HISTORY OF EDUCATION

EDF 1203

Week 3
MS. NILA AKINYI ODUORI
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOUNDATIONS AND PSYCHOLOGY
EDUCATION IN ANCIENT SOCIETIES

Education In Greece
 Introduction

The Greeks inhabited European land at around 320 BC. They lived in fifty states- 20 in number. The great people
were Spartan and Athens. The people were united by common ancestry, language and Religion but other than
that, they were usually disunited due to individualism except when they faced extreme danger during external
invasion. It is the romans that called them ‘Greeks’ but they called themselves, ‘Hellens’, being their name for
Greece. The society was made of various social classes: Higher classes had the privileges of getting education
and religion. The poor were not.
Education among the Greeks was meant to prepare the youth to be perfect citizens and religious uprightness.
However, the Greece did not focus too much in religion as other civilizations.
In terms of culture, the Greeks had important literally works-that talked of Greek civilization and were written by
Homer. ILLIAD AND ODYSSEY: These works were build from the Greek myth, legends and folk tales and touched
on the habits and lifes of the Greeks. And also works by Hesiod, ‘Theogony’ and ‘works and days’. These works
Illiad and odyssey were among the 1st books taught in school.
On religion, they were polytheistic. Their gods where considered to be powerful and dwelt on Mount Olympus.
Zues was the chief god, Hera was the wife of Zeus, Demeter was the mother of earth, Athena was the goddess of
wisdom and protector of Athens, Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty, Apollo the god of sun e.t.c. The
political life was carried out on acropolis (ancient City). Each state had its own governance. Social life, they
enjoyed Olympic games: 476 BC. There was music, dance, drama, athletics, literary contexts among others.
 Their Education

They had both Old era and New era education. The Old education was militaristic and highly religious
and was represented by the Spartan education whilst the New education was intellectual and highly
philosophical and was represented by Athenian education.
Spartan education
Spartan was the strongest state military and the society put effort on health and physical fitness for both
genders.
It was composed of 3 classes of people;
Elite citizens-made of soldiers and government officials
Non-citizens-made of craftsmen, merchants and peasants.
States owned serfs, helots, who worked on the land of the Spartan state.
It was a nation of soldiers built on the old aristocratic lines.
 Aims of Education

i. Meant to prepare of soldiers and warriors

ii. Meant to prepare obedient and loyal citizens
iii. Meant to make people modest, caring, and strong in the society
iv. Religion was emphasized to have people who were God-fearing, military and socialized.
v. Education was also aimed at maintaining the status quo
The teachers (master) were rigid, severe and strict. What was emphasized Art of warrior.
 Structure of education

After birth, the child was taken to be inspected by the state.

The children would be exposed ice and snow so that the weakly would die or given over to helots and those who survived
were taken to the parents to develop.
They received education at home through parents, maids etc which involved singing, games, stories, hymns, and lessons on
good behavior.. at age 8, the children were enrolled in military barracks for discipline.
Girls were not taken to the barracks but were offered instruction in gymnastics to ensure they were strong and thus able to
produce strong, brave and resolute men and be mothers of warriors.
Age 18 years- the boys graduated as Cadet Citizen called (ephebi) and he is allowed in professional studies-warfare (how to
fight).
After 2 years as Cadet Citizen, they graduated to manhood (at 20 years).
They were taken to the alter of the God artemis-beaten thoroughly and then given gifts. After this declared adults and a title
(Eiren) –this gave one the right to be elected into a citizen club.
They gained full admission of being citizen at the age of 30 years and then allowed to marry. After marriage, continue living in
the barracks until old age.
Reading and writing were not prominent although they were taught
In conclusion, the emphasis on military training never produced any literature, art, science or philosophy.
 Athens Education
It led other states in terms of thought, art and government. It was the greatest cultural centre of the Greeks. It had
a highly developed government and even used its powers to propagate democracy in other city states. Athens
abolished hereditary mornachy and resorted to an annual elected office of the king.
There were four classes of citizens according to land and property. The two top classes could vote and hold
office, the third class could only vote and the fourth class could neither vote nor hold office. There were also
metics, resident aliens, who were mainly craftsmen and artisans and received extra privileges, being
indispensable to the Athenian economy.
Athens became an empire in 5 BC known as the Golden age. Athens became powerful by the battle with the
Persians.
Teachers were self-employed and charged fees on what they offered- (but belonged to the low class in the
society)
Athens put emphasis on literacy training. Trained people to be creative, imaginative and artistic. Education
focused on physical and intellectual aspects.
There education was general, broad, liberal and elitist. The training of the body was linkied to the training of the
mind so as to achieve physical and intellectual excellence.
Education was to foster science and humanities.
 Structure of education

