He is joined by names like Judd and work with psychometric tests. Later, schools such as Watson’s behaviorism, Gestalt or psychoanalysis were consolidated, which defend that our behavior is influenced by elements that are outside the focus of our consciousness.

Finally, now with more contemporary authors, we find the contributions of famous names such as Skinner or Becker and their approaches to reinforcing behaviors. In front of them, cognitive currents in the hands of Piaget, Goodnow, Bruner or humanists from the hand of Maslow, Rogers or Allport.

Thus we end this very quick review of the history of educational psychology, inviting the reader to delve deeper into the topic. Here the main names appear, starting points for exciting theories that They try to explain why we learn the way we learn.

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