John Locke's Contribution To Education

Introduction

It was the founding father, Thomas Jefferson, that declared Locke to be one of the three most influential men to ever have lived and even the French philosopher Voltaire called Locke, “the man of greatest wisdom.” The English philosopher, John Locke, has made significant contributions to philosophy, education, and government and is highly acclaimed as one of the greatest thinkers of all time. This paper will provide a brief biography, which yields insight to his educational philosophy, an overview of two historical writings on education, and modern day influences of Locke’s contributions to the world of education.

A Brief Biography John Locke grew up wealthy family, in the countryside of England, homeschooled by his father. He

Instead, he believed that one should develop their opinions and beliefs based on reason and observation. Locke’s analysis of the mind and the way it acquires knowledge revealed progressive ideas about reforming education.

A few years later, he wrote, Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) in which he revealed even more revolutionary, if not rebellious, ideals about education. Most dominant, was his opposition of the approach that education should teach submission to authority. In contrast, Locke believed that one should be educated in order to obtain liberty (Powell, 1996). Furthermore, Locked denounced the mindless rote memorization of classical languages, and instead, championed practical, common sense education (Conolly). In fact, Locke urged that in addition to language, grammar, and mathematics, each student should learn a manual

In fact, he claims in much of his writings that learning to think well is the most important thing one can do. He opposed the common thought that children were unable to reason. In fact, he explained, “they love to be treated as rational creatures, sooner than is imagin 'd" (Locke, 1693, Part V, Section 81). Locke desired that curiosity be fostered in children and that questioning be encouraged (Sinclair, 2015). Like Socrates, Locke believed that critical thinking should be developed by discussion and inquiry. His philosophy surmised that there was a connection between the ability to reason and think for oneself, which ultimately he hoped would reflect the learner’s ability to question authority (Ugalis, 2016). Beyond championing freedom of thought, Locke’s pedagogical philosophies are intended to foster moral, responsible