Socrates
This philosopher emphasized critical thinking by expecting his students to examine underlying assumptions and use reasoned thought.
Socrates
This philosopher was a student of Socrates, and his educational aim was to discover and develop each individual’s abilities.
Plato
This philosopher was a student of Plato, and he believed that a person’s most important purpose in life was to serve and improve humankind.
Aristotle
One of the most influential Roman educators and philosophers who believed that knowledge was not inherent and could only be acquired through proper training and education.
Quintilian
This was considered an essential part of education in America’s original colonies.
Greco-Roman history and literature was considered an essential part of education in the American colonies.
What was Socrates’ fundamental principle?
“Knowledge is virtue”
In this writing by Plato, he suggests that a society should contain three classes of people: artisans, those who do manual work, soldiers, those who defend society, and philosophers, those who advance knowledge and rule the society.
Republic by Plato
What did Aristotle believe was the purpose of school and education?
He thought the purpose of schooling was to develop dispositions and habits that exercise reason and forming a human's ethos.
Quintilian’s writing became very influential in the 1400’s during which movement in education?
The humanistic movement in education
What was the purpose of education in ancient Greece?
In all the Greek city-states, the purpose of education was to produce good citizens.
What is the Socratic Method?
A method of teaching that centers on the use of questions by the teacher to lead students to a certain conclusion. He believed answers were the steps to deeper questions.
How did Plato regard education?
Plato regarded education as a means to achieve justice. According to Plato, individual justice can be obtained when each individual develops his or her ability to the fullest.
What are the four aspects that Aristotle considered important in education?
(1) the integrity of knowledge, (2) wonder as the beginning of knowledge, (3) oral communication as a specific way of creating knowledge, and (4) knowledge as a necessary element of way of life.
In this set of 12 books, Quintilian describes current educational practices, recommended the type of educational system needed in Rome, and listed the great books that were in existence at that time.
The Institutes of Oratory by Quintilian
What were “Latin Grammar Schools” in ancient Rome?
These schools were the beginning of structured school systems in Rome and were very similar to the secondary schools of today. They offered study in Latin, literature, history, math and music.
What did Socrates believe about education?
He believed that learning came from within and that the best and most lasting way to bring latent knowledge to awareness was through the process of continual questioning and unconventional inquiry.
How did Plato contribute to the American Education system?
Plato believed that education should be general versus specialized, calling for a well-rounded learning experience, where each person should learn a little bit of all subjects.
How did Aristotle contribute to the American Education system?
Aristotle’s key contributions to American education are his idea of organizing knowledge into separate “subjects.” He also stressed the importance of liberal education and its place in higher education.
Quintilian was a teacher of rhetoric, and he stated that the five aspects of telling a good “speech” consisted of:
Invention, arrangement, expression, memory, and delivery or action.
How did Greek education contribute to modern education?
Greek education contributed the idea of a balance between mental and physical education, which was why much took place in the gymnasium. It also contributed the idea of higher education conducted by a mentor interacting with a small number of students in dialogue.