Renaissance. It is derived from the Latin word “renaistre” meaning to be born again. It is considered as the revival of ancient learning brought about by the discovery of the “New World” of Christopher Columbus the fascinating stories of Marco Polo about the wealth and technology of the East, (i.e China under Kublai Khan), the invention of the printing press and other events during the latter part of the medieval period.
Humanism. It was
one of the various philosophies that flourished during the renaissance period.
It is a philosophy which holds the idea that education aims to liberate man
from the oppressive and demanding medieval institutions like the church and the
state so as to enable him fully develop his potentials.
Italian or Individual Humanism
It stressed that individual freedom is a prerequisite to the
achievement of a rich and fulfilled life.
Vittorino Da Feltre (1397-1446) – a school teacher who administered
the Casa Giacosa (Happy House) whose purpose was to educate young boys by the
use of games and other physical and educational activities.
Northern or Social Humanism
The humanistic movement in
Northern European countries like Holland, France Germany and England. This
movement advocated that education is an avenue for societal regeneration.
Desiderius Erasmus (1467-1536) an educator from Rotterdam who wrote book called Liberal Education of Children where he advanced the idea of using games and play and individualized instruction to educate children and prohibited the use of harsh and physical punishment.
Reformation. It was a caused by the massive corruption in the Roman Catholic Church and the sale of indulgences. This movement highlighted the protests of the people who were dissatisfied by the policies of the Roman Catholic Church.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) – Father of Reformation who wrote the 95 theses, denouncing the Catholic Church and posted it in the doorpost of his Cathedral on (Wittenburg) on Octover 31, 1517.
Philip MElanchton – education reformer. He published the “Report of Book of Visitation” which is considered as the first educational survey in history.
Saxony Plan- first public school system based on the “Report”
Catholic Counter- Reformation. It was the response of the Roman Catholic Church to the protests of the “Reformers” led by Rev. Martin Luther. In order to examine the doctrines and policies of the Church, the Council of Trent was convened by Pope Paul III in 1545-1563.
As a result, several changes were instituted in the Roman Catholic Church so as to prevent the Catholics from joining the ranks of the Protestant who at that time were growing in number.
The Catholics realized that the Protestants used education to implement societal reforms and gained the support of the masses. Due to this, the Catholic Church sanctioned the establishments of the different congregation to carry-out her version of educational innovations.
Among them were:
Jesuit Order (Society of Jesus) founder by Ignatius of Loyola
whose aims were: To teach the children to become leaders both of the Church and
the State little learning at a time but emphasized mastery encouraged
competition and rivalry.
Little School of Port Royale
(1637-1660) aimed to develop the moral and religious character of the
child.
Institute of the Brethren of Christian Schools (La Salle Schools) founded by Jean Baptiste de la Salle (1651-1719) who aimed to teach the poor and the underprivileged.
Realism. It was an
educational philosophy which advocates that education should be concerned with
the actualities of life and prepare for its concrete duties. The following were
the proponents of realistic education:
John Milton (1608-1674) – he believed that boys should study formal grammar and formal education must be emphasized he advocated the use of resource persons.
Francois Rabelais
(1483-1553) – he suggested that education should be made attractive rather
than compulsive all learning should be made pleasant he believed that education
should be gained through books
Michael de Montaigne (1533-1592) – he emphasized the use of field trips/education tours in the teaching – learning process and introduced the concept of finishing schools
John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) - he wrote “Orbis Pictus
Sensualism” or the World of Sensible Things Pictured which is considered as the
first textbook on the use of visual aids in classroom teaching
- He organized a school system from pre-school to the university
- He also advocated the following:
- Older children should stay longer in school, and younger ones should stay in school only for a short period a day.
- Morning hours should be devoted for intellectual subjects while subjects for
- Physical and aesthetic development should be given in the afternoon.
- The level of teach-in should be suited to the understanding of children.
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
- He suggested the use of inductive method of teaching
-
He believed that all scientific progress must be
based on nature
Richard
Mulcaster (1531-1611)
- He argued that education should be in accordance with the nature of the child and its aim is
- To secure the expression and development of childish tendencies and not to suppress them.
- He suggested that teachers should be required to obtain university training like
- Lawyers, ministers etc.
-
He developed teacher training colleges (Normal
Schools)
Wolfgang
Ratke (1571-1635)
- He advocated that everything should constantly be repeated to ensure mastery
- He argued that everything should be without compulsion and rote learning should by all means be avoided.
Disciplinism. A
philosophy which believes that education is based on discipline. It advanced
the idea based on Aristotle’s faculty psychology that the human mind is
composed of several faculties such as memory, reason, will, judgement, etc.
And the power in any faculty can be developed through training and proper discipline. It advocated that mastery of mathematics and linguistic ensures mastery of other subjects.
The foremost exponent philosophy was John Locke (1632-1704) who believed that when the child is born his mind cacn be compared to a “tabula rasa” or a ban or a blank tablet and experiences will be the ones to write on that tablet.
Naturalism is an educational philosophy which adhers to the belief that education should be in accordance with the nature of the child. All educational practices should be focused towards the natural development of all the innate talents and abilities of the child.
The outstanding personality involved in naturalism in education was Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) who wrote several books on politics and education like the Social Contract, Emile, etc. Emile is considered as the “gospel of the child’s educational freedom.”
Rousseau believed that man at
birth is naturally good, societal influences make man evil and that the
stronger the body, the more it obeys; the weaker the body, the more it
commands.