Historical Foundation of

Education

Arthur S. Abulencia
Lecturer
Beginnings of Education
• Prehistoric cultures used
oral language to educate
children
• Written language
developed from need for
more complex means of
passing on knowledge
from one generation to
another
• 2000 BCE earliest
evidence of schools in
Sumeria and China
 Historical Lenses

• Celebrationist historians…
see the brighter side of historical events
• Liberal historians…focus on conflict, stress,
inconsistencies
• Revisionist historians…learn more by studying
what has been wrong than what has been right
• Postmodernist historians…see history through
the unique lenses of social class, race, ethnicity,
gender, age
–In general, education developed
from the informal to formal
–History of education covers
three main periods: ancient,
medieval and modern.
Primitive Education
– Its general theme or goal is
education for security, survival or
self-preservation. It is highly
conservative and superstitious.
Primitive
Education

–There is definitely no formal

education. It is informal. There is
no system of reading and writing.
Cultural contacts are limited to the
family and tribe. Tribes grow out of
kinship
Primitive
Education
– Basic activities are
confined to the necessities
of life – food, clothing, shelter and
protection.
– The simplest methods of teaching and
learning exists observation of elder‘s
activities, simple telling and
demonstration, trial and error, and actual
participation in survival activities.
 Ancient Education
China:
• The ancient Chinese education -
earliest in human history.
• Taken mostly from the teachings of
philosophical masters like Confucius,
Mencius, and Lao Tzu.
China

• Confucianism and Taoism teach the ethical

life and love of nature respectively
China
• Chinese have given us filial piety, close
family ties, respect for elders, selfless and
honest service in the government (civil
service), The Golden Rule, reverence for
teachers, scholarship (earnest learning),
and the earliest form of education for all
or democratic education.
China
• Chinese ethical education is the forerunner
of our present day character education
(GMRC and Values Education) in our
schools.
 Ancient Education
Japan:
• Educational activities were patterned
mostly from the Chinese.
• Ethical teaching of Confucianism and
the religious beliefs of Zen Buddhism
were assimilated into the Japanese
way of life.
Japan
• It develop its own religion called
Shintoism (worship of the ―kami‖),
educational ideas are dominantly Chinese.
The Japanese ideal is the ―warrior‖ with
his ―samurai‖ ethic of respect for
authority, determination and hard work.
• Unlike the Chinese, the Japanese open
themselves to foreign influences and
made foreign ideas into what are uniquely
Japanese.
The Samurai Warrior
Ancient Education
India:
• Deep spiritual and rigid social
stratification (Caste System).
• Hinduism is a spiritual way of life tied
to the rigid caste system. The highest
class (Brahmins or priests) receive the
highest or complete education while
the ―sudras‖ and the untouchable
receive the least education.
Hindu God: Rama Sita
India

• The Indians were educated for the

ideal (Nirvana) based on the ―Vedas‖ and so
their education developed along the lines
of religion and not in the direction of
science, art and practical aspects of life.
Teaching was done orally by the master
called ―guru‖ including their great epics,
the ―Mahabharata,‖ and ―Ramayana‖
which contains the ―Bhagavad-gita.‖
 Ancient Education
Egypt:
• Ancient Egypt as the oldest civilization in History.
• Egyptians already showed the evidence of skilled
labor, craftsman, knowledge of practical arts and
sciences, and true apprenticeship programs.
• They already possessed a system of writing called
―hieroglyphics‖ and originated the modern paper
from ―papyrus‖ which grows abundantly along the
Nile River.
Egypt
The Egyptian practical education is
perhaps the origin of present day
vocational education in our
schools. They were very much
ahead of their time;,
knowledgeable in arithmetic,
algebra, trigonometry, astronomy,
medicine, chemistry, and other
practical sciences.
WESTERN EDUCATION
in Greece • The Age of Pericles created
a concern for formal
education
• What were the differences
between Athens and Sparta?
• The 3 great Greek
philosophers were ____, ____,
and ____.
• Remember – females and
slaves were not considered
intelligent enough to
warrant an education
 Ancient Greek
Education
Spartan Education
• Sparta was a military socialistic
state and it stressed military
education. Its aim was to prepare
the boys for citizenship and military
service, and the girls for family life
as healthy wives and mothers.
Spartan education
• Spartan education was for the
state and not for the individual. The
―paidonomous‖ (school) took care of the
early military training and physical training
of the young Spartan until he becomes a
military recruit and eventually a real
soldier.
• Spartan military education is the
forerunner of military training in our
schools.
 Ancient Greek Education
Athenian Education
• Athens was a democratic state and it stressed
liberal education – education for the
gentleman, charming in person and graceful
in manners.
 Ancient Greek Education
• Education was a family prerogative. For
seven years, the home took care of the
first child‘s education. At seven, the boy
was entrusted to the ―paidogogus,‖ a
tutor. (The term pedagogy was derived
from this name).
Acropolis, Athens
Athenian Education
At 14, his education was over. The boy
could then go to the ―palaestra‖
which was a public gymnasium for his
physical training. There were other
schools and teachers: ―kitharist‖
(teacher of music), the ―grammatist‖
(teacher of letters), and the
―paedotribe‖ (teacher of gymnastics).
Greeks’ Contributions to
Civilization and Education
– Discovery of reason (philosophy)
– Arts and sciences
– Knowledge towards virtue
– Democracy
– Discovery of, which means many
things – reason, science, idea or
even God
– Olympics
– The Greek Triumvirate – Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle
WESTERN EDUCATION
in Rome
• Rome conquered
Greece in 146 BCE &
adopted many Greek
ideas about
education
• Latin Grammar
Schools – taught
Latin, literature,
history,
mathematics, music,
& dialectics
WESTERN EDUCATION
in Rome
• Institutions of higher learning
were also available (law,
medicine, math, mechanics)
• Many people united with
common language, religion, &
government
WESTERN EDUCATION
in Rome

