John Locke placed great faith in the educational process. Education, which leads to understanding, was, according to Locke, the greatest reward available to a reasonable man. Therefore, the common practice during Locke's time of openly punishing miscreant students, thereby promoting education through intimidation, detracted from true understanding, the actual end of education, and violated the very nature of human existence. Consequently, Locke emphasized the practice of "praise in public and blame in private" when dealing with students instead of encouraging understanding through admonishment and reward.
Locke also believed that differences in mental abilities were, to some extent, the result of inherited traits that could not be duplicated by education. However, differences in ideas (God, moral principles) did not result from differences in mental abilities to perceive or communicate those ideas, but were a consequence of differences in experiences.
These thoughts form the basis of Locke’s Empiricism, which states that knowledge is acquired through experience (A major tenet of American Pragmatism). Therefore, because of right education, all are able to achieve virtue and wisdom through self-knowledge and the contextualization of experiences.
Locke was the product of a revolutionary age. The printing press, created during the 15th century, had since established the dissemination of knowledge through the written word. This innovation made learning accessible to all, an occurrence marking the beginning of the period known as the Enlightenment. Spanning 17th and 18th century Europe, the scholars of this era focused their attention to God, reason, nature, and man. The fundamental ideas resulting from their focus included a dedication to reason, a belief in educational progress, and a search for freedom in political institutions. Each of the preceding principles is strongly demonstrated in Locke’s England.
General enlightenment and reason led to the creation of individualism and self-interested motives, which in turn resulted in the mass revolutions of the 18th century. As a political participant, Locke witnessed two Revolutions, the first including the execution of King Charles I followed by the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. The second involved the reinstitution of the Monarchy under Charles II only to be overthrown eight years later.
Schools in the 17th century were characterized by strict rules and severe punishments. Instructors were generally reported to be bad scholars; therefore, education lacked the basic teaching and necessary encouragement characteristic of sound pedagogy. Students did endure relentless beatings at the hands of the schoolmasters, and only the most steadfast students went on to become scholars. Locke’s experiences probably led to his preference for private, individualized education apart form the schoolhouse. According to Locke, inadequate education stressing rote memorization, as emphasized by most educators at the time, was harmful to the mind. He instead professed the technique of scientific psychology, in which tutors observed their students and modified instructions to account for the child’s specific educational needs. Most of the elements specified by Locke as essential to proper education could be strengthened in children through supervised play, or, more aptly, from things rather than from teachers. Through practice then, the child could acquire understanding and demonstrate rule-governed actions instead of reciting rules without comprehending actual meaning.
Locke also stressed health and manual skills as vital components of a child’s education. In his letter, Some Thoughts on Education, Locke states that “A sound mind in a sound body is a short, but full description of a happy state in this world”(Aldrich, 1994). Locke consequently advocated plenty of exercise and sleep, as well as a plain diet for students. In addition, manual training provided further educational balance and promoted physical well being.
Forming the youthful mind through such practices requires constant attention impossible with large groups, as in a schoolhouse. Locke believed that, when grouped together, students' attention is turned to mischief, instead of understanding; therefore, private tutors were the only way to a sound education. Since tutors were only available to the gentry of the era, his teachings are thought to only concern a certain segment of society. But, the empirically based pragmatic suppositions in his works are still prevalent in today’s educational system.
Aldrich, R. (1994). John Locke. Prospects, 24, 61-76.
Simons, M. (1990). Why can’t a man be more like a woman? Educational Theory, 40, 135-145.
Enlightenment. (n.d.). Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved from http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=33251&sctn=1.