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Education was primarily an informal process focused on survival skills, religious beliefs, and cultural transmission within the family and community. Children learned through observation, imitation, and oral tradition.
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The development of writing systems in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China led to the first formal schools. These institutions were typically reserved for elites and trained priests, scribes, and administrators.
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Education evolved beyond vocational training to include philosophy, logic and physical training. Figures like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle established models of critical inquiry and higher learning.
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Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church became the primary preserver and provider of education through monastic and cathedral schools. The curricula centered on religious doctrine, Latin, and arts.
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A renewed interest in the classical world led to Humanist education, shifting the focus from purely religious studies to human potential and classical languages (Latin and Greek), History, and moral Philosophy to create well-rounded citizens.
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John Amos Comenius, a Czech philosopher, wrote “The Great Didactic”, advocating for a universal system of education for all children (boys, girls, rich, and poor) and promoting a methodology based on nature, moving from the simple to the complex. -
This period emphasized reason, science, and individual liberty. Educational goals shifted toward cultivating rational, autonomous citizens capable of critical thinking, challenging religious and monarchical authority.
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English philosopher John Locke introduced the concept of the “Tabula Rasa” (blank slate) in his “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”, emphasizing that knowledge comes from sensory experience and reason. His “Some Thoughts Concerning Education” promoted physical health, moral character, and rational thinking. -
Rapid industrialization needed a more disciplined and literate workforce. This rapid grow period demanded widespread primary schooling to provide basic literacy and numeracy skills for factory and clerical work.
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In his novel "Emile", Rosseau argued for an education that followed the natural development of the child, free from the corrupting influence of society. He stated that a child's education should be experiential and age-appropriate. -
He was a German philosopher who viewed education's goal as transforming individuals from dependent beings into autonomous, moral agents who could use their own reason. His lectures on pedagogy emphasized discipline and the development of independent thinking. -
The revolution prioritized secular, free, and compulsory public education to instill republican and nationalistic virtues. The goal was to replace Church and monarchical influence with a system designed to create loyal citizens of the state. -
In many Western nations, this period marked the widespread establishment establishment of state-funded, secular, and compulsory primary education systems. Figures like Horace Mann in the U.S. promoted common schools to achieve social stability and equality.
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Swiss reformer who developed a method of education centered on all aspects of the child's life (intellectual, moral, and physical). He emphasized direct sensory experience and importance of a loving, family-like school environment. -
The need for a trained public school teachers led to the creation of Normal Schools. The first one in the U.S. was founded in 1839. These institutions formalized pedagogy and curriculum delivery, professionalizing the teaching career. -
This century saw the mass expansion of secondary and higher education, the formalization of educational Psychology, and a growing reliance on standardized testing for placement and evaluation, like the rise of the College Admission Examination Board.
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She was an Italian physician who opened her first "Casa dei Bambini" (Children's House) in 1907. Her method focuses on self-directed activites within a "prepared environments", and the use of specialized, sensory learning materials to foster independence and internal discipline. -
He was a Soviet psychologist who proposed the "Sociocultural Theory", which asserts that cognitive development is fundamentally a social process. Some key concepts in this theory include the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding, where learning is mediated through interaction with a more knowledgeable other (MKO). -
A Swiss psychologist renowned for his theories on stages of cognitive development. His work based on the idea that children are active builders of knowledge (Constructivism), creating mental schemas through experience. -
American philosopher who became a champion of Progressive Education, arguing that education should be centered on the child's experience and interests. He also stated that school should prepare students for democratic life by teaching them how to live. His key work, "Experience and Education", was published in 1938