Nursery World - Early Years Pioneers

Following the death earlier this year of the influential psychologist Jerome Bruner, Linda Pound looks at his theories, achievements and their enduring impact on early years practice

Jerome Bruner, who died in June this year aged 100, is widely regarded as a key thinker in the field of cognitive psychology. He remains highly influential in educational circles, described by Howard Gardner as ‘one of the foremost educational thinkers of the era … an inspired learner and teacher’.

Gardner further claims that foremost educationalists around the world have been drawn into education by Bruner's writing, in particular a book entitled The Process of Education.

BACKGROUND

Bruner was born in New York in 1915, the son of Polish immigrants. During the Second World War, he served in the American army exploring the impact of propaganda and social attitudes. After the war, he entered Harvard University and set up a Center for Cognitive Psychology. His interest in learning led him to become particularly interested in the development of children's learning and in their ways of representing ideas.

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