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CHAPTER
7 ANTECEDENTS
OF AMERICAN EDUCATION
OBJECTIVES
Learning outcomes - after reading
the chapter, you will be able to:
- Explain
Quintillion's concept of an ideal teacher.
- List
some of the most important early educators in the
world and explain their contributions to education
- Explain
the early church's influence and role in education.
- Detail
the major educational accomplishment of the early
Eastern societies through to the Age of Reason.
- Analyze
how contemporary educators might use knowledge of
the antecedents of American education to improve
student learning today.
OUTLINE
THE BEGINNING OF EDUCATION (TO
A.D. 476), pages 282-289
- It
is generally believed that human beings have been
on earth for several million years.
- This
chapter is devoted to a brief review of some of
the early educational developments that occurred
long before any formal education took place in the
United States.
- Non-western
education includes the significant contributions
of Hindu Education, Hebrew education, Chinese education,
and African education.
- Western
education includes the significant contributions
of the Greeks and the Romans.
- Age
of Pericles: a period (455-431 B.C.) of Greek history
in which sufficiently great strides were made in
human advancement to generate an organized concern
for formal education.
- Socratic
method: a way of teaching that centers on the use
of questions by the teacher to lead students to
certain conclusions.
- Latin
grammar school: an early type of school that emphasized
the study of Latin, literature, history, mathematics,
music, and dialectics.
- Carefully
read Quintillan's contributions to education found
on pages 287-288.
EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE AGES
(476-1300), pages 289-291
The Dark Ages (400-1000)
- The
Dark Ages was a period in the Western world when
human learning and knowledge not only stood still
but actually regressed - based on political and
religious oppression of the common people.
- Charlemagne
(742-814) realized the value of education and as
ruler of a large part of Europe established schools
and encourages scholarly activity.
- Alcuin
(735-804) served as Charlemagne's chief educational
advisor. During this time the phrase "seven
liberal arts" came into usage: grammar, rhetoric,
logic, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy.
The Revivial of Learning
- Thomas
Aquinas (1225-1274) more than anyone else helped
to change the church's views on learning.
[the College is named after him!]
- During
this time medieval universities were established.
EDUCATION IN TRANSITION (1300-1700),
pages 291-300
- Two
very important movements took place during the transition
period: the Renaissance and the Reformation.
- The
Renaissance represented a rebellion on the part
of the common people against the suppression they
experienced from both the church and the wealthy
that controlled their lives. At that time
masses of common people developed a spirit of inquiry
and demanded a better life.
- The
Reformation had its formal beginning in 1517.
In that year Martin Luther published his 95 theses
which stated his disagreements with the Catholic
Church.
- Ignatious
of Loyola, to combat the Reformation movement, organized
the Society of Jesus (jesuits) in 1540.
- Comenius
is best remembered for his many textbooks, which
were among the first to contain illustrations.
- Locke
was an influential English educator in the 17th
century. He viewed a child's mind as a blank
slate on which an education could be imprinted.
"DOES HISTORY OPEN A DOOR TO
UNDERSTANDING THE PRESENT?"
MODERN PERIOD
(1700-PRESENT), pages 294-299
- The
Age of Reason: the beginning of the modern period
of educational thought: a period in which leading
European thinkers emphasized the importance of reason.
The writings of Voltaire strongly influenced the
rationalist movement.
- Emergence
of the common man: a concept that coincided with
the Age of Reason and emphasized the rights of the
common people for a better life, politically, economically,
socially, and educationally. Rousseau was
a leading thinker promoting these ideas.
- Herbartian
teaching method: an organized teaching method based
on the principles of Pestalozzi that stresses learning
by association and consists of five steps: preparation,
presentation, association, generalization, and application.
- Summary
found on pages 300-301.
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