Historical Foundation of Education

Key Periods in Educational History, 7000 BC to A.D. 1600

Historical Educational Goals Curriculum Agents Influences on

Group or Western
Period Education
To teach group Practical skills Parents, Emphasis on the
Primitive survival skills; to of hunting, tribal elders, role of informal
Societies cultivate group fishing, food and priests education in
7000 B.C.- cohesiveness gathering transmission of
5000 B.C. stories, myths, skills and values
songs, poems,
dances
To cultivate civic Athenian: Athens: Athens: concept
responsibility and reading. private of the well-
identity with city- writing, teachers and rounded, liberally
Greek state; arithmetic, schools; educated person
1600 B.C. - physical Sophists;
300 B.C. Athenian: to develop education, philosophers Sparta: The
well rounded person literature, concept of the
poetry Sparta: military state
Spartan: to develop military
soldiers and military Spartan: drill, teachers, drill
leaders military songs sergeants
and tactics
To develop sense of Reading, Private Emphasis on
civic responsibility writing, schools and ability to use
Roman for republic and then arithmetic, teachers; education for
750 B.C. - empire; to develop Laws of schools of practical
A.D. 450 administrative and Twelve Tables, rhetoric administrative
military skills law, skills; relating
philosophy education to civic
responsibility

To cultivate religious Reading, Mosques; Arabic numerals

commitment to writing, court and computation;
Arabic Islamic beliefs; to mathematics, schools re-entry of
A.D. 700 - develop expertise in religious classical
A.D. 1350 mathematics, literature; materials on
medicine, and scientific science and
science studies medicine
Historical Educational Goals Curriculum Agents Influences on
Group or Western
Period Education
To develop religious Reading, Parish, Establishing the
commitment, writing, chantry, and structure, content,
knowledge, and arithmetic, cathedral and organization
ritual; to re- establish liberal arts; schools; of the university
Medieval social order, to philosophy, universities; as a major
A.D. 500- prepare persons for theology; apprenticesh institution of
A.D.1400 appropriate roles crafts; military ip; higher education;
tactics and knighthood the
chivalry institutionalizatio
n and
preservation of
knowledge
To cultivate a Latin, Greek, Classical An emphasis on
humanist who was classical humanist literary
expert in the classics literature, educators knowledge,
Renaissanc -Greek and Latin; to poetry, art and schools excellence, and
e A.D. 1350 prepare courtiers for such as style as
- A.D. 1500 service to dynastic lycee, expressed in
leaders gymnasium, classical
Latin literature; a two
grammar track system of
school school
To cultivate a sense Reading, Vernacular A commitment to
of commitment to a writing, elementary universal
particular religious arithmetic, schools for education to
Reformatio denomination; to catechism, the masses; provide literacy to
n A.D. 1500 cultivate general religious classical the masses; the
-A.D. 1600 literacy concepts and schools for origins of school
ritual; Latin the upper systems with
and Greek; classes supervision to
theology ensure doctrinal
conformity
 Historical Foundation of Education
Key Periods in Educational History, 7000 BC to A.D. 1600

Historical Educational Goals Curriculum Agents Influences on

Group or Western
Period Education
To teach group Practical skills Parents, Emphasis on the
Primitive survival skills; to of hunting, tribal elders, role of informal
Societies cultivate group fishing, food and priests education in
7000 B.C.- cohesiveness gathering transmission of
5000 B.C. stories, myths, skills and values
songs, poems,
dances
To cultivate civic Athenian: Athens: Athens: concept
responsibility and reading. private of the well-
identity with city- writing, teachers and rounded, liberally
Greek state; arithmetic, schools; educated person
1600 B.C. - physical Sophists;
300 B.C. Athenian: to develop education, philosophers Sparta: The
well rounded person literature, concept of the
poetry Sparta: military state
Spartan: to develop military
soldiers and military Spartan: drill, teachers, drill
leaders military songs sergeants
and tactics
To develop sense of Reading, Private Emphasis on
civic responsibility writing, schools and ability to use
Roman for republic and then arithmetic, teachers; education for
750 B.C. - empire; to develop Laws of schools of practical
A.D. 450 administrative and Twelve Tables, rhetoric administrative
military skills law, skills; relating
philosophy education to civic
responsibility

To cultivate religious Reading, Mosques; Arabic numerals

commitment to writing, court and computation;
Arabic Islamic beliefs; to mathematics, schools re-entry of
A.D. 700 - develop expertise in religious classical
A.D. 1350 mathematics, literature; materials on
medicine, and scientific science and
science studies medicine

