Voices Article

The following information comes from the article: The History and Philosophy of Education: Voices of Educational Pioneers by Madonna M. Murphy. Confucius’s Philosophy of Education was to provide all students with an education that would be both practical and moral, and teach them to solve the daily problems of governmental service and bring the best benefits to the people they served. Confucius expected his students to be motivated and active learners who would take the initiative in their learning.

Sappho believed in the education of the whole student and so she gave equal importance to all areas of education. Sappho saw the purpose of education as a finishing school to help these young aristocratic girls develop their social, physical, and emotional potential so as to prepare them for marriage and for taking their place as contributing members of high Greek society. Socrates believed that knowledge could not be transmitted from a teacher to the students, but that students had to discover the knowledge that was within them. Thus, the teacher’s role was to ask the right question so that the students would think about the issue and solve the problem themselves.

Quintilian’s philosophy presented the teachers role as that of an expert who had to take into consideration the developmental level and needs of the students and teach with methods which motivated and stimulated students to learn. In Augustine’s Philosophy, the teacher should take into consideration what his students already know and build on that. The teacher should teach like a father teaches a son, not striving to impart knowledge, but helping the student understand words, signs, and the concepts they represent.

Erasmus recognized the importance of parents teaching children virtues and learning began in early childhood, and preferred a curriculum with a broad general education in all areas worthy of being known. Comenius believed in universal education for all, no matter what their social background, religion, sex, or intellectual ability. He also believed the ultimate aim of education was the religious and moral formation of the child, and that parents are the primary educators.

Rousseau believed that education should be centered on who is taught, rather than what is taught. This was a radical shift where subject matter is no longer the basic element in the educational process, and the teacher is no longer the basic authority figure. I agreed with this philosophy because there is an emphasis on the students, rather than the teacher.