This is an overview of the Medieval concept of spiritual,
intellectual, political and economic education. This outline is
focused on the development of understanding of essential education
foundations from the Chivalric, Guild System, Scholasticism,
Monasticism and Saracenic Education.
Chivalric The age of chivalry extended from the beginning of the
ninth to the sixteenth centuries. A complicated system of political
and personal relationships called feudalism characterized by the
early period of the middle ages and grew among the nobility.
Concerned with both loyalty and property, feudalism focused on land
tenure, binding royalties and serfs together by the
responsibilities of mutual defense and service. The medieval king
or lord rewards his vassal by awarding him a portion of his land
and, in return, each pledge aid and support to the other.To get
young nobles ready to assume their obligations, the institution of
chivalry developed and became the basis for a set of ideals to
guide their education and conduct. The patterns of chivalry were
based upon usages in warfare, religion and courtesy for the upper
class. For warfare, there was training in the skills of fighting on
horseback. The church contributed ideas of honor, generosity,
protection of the weak and loyalty. In addition, there were social
graces and manners fit for the nobility.The word chivalry comes
from the Old French word chevalerie, meaning horse soldiery. But
the term came to mean the code of behavior and ethics that knights
were expected to follow.
TRAINING PREPARATION FOR KNIGHTHOOD
In the middle ages, a young boy in training to be a knight spent
the first years of his life chiefly in the care of the women of his
family. During this time, he learned how to ride a pony and care
for horses.
The PAGEAt seven, he joins a household of another knight or
nobleman and learns how to handle small weapons and learns the code
of courtesy and behavior expected of a knight
The SQUIREAt fourteen, he acts as a valet, a personal servant to
the knight who was his master and sets the table and serves meals.
He keeps the knights weapon in good condition and cares for his
horses. He helps his knight in his armor, attends to him if
injured, rides with him into battles and fights along with his
knight. He also guards prisoners.
The KNIGHTAt twenty-one, any knight could bestow knighthood on
another. Some men were knighted on the battlefield if they had
shown great bravery. He receives his sword and other weapons from
his master or king. The ceremony is solemn in which a prospective
knight takes a bath of purification, dressed in white and spends an
entire night in prayer and meditation.
1. AIMSA system of education for nobility, chivalry aimed to
teach the best ideals. It provided a system of training to
inculcate gallantry towards women, protection of the weak, honesty
in everything and courage at all times.a. Morality To inculcate in
the minds of young nobles the virtues of honor, honesty, courage,
bravery, courtesy, etcb. Responsibility To get the young nobles to
assume their responsibilities, how to manage their own estates, and
how to deal to the lower classes of people.c. Horsemanship To train
the young nobles in horseback warfare, hunting and tournamentsd.
Gallantry To train the young nobles how to deal gallantry with the
ladies of nobility and protection of the weake. Religiosity To
train the young nobles to be devoted to the service of Godf. Social
Graces To train the young girls in the social graces and manners
fit for the ladies of the nobility
2. TYPESChivalric was a form of social training. It emphasized
on military training and social etiquette. Chivalric education was
essentially class education for entrance into aristocracy. This
social discipline taught the young noble to manage his estate and
to acquire the class consciousness of superiority over lower
class.
a) Reading, Writing and little literary learning in the
vernacularb) Social Training. Training in good manners, right
conduct, and social graces. Training of social etiquette has never
been surpassed.c) Military Training. Military training was
emphasized through the acquisition of professional military skills
and made of fighting in warfare a professiond) Religious and moral
training. Participation in Church rites and ceremonies.e) Physical
Training. This was given emphasis
3. CONTENTThe curriculum consisted of:
a) Religion, music, dancing, especially for girlsb) Horse riding
for warfare, hunting, and tournamentsc) Physical exercisesd)
Reading, writing, literature in vernaculare) Good manners, right
conduct, social graces and etiquettef) Household duties such as
sewing, weaving, cooking, embroidery and household management for
girlsg) At the higher level: the curriculum consisted of the SEVEN
FREE ARTS:a. Joustingb. Falconingc. Swimmingd. Horsemanshipe.
Boxingf. Writing and singing verseg. ChessThe pupil did not pay any
fees because he served his master like a valet.
4. AGENCIES
a) The home was responsible for the earliest education; later,
the lords and ladies of the castles were the teachers.b) The fields
of battle were the schools of boys while,c) The courts were the
school for girls.d) Troubadours, ministers and gazetteers served as
agents of education and providers of entertainment.
Using the vernacular, they sang about the noble deeds of the
heroes, beautiful ladies, brilliant deeds of the knights and lords.