• Education was still limited to

wealthy boys
Roman Contributions to Education
and Civilization
• Practical Education (utilitarian
education)
• The Latin Language
• Bilingual Education
• Cross-cultural studies
• Socio-political organization and law
• Roman educators like Cato, Cicero,
Plutarch and Quintillian
Jewish Education
• Patriarchal period, from the call of
Abraham to Moses
• Tribal period, from Moses to the
monarchy
• Royal period, from King Saul to the
Babylonian Captivity
• Period of Restoration, from the
Babylonian Captivity to the birth of
Jesus Christ
Goal: Religious Conformity
(Obedience to Torah)
 Jewish Education under Jesus
Christ
• Jesus Christ was born in 4 B.C. during
the reign of Emperor Augustus with
Jewish parents. Christianity came
from Christ, the Greek word for
―Messiah,‖ Jesus taught new
principles of human relationships
based on universal love. The most
frequent title of Jesus in the Gospels
is ―teacher‖ (rabbi, master). He
taught practically anywhere.
Jewish Education under Jesus
Christ
• The persistent theme of His teachings is
salvation or liberation from sin to gain eternal
life in the Kingdom of God. Among others, his
more popular methods are:
• Gnomic method – from gnomes (proverbs)
• Use of parables – Parables used, comparison or
analogy
• Conversional/dialectic method – use of dialogue
• Personal example (modeling)
Early Christian Education
• In the first two centuries after Christ,
the Christians gained followers but
they were still persecuted. It was
only in 313 A.D. through the Edict of
Milan when Emperor Constantine
recognized Christianity and made in
the official state religion. Thus,
began the rise of Christianity.
Early Christian Education

• The first school were called

―catechumenal‖ schools for
prospective converts, then came
the catechetical schools for
advance training, and then the
cathedral schools under the
bishoprics.
Goal: Moral regeneration
THE MIDDLE AGES
476-1300 CE • 476 – Fall of Roman Empire
• Catholic Church became more
powerful in government and in
education
• Dark Ages – 400-1000
– Human knowledge regressed
– Some progress evident –
especially under reign of
Charlemagne who used his
position to establish schools
& encourage scholarly
activity
– Alcuin – Charlemagne’s
educational advisor
 THE MIDDLE AGES
476-1300 CE
• Revival of Learning – 1000-
1300 – people began to thirst
for knowledge
• Thomas Aquinas helped
influence education
• Medieval Universities began
– Bologna – law
– Paris – theology
– Oxford
– Salerno
– By 1492 = about 80
• Influenced by Arab scholars
(esp. in math and science)
 MEDIEVAL
EDUCATION

• The boy goes through the following stages:

Page -an attendant at the noble courts at age
7
Squire -an attendant to a knight at age 14
Knight -a full-pledge warrior whose duties are
to protect the women and poor, defend the
church and the state, attack the wicked/evil
elements, and shed blood for the sake of the
country and his comrades.
 The Guild System of Education
• Toward the end of the medieval
period, economic forces brought
about considerable social and cultural
changes. Earlier, the ―crusades‖ (first
sanctioned by Pope Urban II) led to
the growth of trade and commerce.
With this development, free cities
came to exist along with a new social
class – the burghers, bourgeoisie,
pre-middle class.
The Guild System of Education

