LESSON 1

INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY OF EDUCATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, we are going to discuss the purpose of learning history of education as teacher
trainees. We shall discuss the meaning of the terms, “history” and “education” so that it may
help us to understand the meaning of history of education. We shall then look at the scope of
the unit.

1.2 OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
1.2.1 Define the terms, “history, education, and history of education”.
1.2.2 Explain the reasons for studying history of education as a teacher trainee.
1.2.3 Describe the scope of the unit from the ancient times to the present.
1.2.4 Describe the evolution of education during the prehistoric period.

1.2.1 DEFINITION OF HISTORY, EDUCATION AND HISTORY OF

EDUCATION.
a) Historians have defined history as:
 The record of all past human experience, showing how groups of people are and how
they came to be. It is concerned with political, social, economic, scientific and
technological factors and events, which have shaped the growth and development of
mankind.

b) Education has been defined by some educationists as:

 The total process by which human abilities and behaviour is developed;
 The organized and continuous instruction aimed at imparting knowledge, skills, attitudes
and understanding necessary for full participation in life.
 Education is also seen as a social process through which a member of a society achieves
individual growth and development and social competence, carried out in selected and
well-defined institutional settings.

c) History of Education could be defined as:

 The study of the past development of educational systems, theories, practices and
institutions within the general historical framework of political, social, economic,
scientific, technological and cultural changes that different societies have gone through
over time.

1.2.2 REASONS FOR STUDYING HISTORY OF EDUCATION

History of Education is studied for the following reasons:

(a) Improving the quality of education

  There are many lessons that can be learned from the study of the past educational
experiences that will help improve the present educational theory and practice.
 The problems and challenges that are experienced in education sector today may be
similar to those others have faced and attempted to solve with varying degrees of
success or failure.
 We can adopt their successes and avoid their mistakes in attempting to improve our
education.
 History of education is rich in both failures and breakthroughs for us to run away
from or copy, respectively.

(b) Strengthening the professional competence of the teacher

 A proper study of the history of education affects the way in which teachers or student
teachers conduct their personal and professional activities.
 The subject contributes to strengthening both by encouraging the teacher to examine,
evaluate, accept or modify the cultural heritage.
 Assist the teacher to become an educational critic and agent for intelligent cultural
transmission and change, rather than blindly accept the educational status quo, ideas,
practices and unchallenged claims. An examination of educational theories and practices
in their historical context encourages teachers to adopt a critical attitude towards present
theories and practices.

(c) Understanding our own educational systems better.

 The past illuminates the present.

 History not only teaches what education is, but also where it came from, why it came to
be, and what it is bound to become in the future.
 History of education is a narrative of the origins, growth and development of educational
institutions, methods, concepts, aims, curricular, theory and practice without which they
would appear new, unexplored, and untried to us in the present world.
 History of education thus helps us to appreciate the road travelled by education to reach
where it is today.

(d) Making comparisons within a historical perspective

 History of education helps one to draw comparisons of the origins and development of
several different ideas, practices and theories of education in different societies. This
enhances the formulation of better ideas, patterns and principles and provides a larger
perspective.
 It may also enable one to draw from and act imaginatively using a broader range of
humanity than that represented by a single cultural experience.
 It is also able to show the development of a particular theory and practice in historical
context, and demonstrate the particular conditions out of which such a theory or practice
arose and the specific purpose it was intended to serve.
 Making comparisons within a historical perspective enables one to use the power of
contextual study to introduce innovation by formulating new and better questions,
generating fruitful hypotheses and initiating unexplored lines of inquiry.
(e) Satisfying intellectual curiosity

 History of education is like other areas of knowledge, with its own body of knowledge
and conventional methods of acquiring this knowledge.
 Human beings, including teachers and teachers-to-be possess the inherent desire or
curiosity to explore and know what education is, where it came from, and where it is
going. Studying history of education satisfies this inmate desire. One need not go beyond
this reason to justify the study of history of education.

(f) Developing powers of thinking.

 The fruitful study of history of education compels us to train and exercise all our aspects
of intellectual activity, excites curiosity and the spirit of inquiry, disciplines the faculty of
reason, and cultivates the arts of self-expression and communication.
 Historical study is also basic to cultivating the attitudes of the mind that characterize the
educated person, the habits of skepticism and criticism; of thinking with broad
perspective and objectivity; of distinguishing between the good and the bad in human
experience.
 The historical study of education gives one the discerning eye to give shape, form,
organization, sequence and interrelationship and relative importance of ideas.

(g) Exposing one to knowledge in other disciplines.

 Historians of education must always go beyond the confines of their discipline to fully
understand the nature of the phenomena they study.
 They particularly need to be acquainted with the social sciences such as sociology,
psychology, philosophy and comparative education, which can be used in a mutually
enriching way to analyse important educational ideas.
 Scholars in each discipline must of necessity all draw from history as it contains the raw
record of human experience, and sets the context of events in a time continuum within
which other disciplines must operate.
 The study of history of education thus exposes one to knowledge in other social sciences
and humanities, which are engaged in the study of human affairs.

1.2.3 THE SCOPE OF HISTORY OF EDUCATION

The scope of the History of Education embraces the description, elaboration and analysis of the
formal, informal and non-formal aspects of education.