They spread the news, gave warnings about impending dangers,
brought messages from allies and friends. Troubadours propagated
learning through their songs
5. METHODSThe methods used were those of imitations, example,
and learning by doing. The motivation was strong desire for social
approval. Discipline was maintained through the ideals of obedience
and sincere adherence to the moral and social standards.
6. DECLINEBy the end of 1200s, several events in Europe led to
the decline of feudalism.
a) An economic revival put more money back into use because
soldiers could be paid. Fewer lords relied on vassals to provide
services of knightsb) The invention of gun powder and of such
weapons as the longbow and the cannon lessened the dominance of the
knightsc) Foot soldiers from Flemish cities defeated French knights
at the battle of Courtal in 1302d) Stone castles occupied by feudal
lords could no ,longer stand against the cannone) Cities grew
wealthier and became more important and rulers have less need of
aristocracyf) People trained in the government service took over
the function that vassals had performed on their serfs
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION Use of vernacular as tool
of teaching The emphasis placed on learning the social graces,
rules of etiquette or good manners and right conduct
THE GUILD APPROACH TO EDUCATION
Towards the end of the Middle Ages, considerable social and
cultural changes were brought about by economic changes. One of
these was the Crusade. The Crusaders increased trade and commerce.
The necessity of transporting the Crusaders resulted in the
development of transportation, trading and banking. The Crusaders
themselves became acquainted with a new lifestyle which created a
multitude of new needs and luxuries. This brought about the growth
of new cities and the rise of new social classes the burgher,
bourgeoisie or the middle class. This new class began to be as
important as the nobles and the clergy and they demanded a
different kind of education for their children.Closely related to
the development of commerce was the strengthening of guilds, an
organization composed of persons with common interest and mutual
needs for protection and welfare.There are two types of guilds, the
merchant guild and the craftsman guild. The merchant guild members
were residents of the same town and artisans who sold their
products. They usually had a monopoly of the retail trade in their
own towns. The skill workers, manufacturers and artisans organized
themselves into craft according to their craft, to protect
themselves from inferior work and undercut prices and to gain
monopoly of production among themselves.
1. AIMS
The new middle class needed a new kind of education that was
practical, thus vocational training was emphasized so that children
were to be prepared for the requisites of commerce and
industry.
2. CONTENT
Elementary instruction in reading and writing were vernacular
and arithmetic was required as preparation for commerce and
industry of the guilds. Masters were required to teach their
apprentice their crafts and also provide adequate religious
instructions.
3. AGENCIES
New types of school developed for the education of burgher
children, the burgher schools which were supported and controlled
by the cities and often taught by priest and lay teachers, the
chantry schools supported by the wealthy merchants for the
instructions of the children of the city, and the guild schools for
the children of the craftsmen.
4. ORGANIZATION
There were three stages of development for the craftsmen, (1.)
Apprentice, (2.) Journeyman and (3.)Master craftsman. As an
apprentice the boy was assigned to master that would teach him
skills of trade, watch over his morals and train him in religion.
In turn, the boy had to work hard and serve his master. The period
of apprentice varied according to the trade. As Journeyman, the
young worker would travel as a paid laborer and go to different
masters. After he had proven his worth, then he became a master, a
full pledged member of a guild.
5. METHOD
The chantry, burgher and the guild schools were operated in much
the same way as monastic and parish schools. The methods used were
example, imitation and practice. They also had dictation,
memorization and the catechetical method. Discipline was severe and
harsh. Education at this point was strictly preparation for
work.
SCHOLASTICISM APPROACH TO EDUCATION
The terms "scholastic" and "scholasticism" derive from
theLatinwordscholasticusand the latter from theGreekwhich means
"that [which] belongs to the school". The "scholastics" were,
roughly, "schoolmen".Scholasticismis a method of critical thought
which dominated teaching bytheacademics("scholastics," or
"schoolmen") of medieval universitiesin Europe from about 1100 to
1700, and a program of employing that method in articulating and
defending dogmain an increasingly pluralistic context. It
originated as an outgrowth of, and a departure
from,Christianmonasticschools at the earliest European
universities.The first institutions in the West to
beconsidereduniversitieswere established in Italy, France, Spain,
and England in the late 11th and the 12th centuries for the study
ofarts,law,medicine, andtheology, such as Schola Medica
Salernitana, theUniversity of Bologna, and theUniversity of Paris.