Historical Educational Goals Curriculum Agents Influences on

Group or Western
Period Education
To develop religious Reading, Parish, Establishing the
commitment, writing, chantry, and structure, content,
knowledge, and arithmetic, cathedral and organization
ritual; to re- establish liberal arts; schools; of the university
Medieval social order, to philosophy, universities; as a major
A.D. 500- prepare persons for theology; apprenticesh institution of
A.D.1400 appropriate roles crafts; military ip; higher education;
tactics and knighthood the
chivalry institutionalizatio
n and
preservation of
knowledge
To cultivate a Latin, Greek, Classical An emphasis on
humanist who was classical humanist literary
expert in the classics literature, educators knowledge,
Renaissanc -Greek and Latin; to poetry, art and schools excellence, and
e A.D. 1350 prepare courtiers for such as style as
- A.D. 1500 service to dynastic lycee, expressed in
leaders gymnasium, classical
Latin literature; a two
grammar track system of
school school
To cultivate a sense Reading, Vernacular A commitment to
of commitment to a writing, elementary universal
particular religious arithmetic, schools for education to
Reformatio denomination; to catechism, the masses; provide literacy to
n A.D. 1500 cultivate general religious classical the masses; the
-A.D. 1600 literacy concepts and schools for origins of school
ritual; Latin the upper systems with
and Greek; classes supervision to
theology ensure doctrinal
conformity
 Historical Foundation of Education
Key Periods in Educational History, 7000 BC to A.D. 1600

Historical Educational Goals Curriculum Agents Influences on

Group or Western
Period Education
To teach group Practical skills Parents, Emphasis on the
Primitive survival skills; to of hunting, tribal elders, role of informal
Societies cultivate group fishing, food and priests education in
7000 B.C.- cohesiveness gathering transmission of
5000 B.C. stories, myths, skills and values
songs, poems,
dances
To cultivate civic Athenian: Athens: Athens: concept
responsibility and reading. private of the well-
identity with city- writing, teachers and rounded, liberally
Greek state; arithmetic, schools; educated person
1600 B.C. - physical Sophists;
300 B.C. Athenian: to develop education, philosophers Sparta: The
well rounded person literature, concept of the
poetry Sparta: military state
Spartan: to develop military
soldiers and military Spartan: drill, teachers, drill
leaders military songs sergeants
and tactics
To develop sense of Reading, Private Emphasis on
civic responsibility writing, schools and ability to use
Roman for republic and then arithmetic, teachers; education for
750 B.C. - empire; to develop Laws of schools of practical
A.D. 450 administrative and Twelve Tables, rhetoric administrative
military skills law, skills; relating
philosophy education to civic
responsibility
 To cultivate religious Reading, Mosques; Arabic numerals
commitment to writing, court and computation;
Arabic Islamic beliefs; to mathematics, schools re-entry of
A.D. 700 - develop expertise in religious classical
A.D. 1350 mathematics, literature; materials on
medicine, and scientific science and
science studies medicine

Historical Educational Goals Curriculum Agents Influences on

Group or Western
Period Education
To develop religious Reading, Parish, Establishing the
commitment, writing, chantry, and structure, content,
knowledge, and arithmetic, cathedral and organization
ritual; to re- establish liberal arts; schools; of the university
Medieval social order, to philosophy, universities; as a major
A.D. 500- prepare persons for theology; apprenticesh institution of
A.D.1400 appropriate roles crafts; military ip; higher education;
tactics and knighthood the
chivalry institutionalizatio
n and
preservation of
knowledge
To cultivate a Latin, Greek, Classical An emphasis on
humanist who was classical humanist literary
expert in the classics literature, educators knowledge,
Renaissanc -Greek and Latin; to poetry, art and schools excellence, and
e A.D. 1350 prepare courtiers for such as style as
- A.D. 1500 service to dynastic lycee, expressed in
leaders gymnasium, classical
Latin literature; a two
grammar track system of
school school
To cultivate a sense Reading, Vernacular A commitment to
of commitment to a writing, elementary universal
particular religious arithmetic, schools for education to
Reformatio denomination; to catechism, the masses; provide literacy to
n A.D. 1500 cultivate general religious classical the masses; the
-A.D. 1600 literacy concepts and schools for origins of school
ritual; Latin the upper systems with
and Greek; classes supervision to
theology ensure doctrinal
conformity