Foundations of Education Lecture 2 PDF

Foundations of Education Historical Foundations of Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Merah Souad Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University Date Introduction Studying the history of education is crucial to comprehending the development of the educational pract...

Foundations of Education Historical Foundations of Education Assoc. Prof. Dr. Merah Souad Faculty of Education and Arts, Sohar University Date Introduction Studying the history of education is crucial to comprehending the development of the educational practices, and origin of the known educational theories, and perception/ideology of education in different communities. Therefore, it helps learners formulate a clear understanding of the current educational patterns, and practices. 1. Education in primitive societies - The primitive time was the time when the homo sapiens or early men grew and developed to become sensible animals. That was between the period of 3,500 and 3.000 B.C - It was the time when they developed some form of mental capacity, which made them gather some implements for hunting, fishing, and farming. -Nomadic and non-nomadic style of life. -Trade and the need to calculate and record the usage of the first writing with graphics. A question to reflect upon??!! What about the Islamic view about the creation and evolution of man? 2. Education in Ancient Societies: Proto (earliest)- Literate Education The proto-literate education was between 3.000 and 1800 b. C. There were great changes around that time, especially at the centers of early civilizations like Mesopotamia and along Rivers Nile and Egypt where there were signs of urban civilizations. (Evang. H. M. Mologan and B. M. Taiwo, Historical Foundations of Education) Settlement and the need for a more organized form of education: The development of the temple during that period, helped greatly in the development of formalized education. The temple was actually a religious institution, but it was also used for keeping records of agricultural, political, and religious activities. As time went on, offices and their occupants were needed to keep the said records for future reference. This initiated the beginning of what looked a bit like a modern or Western form of education. These developments led to the first ever recognized ways of writing, which were known as hieroglyphics. Ancient Egyptians used this form of writing by using pictures or figures of an object to represent a word, syllable, and sentence. The appearance of Ligne-cunéiforme Writing in the Assyrian civilization. Over three thousand years were spent in the employment of this wedge-based writing system. Akkadian and Sumerian, the two main Assyrian languages, were recorded using it. 3. Education during the Greek and Roman Times Greek education involved the careful study of mathematics and science, whereas Roman education did not. This is the main distinction between Greek and Roman education. A. Greek education served as the model for Roman education. Both of these programs were designed exclusively to educate males from affluent and privileged households. Greek education is the type of education that was prevalent in Greece at the time and was designed to support the country's political and social climate. Its goal was to create moral citizens. In Greece, there were two types of education: official and informal. Only males from wealthy households had access to formal education. Due to the fact that private schools were not supported by the government, parents had to pay for them and provide a location for them. The boys were educated at home up until the age of six. The boys from affluent homes then began attending formal school at the age of seven. A trio of schoolmasters oversaw these institutions. They included paid tribes (those who handled the physical side of a child's education), grammatistes (those who taught writing and grammar), and kitharistes (music teachers). By the time these boys were 14 or 16, they ended formal schooling. After that, they were allowed to start a trade, engage in higher education, or join the army. Moreover, being elites, they could enter politics and public affairs. However, even at the peak of Greek civilization, the majority of people were uneducated because of the discrimination in providing formal education. he above-stated education method was not conducted in Sparta. (Remark: Greece then was divided into city-states they were about 1000 but the main ones wereAthína(Athens), Spárti(Sparta), Kórinthos(Corinth), Thíva(Thebes), Siracusa(Syracuse), Égina(Aegina), Ródos(Rhodes), Árgos, Erétria, and Elis) Education at Sparta was aimed at war and battle. There, the boys were given a tough military education, which was organized by the state. Here, girls too were trained alongside boys. Ancient Greece was a patriarchal society, and women were expected to handle the household. The girls were not given formal education. They were only trained by their mothers in domestic chores. B. Roman Education: Roman education was based on Greek education with Roman religious beliefs, politics, and cosmology. Here too, only rich boys received formal education. This meant that poor children and girls were excluded from receiving formal education. The poor boys were then taught to do jobs like running farms, acting, or working on businesses. The girls were taught at home. They were taught music, sewing, doing household chores, and how to be good wives. Children were taught reading, writing, public speaking, arithmetic, Greek, Latin, and literature in Roman schools, in addition to other topics. However, this was determined by their age. Typically, there was just one teacher per room in the schools. The teachers worked a lot of hours for very little pay. The lads were severely punished—whipped or caned—if they gave incorrect responses or spoke without being asked. Since books were highly expensive and rarely used in schools, everything was dictated. 