It is difficult to define the date at which they became true
universities, although the lists ofstudia generaliafor higher
education in Europe held by theCatholic Churchand its
variousreligious ordersare a useful guide.Not so much a philosophy
or a theology as a method of learning, scholasticism places a
strong emphasis ondialectical reasoningto extend knowledge
byinference, and to resolvecontradictions. Scholastic thought is
also known for rigorous conceptual analysis and the careful drawing
of distinctions. In the classroom and in writing, it often takes
the form of explicitdisputation: a topic drawn from the tradition
is broached in the form of a question, opponents' responses are
given, a counterproposal is argued and opponent's arguments
rebutted. Because of its emphasis on rigorous dialectical method,
scholasticism was eventually applied to many other fields of
study.As a program, scholasticism began as an attempt at
harmonization on the part of medieval Christian thinkers: to
harmonize the various authorities of their own tradition, and to
reconcile Christian theology with classical and late antiquity
philosophy, especially that ofAristotlebut also ofNeoplatonism.
Scholasticism in 11thcentury
Sought to integrate the secular understanding of the ancient
world with the dogma implicit in the revelations of Christianity. A
synthesis of learning in which theology surmounted the hierarchy of
knowledge. Peter Abelard, St. Anselm of Canterbury, St. Albertus
Magnus andRoger Bacon
Disciplines in the 12th century
Philosophy Theology Medicine Law (canon and civil)Constituted
the medieval universities beginning in Bologna, Paris and
Oxford.
Scholasticism in 13thcentury
Writings and doctrines of St.Thomas Aquinas
Scholasticism in 14thcentury
Declined, but laid thefoundations for many revivals and
revisitations in later centuries, particularly under Pope Leo XIII
(1897)
Scholasticism in Education
Scholastic = academic, bookish, formalistic, literary,
pedantic>> narrow concern for book learning and formal rules,
without knowledge or experience ofpractical matters
Dominant principle: Faith seeking understanding
Educational purposes
To develop the power of disputation To systematize knowledge To
give individual mastery of this system of knowledge, now reduced
into a logical whole
Scholastic Instruction
2 methods of teaching:>> Lectio disputatio>>>
ordinary quodlibetal
Scholastic Method
3 steps envisaged during thedisputatio:
> prenotes, The proponent provided definitions of the terms
in the thesis, distinctions relating to them and different
positions being held on the thesis various proofs were offered,
first from the authority then from reason objections were restated
and
Scholastics and their textbooks
The Sententiae and Summa Theologica Limitations:> interest in
argument> abstract and metaphysical character> discussion
which possessed no reality
MONASTICISM APPROACH TO EDUCATION
Monasticism comes from the Greek word monachos, a solitary
person, is the ancient Christian practice of withdrawal from the
world in order to dedicate oneself fully and intensely to the life
of the Gospel, seeking union with Jesus Christ. Monk - The regular
clergy, comes from the Greek word monos meaning alone.Monasticism
usually refers to the way of life - communitarian or solitary -
adopted by those individuals, male or female, who have elected to
pursue an ideal of perfection or a higher level of religious
experience through leaving the world. Monastic orders historically
have been organized around a rule or a teacher, the activities of
the members being closely regulated in accordance with the rule
adopted. The practice is ancient, having existed in India almost 10
centuries before Christ. It can be found in some form among most
developed religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, the Sufi
branch of Islam, and Christianity. In the time of Christ, the
Essenes at Qumran were Jewish monksTechnically, monasticism
embraces both the life of the hermit, characterized by varying
degrees of extreme solitude, and the life of the cenobite, that is,
the monk living in a community offering a limited amount of
solitude. Monasticism always entails Asceticism, or the practice of
disciplined self - denial. This asceticism may include fasting,
silence, a prohibition against personal ownership, and an
acceptance of bodily discomfort. Almost always it includes poverty,
celibacy, and obedience to a spiritual leader. The goal of such
practices is usually a more intense relationship with God, some
type of personal enlightenment, or the service of God through
prayer, meditation, or good works such as teaching or
nursingChristian monasticism began in the deserts of Egypt and
Syria in the 4th century AD. Saint Anthony the Great was connected
with the first Egyptian hermits; Saint Pachomius (d. 346), with the
first communities of cenobites in Egypt. Saint Basil the Great (fl.
379), bishop of Caesarea, placed monasticism in an urban context by
introducing charitable service as a work discipline.The
organization of western monasticism is due primarily to Saint
Benedict of Nursia (6th century), whose Benedictine rule formed the
basis of life in most monastic communities until the 12th century.
Among the principal monastic orders that evolved in the Middle Ages
were the Carthusians in the 11th century and the Cistercians in the
12th; the mendicant orders, or friars - Dominicans, Franciscans,
and Carmelites - arose in the 13th century.
