Up@dawn 2.0

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Justin Fox(#12) Installment 3

John Locke(1632-1704)


Locke’s experience with public education was quite harsh, he disagreed with the method of education and the teaches, specifically their method of discipline. His schoolmaster at Westminster, Richard Buzby, was known for being harsh. After obtaining multiple degrees, Locke went on to contribute to multiple fields, one being education. He believed that knowledge was gained from experience, that the  human mind started as a tabula rasa or blank slate. This idea was the opposite of the current theories which were based off of  Descartes’ idea of innate intelligence.
He goes on to emphasize that each child is different and have natural tendencies, meaning that the mind can adapt but it has a preference toward how it performs. This could mean something as simple as they are children so they should have a chance to play or that learning should not be forced upon someone, especially a child. He was a firm believer in gaining knowledge from experience.A child, or a person in general, has certain things that they can excel at and certain things that they do poorly. Locke believed that we should focus on the things we can do well, so that we can flourish. The current idea was that if a child doesn’t do well in all their studies, punish them (this was usually done in a physical manner) so that they learn to direct their energy towards what was deemed appropriate.

Locke strongly disagreed with this.Another idea of his was that we, meaning adults and children, should all be exposed to a wide variety of subjects, that are appropriate, in different ways so that the mind is kept flexible. When deciding if a topic is appropriate we should consider current knowledge and mental capabilities, an example would be that latin is above the reach of a child. The point of a variety wasn’t simply for the sake of knowledge but for a “variety and freedom of thinking”and to increase the “power and activity of the mind.”
Sources

1 comment:

  1. "Locke believed that we should focus on the things we can do well, so that we can flourish."

    One of the best ideas anyone ever had!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.