Here, the father made the decision to expose ice to the child. After this, the child was to undergo
recognition and acceptance in tribal ceremonies. The boys and girls up to the age of 7 years were
taught by their mothers and nurses on good behavior and self control. Girls learnt household arts with
music forming part of their home-based education, they had no access to formal education.
They were to learn and teach their children in the same manner they had been taught.
At the age of 7 years, boys had 2 kinds of training school
i. Gymnastics/wrestling schools for physical training exercises to prepare them for the strains of war and
to develop their bodies.
ii. Music school for literary and music training.
School days ran daily except for the 90 festival and state holidays.
The primary teachers (grammatist) taught reading, writing, counting, music and literature.
The secondary teacher (grammaticus), instructed them in physical training.
 Conti…
 The schoolmaster dictated and the boys wrote down and memorised the dictation. Teaching of reading centered on learning
letters followed by syllables and learning words.
 The had citharists to teach music which emphasized on rhythm, melody and appreciation of measure and time. It helped the
boys learn to participate in religious services.
 Writing consisted of using the stylus to trace letters out of wax tablets, copying exercises, writing ont eh knee and learning
writing with ink on papyrus or parchment.
 Counting using fingers and counting boards were also offered. Old slaves, pedagogues carried the boys’ books to the
schoolmaster’s place
 Boys trained to be gentle and have religious outlook. They were taken to school by slaves called pedagogue (child
attendant)
 After 15 years- The low of the rich went to public gymnasia-which emphasized on physical training and institution on
legislating, judicial and military duties.
 At the age of 18 boy declared mature and qualified as a citizen but enrolled in the military as motive for 2 years.
 At age 20, one acquired full citizenship, then entered into higher learning.
 Therefore, Athen presented an aspect of progressive education of individualistic and democratic conscious people.
Education that provided liberal culture and intelligent society.
 N/B Read on new education Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
 Athens New curriculum
 In the 5th Century the Athenians experienced a period of cultural revolution hence old traitions in
education, religion, morality and people lifestyles changed hence necessitating change in the society
in general. New demands upon philosophy arose the emergence of the sciences of philosophy, ethics
and logic to meet the needs of the new society.
 A new curriculum emerged and was oriented towards the individual, the literary and the theoretical
i.e. geometry, drawing, grammar and rhetoric.
 Education of citizen-cadets was geared towards intellectual development rather than physical fitness.
This period led to the rise of freelace, foreign, peripatetic professors, wisemen, sages, teachers and
sophist (paid traveling teachers) who believed that truth is relative and that there was no absolute
statements of morality. The sophist were skeptical of old Athenian culture and preached a utilitarian
individual type of education.
 As a result, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle offered ideal suggestion as educational solutions attracting
students from all over the world forming roots for European universities
 The university of Athens infact, was as a result of a merger between Rhetoric and Philosophical schools
which was however closed during the middle ages after being condemned to be a centre of pagan
thought.
 Structure of new Athenian Education

Was divided into 3 levels: primary, secondary and higher education

Primary level was taught by grammatist, was attended by 8 to 143 year olds with reading, writing,
arithmetic and chanting being offered.

Secondary level was taught by grammaticus, was attended by 14 to 16 year olds. Geometry, drawing, a
special music course, grammar and rhetoric was offered.

Higher or university education, was attended by 17 year olds and beyond. It laid emphasis on clear
thinking, elaboration and debate rather than on argumentation and prepared youths for public life.
Contribution to modern age

 Herodotus, the father of history was a great historian of the Athenian golden
age
 Hippocrates, the father of medicine disputed the belief that spirits caused
diseases maintaining that it had natural causes and recommended good diet,
fresh air and rest for healthy living
 It was during this era that great strides in science and medicine were made i.e.
it was discovered that the brain is the center of sensation and that blood
moves from the heart to the rest of the body.
 A model of democracy, citizens would be paid for attending assembly
meetings. Any citizen could initiate a new law and repeal any law provided it
worked, if not, they would be punished.
 Produced eminent philosophers like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle
 Renown Greek Philosophers

Aristotle
 (Aristotalian thought on education): in Politics, he did a critical study of Greek constitution in which he
was a practicalist. In both politics and ethics, he outlined an ideal state system of education to go
with it, a system of education that would perfect members of the society.
 He viewed education in relation to the state, education being of the art of politics. He saw it as an
individual process, a process of self-actualization rather than of mere social engineering. To him, the
purpose of education was to produce virtuous men who were in harmony in body (nature), mind
(habit/soul) and spirit (reason). Producing such men required progressive training, character training
and intellectual training.
 Plato
 Socrates
 Roman Education: Introduction.