• This new social class demanded a

different kind of education.
Related to the growth of
commerce was the strengthening
of the guild, an organization of
person with common interests
and mutual needs for security and
welfare..
The Guild System of Education
• There were two types: the merchant guild
and the craft guild. These types of
schools were established to meet their
educational needs:
– Chantry schools – established through
foundation under the clergy
– Guild schools – served the children of the
members of the craft guild.
– Burgher schools – served the children of the
members of the merchant guild.
The Guild System of Education

• The stages of development

under these systems are:
apprentice, journeyman, and
master craftsman
• Subsequently governmental regulation and the
licensing of polytechnics and vocational
education formalized and bureaucratized the
details of apprenticeship.
THE RENAISSANCE
BEGAN IN 1300
• People began protesting the power the church
had over social and intellectual life.
• Common people rebelled against the control of
the wealthy and the Church.
• Humanism began – a revival of classical learning
• Da Feltre believed people could be educated and
be Christians
• Erasmus also lived during this period.
 THE REFORMATION
BEGAN IN 1517
• Began when Luther released his
95 Theses
• Melanchthon worked with
Luther – they believed
education should be available to
all children
• Loyola also an influence
• Comenius produced textbooks –
esp. in science – made easier
because of printing press
• De La Salle founded an order of
teachers that focused on
elementary school – he was one
of the first to use student
teaching
 Martin Luther: Educational
Theory
• Universal literacy (Translated Bible into
German)
• Vocational education: religious, political, &
economic
• Parents needed to cultivate literacy, religion,
& character
• Vernacular schools taught religion, writing,
arithmetic, music, & gymnastics.
• State officials supervised elementary,
secondary, & colleges.
Jesuit Method
• Stressed classroom management.
• Lesson Plan Cycle:
– Praelectio =introduction
– Repetitio =repetition of subject matter
– Exercitatio =written exercise
– Concertatio =oral & public exam
(contest)
– Argumentum scribendi =elaborate on
classical themes
 AGE OF REASON
BEGAN IN EARLY 1700s

• Revolt against superstition and ignorance

• Rationalism – believed in rational power of humans and
human ability to reason – based on ideas of Descartes and led
by Voltaire
• Frederick the Great – leader of Prussia – supported education
by opening schools and creating teacher training and
licensing laws
• Emergence of Common Man – thinkers like Rousseau began
to argue that common people deserved a better life –
Pestalozzi, Herbart, and Froebel applied this to education
16th-17th Centuries: Education of this
World
– Francis Bacon (1561-
1621) – introduced the
inductive method of
Teaching
– Wolfgang Ratke (1571-
1635) – initiated repetition to
ensure mastery

– In the history of
education …
repetition is the mother
of learning. (Liccione, 2016)
16th-17th Centuries: Education of this
World

John Amos Comenius (1592-

1670) – regarded as father of
modern education; wrote ―Orbis
Pictus Sensualism‖ or the World of
Sensible Things Pictured, the first
illustrated book that led to the use
of visual aids in the classroom.
16th-17th Centuries: Education of this
World
– John Locke (1632-1704) – known as the
father of English empiricism, foremost
exponent of ―disciplinism‖ (education as
based on discipline), and authored the ―tabula
rasa‖ theory (the mind of the child at birth is
a blank tablet).
16th-17th Centuries: Education of this
World
– Richard Mulcaster (1531-1611) –
suggested that teachers be required to
obtain university training and developed
teacher training schools (normal schools).
16th-17th Centuries:
Education of this World
• Francois Fenelon (1651-1715) – French
theologian who pioneered in the education of
women.
16th-17th Centuries: Education of this
World

• St. John Baptiste De Lassalle – patron

saint of teachers
- founded the La Salle schools
18th-19th Centuries:
Child Centered
Education

– Jean Jacques Rousseau

(1712-1778) – best known for
his work, ―Emile,‖ which laid out
his naturalistic philosophy of
education; also wrote ―Social
Contract‖ that advocated a
democratic government.
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jaques Rousseau
• Children are naturally good
• People develop through various stages
– As a result education must be individualized
• Mental activity is a direct development of
bodily activity
• Educators should control the educational
environment
• People should reason their way through
their own conclusions (Discovery Learning
Today)
Rousseau‘s Five Stages of
Development
• Stage 1: Infancy (birth to two years)
• Stage 2: ‗The age of Nature‘ (two to 12)
• Stage 3: Pre-adolescence (12-15)
• Stage 4: Puberty (15-20)
• Stage 5: Adulthood (20-25)
18th-19th Centuries: Child
Centered Education
–Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
(1746-1827) – advocated the
following: object study with language,
education for societal regeneration,
learning through observation and
experience, avoidance of bookish
learning, discipline based on love, and
education as contact of souls.
 Pestalozzi (1746-1827)