E-tivity 1.2.1. Aspects of education

Title Aspects of Education

Purpose To help you identify the different aspects of education, their
examples and characteristics.
Brief summary of Read the articles below and identify the types of education
the overall task
 i) https://examplanning.com/types-education-formal-informal-
non-formal/

ii) https://www.efet.co.za/what-are-the-different-types-of-
education.html

Individual Task a) Using bullet points, list the three types of education.

b) Identify three examples of each type of education in a)

above
c) List three characteristic of each type of education.

Interactions begin a) Post three characteristics that clearly describe each type of
education .
b) Provide feedback on the learners’ views and ideas on the
type of education.
E–moderator i) Ensure that learners are focused on the contents
interventions and context of discussion.
ii) Stimulate further learning and generation of new ideas.
iii) Provide feedback on the learning progress.
iv) Close the e-tivity

Schedule and Time This task should take 40 minutes

Next Education and the early man

 In the context of formal, informal and non-formal education processes, history of

education in this unit will deal with the foundations of modern education since the
ancient times in selected regions in the World, Christian Education, Islamic Education,
the Renaissance, Reformation and Counter-Reformation, African Indigenous Education,
and the development of Western Education in Africa with special reference to Kenya,
from the colonial to the post-colonial periods.

 The scope of History of education is very wide and therefore, only carefully selected
topics will be covered to represent educational experiences from early civilization to the
present.
1.2.5 EDUCATION AND THE EARLY MAN
1.2.4.1 Introduction
 Man has existed on earth for between 0.5 and 1 million years. from 500,000 and
75,000 years ago, man refined the tools that he used. There was a great change in
human culture from 75,000 to 20,000 years ago as early man started to express
himself through art.
 During this period the life was very simple.
 Their means of livelihood were hunting and gathering wild fruits and vegetables
 They lived in crude huts
 Organization was tribal and usually headed by the oldest or wisest among
members
 There was no reading or writing
 Information was transmitted through word of mouth, songs, gestures, ceremonial
rites and the like.

1.2.4.2 Aims of Early Man Education

 Security and survival from dangers that could be inflicted by the following:
- Natural phenomena (typhoons, floods, earthquake, fires, etc.)
- Fierce, wild and poisonous animals and reptiles (lions, tigers, snakes and rats)
- Evil spirits
- Hunger because of scarcity of food
- Other tribes which were hostile to them
 Conformity – the interest of one was sacrificed for the interest of the group.
 Preservation and transmission of traditions – the ways they were doing things were the
best and they want to preserve it and be transmitted to the incoming generation.

E-tivity 1.2.2 Evolution of education during pre-historic period

Title Evolution of education during pre-historic period

Purpose To help you identify educational means during the pre-historic
period
Brief summary of Read the articles below and identify educational tools used in
the overall task pre-historic period.
https://www..com/science/article/pii/S1877042815014482
sciencedirect
Individual Task Using bullets list educational tools used in the pre-historic
period.
Interactions begin a) Post three educational tools used in the prehistoric period
b) Provide positive and constructive feedback on the learners
views and ideas regarding educations tools used during the
pre-historic period

E –moderator 1. Ensure the learners are focused on the contents and the
interventions context of discussion
2. Stimulate further learning and generation of new ideas
3. Provide feedback on the learning process
4. Close the activity
Schedule and Time This task should take 20 minutes
Next Types of Education

1.2.4.3 Types of Education

i Vocational – like hunting, constructing a hut
ii Religious (animistic) – learning how to participate in ritualistic practices to please or
appease the unseen spirits.

1.2.4.4 Content to Be Studied

i Education was practical. The young were taught how to manipulate tools, how to hunt
and gather, how to fish, how to cultivate crops and how to build and maintain a house.
The activities were determined by both individual and social needs.

1.2.4.5 Agencies of Education

i Adults served as examples, instructing and demonstrating skills.
ii Environment- for instance, if one happened to step on a thorn and got hurt, he now
became careful not to step on thorn.

1.2.4.6 Organisation and Grades

The classroom was outdoors.

1.2.4.7 Methods of Instruction

All instruction was done informally- merely enculturation of characteristics, skills,
knowledge and attitudes upon children.
1. Observation and imitation from parents
2. Simple telling and demonstration- this is lecture- demonstration nowadays
3. through games
4. Participation- children participated in the work of their parents, initiation ceremonies
and other aspects of communal life.

1.2.4.8 Financing
There was no financing involved since there was no teacher to pay, no learning materials
to buy, and no school to construct because education was strictly informal.

1.2.4.9 Contribution to Education

The primitive man started the rudiments of education from which evolved the modern
educational systems of today.
 1.3 Summary
In this lecture we have discussed the definition of history of education, reasons for
studying history of education which include: improving the quality of education and
strengthening the professional competence of the teacher, making comparison within a
historical context, developing our powers of thinking and exposing ourselves to other
disciplines. We have also discussed the scope which includes formal, informal and
non-formal education together with the development of education from the ancient
civilization to the present.
we have discussed the evolution of education in pre-historic period: the aims, type of
education, content, methods, contribution of early man’s education to present day
education practices

1.4 Self-Test Questions

1. In your own, explain the meaning of history of education.
2. Explain how the study of history of education will enable you become a better teacher.
3. Why is it important to study education of the early man.

1.5 Further Reading

Sifuna, D.N. and Otiende, J.E., (1994). An Introductory History of Education, Nairobi, Nairobi
University Press, Chapter 1.