By the year 400 B.C Rome was one of the small Latin city states that existed in the Italian Peninsula.
Politically controlled by a federal system with a ruling class called patricians (land owners)
They had a senate of 300 people which made policies to direct the society and their policies were to be
implement by 2 elected consuls and exercised civil, military and religious powers.
They were also plebeians - 2nd class citizens tuitially, they didn’t have power, but later allowed to reflect
their representative assembly and ten tribunes to represent and safeguard their interests.
 Early Roman Education

This was an agricultural society, with traditional beliefs and values. Education meant to transmit the
traditional values to the youths. Through participation in the rituals of the society the young learned to
respect the valued traditions and perpetuate them for purposes of guaranteeing a stable future.
Depending on class for example, a boy of patrician ancestry learned to become a landowner, a dutiful
citizen and a guardian of Rome’ cultural heritage.
The home was the main center for education, and fathers taught sons to the age of 16 in their career
and others i.e. in reading and writing, number work as well as physical and moral training. Girls, on the
other hand, learned the art of home management from their mothers. Children learned through
observation and imitation.
The poor could not provide effective training to their children as the rich. It also became a common
practice to employ slaves to work as teachers of the children.
This civilization paid particular attention to the law and so the education given to the boys on the 12
laws of the 12 tables (laws of the tribe) meant to be memorized and recited.
The education was very practical and apart from reading, writing and arithmetic, physical training
included javeline throwing, sword play, horse riding and weaponary.
 Greek influence on Roman Education

After the Roman conquered the Greek, they took on their education and prisoners of war captured instructed the Romans on
Greek language, thought and literature. These were called Litteratores.
Later, Language teachers (Grammatici) took over instruction and taught the Roman children to read, write and speak Greek.
Greek was considered then as a language of civilization and culture. Greek teachers brought with them textbooks i.e.
Homer’s Odyssey.
Education in Rome became institutionalized, a formal system modeled by the interactions with the Greeks.
There were 3 stages in the new system
Elementary stage: for boys between ages 7 to 12 years. Also known as ludus and was precided over by a teacher
(Ludi/magister/litterator). Emphasis was on acquiring literacy i.e. reading of Odyssey. Boys who attended the ludus were
accompanied by pedagogue, who would act as a tutor. The elementary schools were private and not supervised by the
state-emphasis on discipline
Secondary stage: from age 12 to14 years. Here, the Greek grammar schools took over the boys ages 10-16 years taught
Greek Grammar, composition, poetry and History.
Latin Grammar school also taught the Roman vernacular, Latin Grammar, Rhetorics, Arithmetic, Geometry, music Astronomy
and Dialections.
For higher studies, roman youths aged 16 to 18 years attended Rhetorical schools: The purpose to train orators were they
imparted skills in speech for politicians, to influence crowds to vote, inspire groups in times of war. The orator was the model of
an educated person.
 Cont…
The roman conception of oratorical/rhetorical education influenced Quintillian (35-95 A.D)
He was the most influential educator produced by the Romans and was preoccupied by training of
orators. He wrote his educational works on orator an year by his death in 94 A.D called Instutio-oratoria
(How an orator should be formed)
He emphasized on steps of human development on 3 categories. First and foremost, He adovated for
teacher knowledge of abilities and natural aptitude of each pupil which serves a starting point for proper
preparation and delivery of content.
1ST STAGE
He says that from birth to 7 years-the action are focused on immediate needs and desires.
The early childhood years are important for future education of the child and advocates for the right
companions of the child
The parents have to target high standards for the child as they always learn through imitation.
He was opposed to private tutoring, but preferred to large classes than teach one-since it is a waste of
time and talents (proposed-group learning) as there is exchange of ideas among students
2ND STAGE 7-14 years
He says that the child learn from sense experience
He develops his memory, reads and write the language
The teacher be competent enough to make learning good enough and should focus on the interests of
the child
He takes of apperception (previous experiences are important to understanding present/new
experiences.
He proposed that the teacher should begin their lessons from the achievement level of the students.
He talks of principal of readiness-tells teachers to go step by step on their teachings
It is important to engage learners in recreational activities-physical exercises e.t.c, and for teachers to
change subjects
Advocated for stern and severe punishment and those who don’t punish are mediocre, however,
corporal punishment shouldn’t be used, since it degrades a person.
3rd stage 14 -17 years
The students study liberal arts to develop their reasoning capacity-latin and Greek Grammar and prepare
the learners for rhetoric. Rhetorical meant to broaden the previous mind of the learner and ready to serve
the society
Rhetorical studies include history, law, philosophy, science etc.
The 1st universities emphasized on rhetorics on the 12th Century.
The roman church took on the Latin language and through this were able to influence the western
civilization.
N/B Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speaking or writing
Plato: advocated for education that produces philosopher king grounded on arithmetic, geometry,
astronomy and harmonics to aid imagination and not for practical application.