• Pestalozzi (1746-1827) Swiss

educator who put Rousseau‘s theories
into practice… educators from all
over the world came to view his
schools…unlike most teachers of his
time, he felt students should be
treated with love and kindness
18th-19th Centuries:
Child Centered Education

– Johann Friedrich Herbart (1779-

1841) – advocated the theory of
appreciation and the inductive
method of teaching which came to be
known as ―Herbatian Method.‖ This
consists of the following steps: (1)
Preparation; (2) Presentation; (3)
Comparison and Abstraction; (4)
Generalization; and (5) Application.
Herbart (1776-1841)

•Herbart (1776-1841)
studied under Pestalozzi,
organized the educational
psychology…preparation,
presentation, association,
generalization, application
18th-19th Centuries: Child
Centered Education
–Friedrich Wilhelm August
Froebel (1782-1852) –
known as the father of the
kindergarten (Garden of
Children) and advocated the use
of play or games in the school
program.
Froebel (1782-1852)

•Froebel (1782-1852),
kindergarten, social
development, cultivation of
creativity, learning by
doing…women best suited
to teach young children
19th-20th Centuries:
Democratization of Education
– John Henry Newman (1801-
1890) – advance a new concept
of a university in his book, ―The
idea of a University,‖
that a university should
offer
universal knowledge.
19th-20th Centuries:
Democratization of Education
–Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) –
attempted to compile all knowledge in
his ―Synthetic Philosophy.‖ He and
Darwin popularized the evolution
theory. He authored the ethical
concept, ―survival of the fittest,‖ before
Darwin. He defined education as
―preparation for complete living.‖
Spencer: ―Survival of the fittest‖
19th-20th Centuries:
Democratization of Education
Pedro Poveda (1878-1936) –
modified the past Christian education
with his own Christian Humanism
which commits Christianity to the
upliftment of the poor and
marginalized people. He also
pioneered on the establishment
of Teacher Formation Centers.
19th-20th Centuries:
Democratization of Education
– Maria Montessori (1869-1952) – an Italian
doctor of medicine who turned to education of the
handicapped and underprivileged youth; later, she
introduced a new pedagogy for young children
which has
three main features:
freedom (independence) and
individuality,
prepared environment,
and specific goals for each
child.
19th-20th Centuries:
Democratization of Education
–Paolo Freire – a Brazilian who
criticized contemporary education as
the education of the oppressed. He
wrote ―The Pedagogy of the
Oppressed‖ in 1968. He described
conventional education as the banking
concept of education responsible for
the culture of silence among the
masses.
 Paulo Freire

• "There is no such thing as a neutral education process.

Education either functions as an instrument which is
used to facilitate the integration of generations into the
logic of the present system and bring about conformity
to it, or it becomes the ‗practice of freedom‘, the means
by which men and women deal critically with reality and
discover how to participate in the transformation of their
world."
• —Richard Shaull, drawing on Paulo Freire
19th-20th Centuries:
Democratization of Education
– John Dewey and other American
educators like Horace Mann, William
James, J. Stanley Hall, Francis Parker,
and Edward Lee Thorndike, among
others – also made great contributions to
education. John Dewey believes that
education is life, a continuous process
(i.e., never complete) and it aims is social
efficiency.
 IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN
AMERICAN EDUCATION
• Benjamin Franklin – opened the
American Academy (now University of Pennsylvania) in
Phil. in 1751 – had a more practical focus
than Lat. Grammar schools. He saw
knowledge as an asset that required
practical application to be of value.
• Thomas Jefferson – wrote a plan
for a public school system in VA –
founded the University of Virginia
• Noah Webster – favored the
creation of an American
curriculum – wrote textbooks
– created the American
Dictionary of the English
Language
 The Common School
Movement
• Forces in the growth of public
schools
– Larger & more urban population
– Demands of larger working class
– Social control
– Needs of the frontier
– Increased suffrage
– Educational journals &
organizations
 The Common School
Movement
• People involved
– Horace Mann (1796-1859) – Sec. of Board of
Ed. in Mass.
• helped begin educational awakening in
US
• helped establish common schools in
Mass
• est. 1st professional journal for educ.
• leading proponent of common elementary
schools, the forefather of the contemporary
public school
– Henry Barnard – 1st US Comm. Of Ed.
–
• founded the American Journal of
Ed.
• supporter of elem. ed. for all
children
•arthurpnu@yahoo.com