Monasticism has flourished both in the Roman Catholic church and
in the Eastern Orthodox churches from earliest Christian times to
the present, being reformed and renewed periodically by dynamic
individuals with new emphases or departures from current practice.
Although Protestantism rejected monasticism in the 16th century,
the Anglican church since the 19th century has sponsored a number
of monastic orders. In its present - day form, Christian
monasticism is often adapted to the cultures or settings where it
is located. Buddhist monks, for their part, continue to play an
important social as well as religious role in contemporary
Southeast Asia and Japan.
ThreeMainPrinciples
-Obedience-Simplicity-Industry
Aim of Monastic Education
Salvation of individual souls- a kind of moral and physical
discipline based on bodily mortification and wordly
renunciationforthesakeofmoraldevelopment.MeasuringtheVirtuesofaMonk-Punishing
his body-fasting-Very little sleep-Wearing course clothing-Assuming
painful bodily posturesThree Aspects of Social
Organizations-Domestic home-Economic structure-Political state
Three Vows of Monastic Education
-Chastity involved giving up the family and all human
relationships.-Poverty meant rejection of all materials in
life.-Obedience included renunciation of rank and distinction.Types
of Monastic Education-Literacy activities-Manual trainingContent of
Monastic EducationThree Rs-Reading-Writing-Arithmetic
Seven Liberal Arts
Trivium QuadriviumGrammar ArithmeticRhetoric GeometryDialect
AstronomyMusicAgenciesandOrganizations-Charlemagne developed the
palace schools for the sons of the nobility in the hope of
producing more leaders of the church and the state.
Method of Instruction-Catechetical Method-Latin language of
instruction
SARACENIC APPROACH TO EDUCATION
Six hundred years after the birth of Christ, a new religion,
founded by Mohammed, took root in Arabia. This religion rose among
the Arabs, who were also known as Saracens, among the Moors of
Spain. The religion Mohammed founded was known as Islam and its
followers, of whatever nationality, were known as Moslems or
Muslims.The greatness of the Saracens was probably due to their
ability to assimilate the best in the intellectual culture of the
people with whom they came in contact and to apply this heritage to
their own specific needs. The western world is indebted to them for
the creation of scientific spirit of investigation and
experimentation and for the invention and improvement of tools of
science. Because of its attractiveness to human nature and its
satisfaction of human longings, Islam prospered.
1. AIMSThe aim of education for the Saracens was primarily a
search for knowledge and an application of scientific facts to the
affair of daily life. For example, science was not merely for
intellectual exercise but for its application to useful arts and
crafts. Reading was studied as a necessity of progress. Medicine
was stressed because it was necessary for life preservation.
Astronomy was studied as an aid to geography and
navigation.Saracenic education aimed at the development of
individual initiative and social welfare-liberal education in its
truest sense. All education began with religious education and
memorization of the Koran. It was a simple religion emphasizing a
high degree of tolerance with the faith. Islam had learned doctors,
teachers and priests but no hierarchy. There was very little need
for education, except for those training for to be teachers of
divinity or philosophy so that education was free to devote itself
to the improvement of life. As a result, Saracenic homes and cities
were equipped with facilities and luxuries that their European
neighbors had not even dreamed of.
2. TYPESIn order to turn out the practical man of affairs,
vocational education was stressed. Intellectual training in the
sciences was the basis of professions. Education was universal,
although not entirely democratic. Elementary education was open to
all boys and girls, higher education was open to the rich and poor,
but the wealthy had some advantages. Financial aid was provided to
needy students so that in those times it would be difficult to find
an illiterate Saracen.
3. CONTENT
The curriculum of Muslim school was the most complete and most
carefully organized in the elementary, secondary and higher levels.
Elementary schools were set up where needed and the universities
and libraries were the best models for the best in Europe. Subject
matter in the elementary level of reading, writing, arithmetic,
religion, grammar and science. At the higher level it consisted of
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, geography,
astronomy, anatomy, pharmacy, medicine, surgery, philosophy,
history, literature, logic, metaphysics and law. What the Muslims
studied and what they discovered were carefully rounded and
classified in libraries. The Koran was taught at all levels.
4. AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONSThe early caliphs were instrumental
in founding of elementary schools, academic, universities and
libraries in their domain. The caliphs became ardent scholars
themselves and they surrounded themselves with the most learned
men. Each mosque established as elementary school. The rich Muslims
donated large sums of money for education. Both universities and
libraries were well-endorsed and were made available to all.
5. METHODSMuslim schools originated the scientific method
(although there was considered use of repetition and drill), the
catechetical method, memorization and lecture. Higher schools
emphasized travel and explanation.
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