Historical Foundation

of Education
(1st Topic)
Introduction

● The beliefs and experiences of education today rest on the

history of this field of endeavor.
● By knowing what the accomplishments of leaders in the
past….today’s educators attempt to build on their
achievements.
● In this time of globalization of education, the role of educators
is increasingly becoming a dominant force in the delivery of
education and its processes.
Introduction

● The aims of education and its agencies, the

content of the curriculum, and methods of
instruction are tremendously influenced by their
thoughts, ideas and ideals, and wisdom which in
effect are parts of our educational system.
General Objectives

● Trace the history of education from earliest times to

present.
● Identify some of the outstanding leaders in education
over the course of history and contributions each made
to this field of endeavor.
● Project future developments for education based on
current trends.
The Ancient Era

● 6th century BC
-no telescopes, no microscopes, no laboratory
equipment.
-Greeks attempted to explain the nature of the
universe and life on earth.
Metaphysicians-looking for the reality behind all
appearances.
The Ancient Era

● Late 7th and 6th centuries BC

-Thales Miletus (a shrewd and intelligent Mathematician)
attempted to explain that the world does not depend on
Gods or mythology, but only on natural causes.
-Everything originated in water, on the basis of finding
sea fossils inland far from the Mediterranean Sea.
-Water is the fundamental building block of matter.
The Ancient Era

✔ Anaximander- explained the world was originating in

the conflicts between contraries such as: hot & cold,
wet & dry
❖ cold-partly dried up, leaving the earth and its water.
❖ Hot- turned some water into mist and air, the remaind3r
ascended to form fiery rings in the heavens.
❖ Holes in the rings are the sun, moon and stars.
The Ancient Era

✔ Anaximenes- declared that air is the source of all water.

✔ Phythagoras- number is the basis of reality because the
forms and relations of things can all be explained
numerically.
✔ Heracletus- the basic characteristics of the universe is
change.
The Ancient Era

● 5th century
✔ Parmenides- permanence is real and change is
only an illusion.
✔ Empedocles- believed the 4 basic elements: earth,
air, fire and water.
✔ Anaxagoras-everything is made of infinitely small
particles.
The Ancient Era

● Late 5th century BC

- Group of teachers called Sophists appeared.
- Sophists- teachers of practical wisdom who took money for
their lesson.
● The classical period of Greek philosophy
-lasted from about 430-320 BC.
❖ Socrates- the first great philosopher.
-challenged the Sophist by saying it is possible to learn
absolute virtue and attain truth.
The Ancient Era

● Socrates- rested on two basic assumption:

a. a person is never to do wrong
(directly/indirectly)
b. no one who knows what is right will act
contrary to it.
The Ancient Era

● Plato- was Socrates foremost pupil and recorder

of many of his conversations.
-developed a many sided philosophy:
a. a theory of knowledge
b. a theory of human conduct
c. a theory of the state universe
The Ancient Era

● Aristotle- was Plato’s most famous pupil, though he

departed from his master’s teaching on many points.
-the founder of formal logic.
● The Stoics- led by Zeno
-believed that the universe is ordered and rational.
-based his ideas on the teaching of Socrates.
The Ancient Era

● Late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC

-Skepticism appeared; founded by Pyrrho of Elis.
Skepticism-asserts that humans cannot know
anything for certain.
● Neoplatonists- during the early Christian era.
-derived from Plato.
Plotinus- most prominent Neoplatonist.
“The highest reality is the good (or God) and the
lowest level of reality is the material world.”
The Medieval Period

● Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman

Empire early in the 4th century.
● Churchmen, teachers of theology- the chief philosophers.
● Augustine- identified the eternal ideas of Plato with truth
that come from God.
-taught that the immortality of the human soul can be
proven by its possession of eternal truths.
The Medieval Period

● Bernard of Clairvaux- was suspicious of building faith on

philosophical concepts.
-developed a doctrine of mystical love as the path to truth.
● 12th century- a revolution took place that completely changed
the course of Western philosophy.
-the writings of Aristotle were translated into Latin and
studied by churchmen.
The Medieval Period