3. Education in Medieval Europe Medieval Europe means the period between the Roman empire and the Renaissance“ Education in the Middle Ages (5th-11th century AD) was mostly based on religion and was virtually exclusively available to children from affluent families. Latin was taught in the monastic and cathedral schools, where pupils were frequently trained for a life in the church. The education obtained by knights was likewise unique. Objectives: i. To make the members literate enough for easy propagation of the gospel. ii. To use education as a tool for stamping out all heretical doctrine and iii. To produce learned church workers (clerks, preachers, and.administrators) 4. Education in Medieval Islam While Europe was living in its darkest ages, Muslims were enjoying the most flourishing stage of their civilization in all aspects. Learning was highly valued among Muslims and seeking knowledge was an activity that was open to all without any discrimination based on race, age, or gender. Education was free for the learners and for the scholars(teachers) as well, because the profession of educating and disseminating knowledge was done for the sake of God like all other activities a Muslim should do. Different educational institutions were established such as mosques, Kuttab, libraries, bookshops (waraqeen), hospitals (bimaristans), Ribats (military bases), and most importantly the establishment of a Madrasah (college for higher learning). Subjects (courses) such as Arabic language, Mathematics, philosophy, medicine, astrology, Chemistry, Science-Biology… etc were taught in madrasahs. However young learners at Kuttabs may study, the Qur’an memorization and the Arabic language. Many endowments (awqaaf) were allocated to sponsor educational activities. Thus, poor and orphan children’s education was taken care of. 5. Education During the European Renaissance Renaissance in the French language means re-birth. It is usually used to indicate the 14th–16th centuries’ classical models that influenced the rebirth of European art and literature. This era can be referred to as a period when the European man re-discovered himself, his potential, and the need to better his lot through scientific pursuit far from the tight grip of the church practiced during the dark ages. The discovery of printing made the dissemination of ideas very easy and cheap throughout Europe and beyond. During the Renaissance period, a lot of educational materialwas heavily influenced by language and literature. Grammar studies from ancient literature with "moral, political, and historical content" were part of basic education Humanism is the most prominent characteristic of the Renaissance. It is a complex notion pulling together three interlocking elements: a belief in man as a proper focus of study (in literature, art, philosophy, politics, etc.); a revival of the classical learning of the Greeks and Romans (for whom man was the only and logical focus of study); and the concrete work on reviving and correcting classical texts and language and creating new works in the style of the classics. Renaissance thinkers believed man to be a proper focus of study precisely because God had created him in His image and had endowed him with a “spark of the divine”: the ability to create (intellectually and artistically). This is the opposite of the focus of education in the Dark Ages where God was the only proper focus of study—thus the emphasis on theology and canon (church) law in the universities and the ignoring of (and in some cases the actual destruction of) works by Greco-Roman (pagan, non-Christian) writers. (Values of the Renaissance, Retrieved from https://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/class- materials/Values_of_the_Renaissance.pdf ) Remark: Refer to this link for more reading. A normal Renaissance education was based on a humanist curriculum, placing importance on developing both mind and body in order to develop a student into a well-rounded adult. The roots of gender equality took root as girls were able to enroll in schools and receive the same education as boys. 6. Education in the Era of Realism and Naturalism:17th Century Educators like Francis Bacon (1561 – 16260) John Amos Comenius (1592 - 1670), John Locke (1537 - 1704) and others promoted a realistic approach to education. Their view includes the use of reason to discover truth; man to discover himself, the use of practical methods of teaching contents to center on learners, interest and ability the need to study branches of knowledge; teaching of virtue; division of education to levels; freedom to explore the environment and exposure scientific pursuit. 7. Era of Naturalism; 18th Century AD (Naturalistic education) In this era education focused on the nature of the child. The following ideas were emphasized by the naturalists especially J. J. Rousseau (1712 - 1778), Marquis de Condorcet (1743 - 1794): State should control and provide education; education should be for all; education should be child centered: study of psychology; citizenship education; training of teachers; provision of relevant books for teacher and division of education into levels. All these laudable ideas later influenced education in the 19th and 20th Century AD 8. Education from the 19th — 20th Century ADMore of the theories and the educational ideas advanced by educational philosophers and practitioners helped in advancing education during these two centuries. The ideas of Pestalozzi (1745 -1827), John Fredric Herbert (1776 - 1841) Fredrick Frobel (1782 - 1852). Robert Owen (1771- 1855), William James (1782- 1852), and Dewey (1859- 1952)influenced the development of education tremendously in Europe, America-and the entire world. Some of their views that aided the transformation of education include: The need for practical-oriented education; direct sense experience; child-centred education; home atmosphere to prevail in schools; vocational education for self-reliance; self- activity for children; adopting education for promotion of a good society; physical science in schools and experimental learning. The Industrial as well the French Revolution that took place in the 18th century AD also aided the development of education in the 19th and 20th centuries AD. For instance, the manufactured goods produced through scientific and technological methods proved the viability of scientific pursuits previously agitated for by the realists, the naturalists, and other philosophers. Hence the gradual inclusion of science in the European school curriculum. The main traits of this era are the rise of Mass education and national educational systems (Refer to lecture one) Conclusion Education has evolved drastically over time. Humanity began storing and transmitting knowledge through word of mouth, passing down information about animals, plants, and the land to each succeeding generation. Formal education is said to have begun in Greece at around 4 BCE. In fact, the word “school” comes from the Greek word “schole”, which means “leisure”. This provides insight into how education was perceived back then; as an enjoyable activity rather than a chore.(The evolution of Education: Past, Present & the Future, 2022. Retrieved from https://cainz.org/11210/ )  Thank you Date