Overview 3.1: Key Periods in Educational History

overvieW 3.1

Key PeriOdS in educatiOnal hiStOry

Historical Group or Period Educational Goals

Preliterate societies 7000 bCE–5000 bCE to teach group survival skills and group identity

China 3000 bCE–1900 CE to prepare elite officials to govern the empire according to Confucian principles

Egypt 3000 bCE–300 bCE to prepare priest-scribes to administer the empire

Judaic 1200 bCE to present to transmit Jewish religion and cultural identity

Greek 1600 bCE–300 bCE

Roman 750 bCE–450 CE

Arabic 700 CE–1350 CE

Medieval 500 CE–1400 CE Athens: to cultivate civic responsibility and identification with the city-state and to develop well-rounded persons; sparta: to train soldiers and military leaders

to develop civic responsibility and commitment for the republic and then empire; to train administrators and military leaders

to construct commitment to Islamic beliefs; to develop expertise in mathematics, medicine, and science

to develop commitment to Christian beliefs and practices; to prepare individuals to assume roles in a hierarchical society

Renaissance 1350 CE–1500 CE to educate classical humanists in Greek and Latin literatures; to prepare courtiers to serve leaders

Reformation 1500 CE–1600 CE to instill commitment to a particular religious denomination; to cultivate general literacy

Students

Children in the group

Males of the gentry class

Males of upper classes

Children and adults in the group

Male children of citizens; ages 7–20

Male children of citizens; ages 7–20

Male children of upper classes; ages 7–20

Male children of upper classes or those entering religious life; girls and young women entering religious communities; ages 7–20

Male children of aristocracy and upper classes; ages 7–20

boys and girls ages 7–12 in vernacular schools; young men ages 7–12 of upper-class backgrounds in humanist schools

Instructional Methods Curriculum Agents Influence on Modern Education

Informal instruction; children imitating adult skills and values

Memorization and recitation of classic texts Memorizing and copying dictated texts

Listening to, memorizing, reciting, analyzing, and debating sacred texts; reading and writing for literacy

Drill, memorization, recitation in primary schools; lecture, discussion, and dialogue in higher schools

Drill, memorization, and recitation in primary schools; declamation in rhetorical schools Drill, memorization, and recitation in lower schools; commentary and discussion in higher schools Drill, memorization, recitation, chanting in lower schools; textual analysis and disputation in universities and in higher schools

Memorization, translation, and analysis of Greek and Roman classics

Memorization, drill, indoctrination, catechetical instruction in vernacular schools; translation and analysis of classics in humanist schools survival skills of hunting, fishing, food gathering; stories, myths, songs, poems, dances Confucian classics Parents, tribal elders, and priests Emphasis on informal education and stories to transmit skills and values

Government officials Written examinations for civil service and professions

Religious or technical texts Priests and scribes

the torah, laws, rituals, and commentaries Parents, priests, scribes, and rabbis

Athens: reading, writing, arithmetic, drama, music, physical education, literature, poetry sparta: drill, military songs, and tactics Athens: private teachers and schools, sophists, philosophers sparta: military officers Placing educational authority in a priestly elite; using education to prepare officials Concepts of monotheism and a covenant between God and humanity; religious observance and maintaining cultural identity. Athens: the concept of the well-rounded, liberally educated person sparta: the concept of serving the military state

Reading, writing, arithmetic, Laws of twelve tables, law, philosophy Reading, writing, mathematics, religious literature, scientific studies Private schools and teachers; rhetorical schools

using education to develop sense of civic commitment and administrative skills Mosques; court schools Arabic numerals and computation; reentry of classical Greek texts to Western educators

Reading, writing, arithmetic, liberal arts; philosophy and theology; crafts; military tactics; and chivalry

Latin, Greek, classical literature, poetry, art

Reading, writing, arithmetic, catechism, religious beliefs and rituals; Latin and Greek; theology Parish, chantry, and cathedral schools; universities; apprenticeship; knighthood

Classical humanist educators and schools such as the lycée, gymnasium, and Latin Grammar school Vernacular elementary schools for the masses; classical schools for the upper classes Established structure, content, and organization of universities as major institutions of higher education; the transmission of liberal arts; institutionalization and preservation of knowledge An emphasis on literary knowledge and style as expressed in classical literature; a two-track system of schools A commitment to universal education to provide literacy to the masses; the origins of school systems with supervision to ensure doctrinal conformity; the dual-track school system based on socioeconomic class and career goals

> PHoto 3.1 student and teacher preparing for examinations in nineteenth century imperial China.

Or 11539 fol.89v Taking a pulse, from an album of scenes of life in China (w/c on paper), Chinese School, (19th century)/British Library, London, UK/© British Library Board. All Rights Reserved/Bridgeman Images

Confucius sought to identify and replicate the behaviors that traditionally had maintained peace, security, and tranquility in the past. Students were to learn ritualized ways of acting that they could apply to the situations they met in their lives. As you construct your educational philosophy and reflect on the purposes of education, compare and contrast Confucian and contemporary American ideals and values. How will you define civil behavior and values? Will these values reflect traditional standards or will they be open ended? In China, teacher–student relationships followed formal hierarchical rules of approved behavior (Photo 3.1). In schools, teachers were to respect and obey the headmaster or principal; teachers were to respect their colleagues, especially older more experienced teachers; students were to respect their teachers; and students were to respect each other, with younger students respecting older ones. Each of these levels carried duties and obligations. Respect for education and teachers is important in schools in China, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan where Confucianism

timeline

ancient china

t o c k. com s Zhuhe2343603 /Sh ut t e r 560 BCE birth of Lao tzu, founder of taoism

551 BCE birth of Confucius

519 BCE Confucius establishes first school

481–256 BCE Warring states period 479 BCE Death of Confucius

256–206 BCE Ch’n Dynasty, centralized civil service

2000 BCE 1500 BCE 1000 BCE 500 BCE 0

1776–1050 BCE shang Dynasty: development of hierarchical society, writing, rites, and ancestor worship 1050–256 BCE Zhou Dynasty