● Medieval theologians- sought to reconcile the

doctrines of Christianity with the rational
explanations of the world given by Aristotle were
called Schoolmen/ Scholastics because they were
university teachers.
● Scholasticism-their philosophy
● 14th century- revival of Platonism and Neoplatonism.
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Enlightenment era of the 17th and 18th centuries
-attention turned to the nature of the human mind and
its abilities to master the natural world.
-2 main philosophical points of view:
a. rationalism
b. empiricism
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Emmanuel Kant- tried to bridge the gap between
rationalism and empiricism.
● 19th century- dominated by many differing currents of
thoughts.
-new ideas appeared in political thought all over the
world.
-”liberalism demanded democratization of the political
process, while socialism demanded economic justice.”
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Francis Bacon- an advocate of the new learning.
-knowledge cannot be based on accepted authorities
but must begin with experience and proceed by
induction to general principles.
● (Frenchman) Rene Descartes- modern rationalism.
-” I think, therefore I am”
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Empiricism-new developments in the British Isles.
● The leading empiricists:
✔ Thomas Hobbes
✔ John Locke
✔ George Berkeley
✔ David Hume
“How the mind can know.”
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Late 19th century- some English philosopher absorbed
German idealism and became critics of empiricism.
● Pragmatism- principal contribution of American
philosophy in the 19th century.
-formulated by Charles Sanders
● John Dewey- the leading 20th century exponent of
pragmatism.
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Dewey’s writings- encompass ethics, metaphysics,
education, and scientific method.
-He said philosophy should be geared to human needs.
● Logical empiricism- inspired by David Hume and
originated later 1900 by Bertrand Russel, Rudolf Carnap in
Germany and Ludwig Wittgenstein in Austria.
● “Philosophy is not a theory but an activity….”
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Later in life, Wittgenstein- became skeptical of the
logical foundations of mathematics and science.
-”Philosophical Investigations”- he turned toward a
critical examination of ordinary language.
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Phenomenology-originated by Edmund Husserl
(European Continent)
● “It is possible to examine the world without any
preconceived notions about causes or underlying
structures by carefully exploring all the data available
to conscious experience.”
The Modern Educational Philosophy and
Education
● Late 20th century
- There seems little like hood of any unity of purpose.
- There are still individuals who have high regard for earlier
thinkers, because they addressed the world in which people
live while seeking to explain it and its meaning.
- Mortimer J. Adler (teacher in U.S)-published “The Conditions
of Philosophy” in 1965 as a defense of traditional
philosophical functions.
The Renaissance

● Latin Middle Ages (1300-1500)

-new styles developed in literature, in architecture and in
education.
Renaissance-means “rebirth”
-paved the way of the opening of the door to modern
times.
-the development of the new ideas and new inventions
to meet the needs of new ways of living.
The Renaissance

● After learning reading and writing in grammar school,

young men took lessons in arithmetic from special
teachers.
● Renaissance Ideal- men should make the most of their
talents.
● Michaelangelo and Leonardo d Vinci- were not only
painters and sculptors but also poets and architects.
The Renaissance

● Lawyers, doctors, and clergymen had gained special

education at the universities.
● These groups were invited by the humanists to seek
liberal education.
● Liberal education-an understanding of the best literature
and art, the best that men had thought and done.
Humanist Schools

● The most celebrated humanist school was at Mantra in

Northern Italy.
● Students were taught running, fencing, wrestling and
various games of ball.
● Athletics were very important, not as part of military
training or as an entertainment for spectators, but as art
which developed the body and the personality.
Humanist Schools

● In the classroom, ancient Latin was used in conversations

and Latin Literature was taught.
● Instructions in Christianity was not ignored, but in addition,
young men were taught to appreciate the best ideas of such
pagan thinkers as Socrates and Plato.
Liberal Education in Demand

● Became very popular offered by humanist schools

● Nobles were moving into the cities, where they mingled
with wealthy merchants.
● Intelligent conversation and good table manners were in
demand.
● War was becoming specialized business for hired soldiers
(MERCENARIES)
Liberal Education for Women

● Young ladies were taught Latin and Greek to enrich their

conversation and broaden their minds.
● Athletic training for women became fashionable.
● Cosmetics were accepted-if women did not paint their
toenails and fingernails, they did paint their teeth.
● According to new standards of social life, the ideal for
women as for a man is to combine bodily excellence with
good taste, wide reading and quick intelligence.
Humanist in the Clergy

● A good many of the humanist were members of the

clergy.
● Members of the Clergy- studied intently early
Christian literature as well as pagan authors.
● Bible- was prepared in which Greek and Hebrew
texts were printed with Latin translation.
Humanist in the Clergy

● 1516-Erasmus (Dutch scholar) published a new

translation from the Greek of the New Testament.
Printing Press and Books

● Invention of printing-aided the general spread of

education.
● Early in 15th century-presses were used to make picture
books and playing cards, but printed from crude hand
carved blocks.
● Johann Gutenberg- discovered movable type that books
could be printed quickly and cheaply.
Printing Press and Books

● Handwritten books- sometime preferred in fine

libraries.
● Bible-most in demand book and beautifully printed
editions of Cicero and Plato.
● Books were so expensive in Early Modern Times that
they had to be chained to the shelves as protection
from thieves.
Renaissance Literature

● 16th century (Europe)- human interest was expressed in

the literature of many countries.
● Miguel de Cervantes- best known of all Spanish authors.
- poet, novelist, play-wright, and soldier.
● Nicolo Machiavelli- Italian writer
-vigorous prose style, cynical and witty dramas, and his
ideas about government.
Renaissance Literature

● William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

-English poet and playwright
-impressed people as a handsome man of pleasant
manners who picked up ideas quickly from other men
of his profession.
Thank
You….