1. Movement
In fact, Locke's sports mainly belong to the category of health education. The preface of the book "Random Talk on Education" is: "A healthy spirit resides in a healthy body ... People who are physically and mentally healthy don't have to expect anything else." He directly linked a person's happiness at work with his health. "If we want to be able to work and have happiness, we must have health first. If we can work hard and get ahead, we must first have a healthy body. " Locke scientifically put forward a series of views on children's health education from the viewpoint of materialism and combined with his own medical knowledge. If we must strictly exercise our children from an early age, we must let them do more outdoor activities, exercise more and sleep more; Food should be light and healthy. Don't have too much sugar, salt and seasoning. Eat more fruits. Alcohol and strong drinks are not suitable for drinking, and drugs are used less; Don't wear clothes that are too tight and warm, especially if your head and feet are cold; Insist on washing feet with cold water every day and so on. Locke's suggestion in this regard is insignificant, but it is of universal significance. These views not only contribute to the development of children's physical health, but also contribute to the research of children's intelligence and spirit.
2. Moral education
Locke thinks that a gentleman puts morality first, so moral education is also the core of gentleman education. He said: "I think virtue is the first and most indispensable among all the qualities of a person or a gentleman." "Without virtue, I don't think he will be happy in this life and the next."
The task of moral education is to cultivate a gentleman's moral qualities such as reason, etiquette, wisdom and courage.
Locke's rationality, also called reason, means that a gentleman should judge things or measure people's actions by bourgeois standards. A gentleman should be able to control his desires and handle everything under the control of reason. Its main purpose is to cultivate children's sense of shame, honor and modesty and prevent vanity and irritability.
Locke's etiquette mainly refers to politeness, etiquette and manners. In his view, a gentleman must understand the worldly wisdom of the upper class and the manners and manners popular in the upper class. This is an indispensable virtue for a gentleman. Politeness and elegance are manifested in: elegant manners, easy conversation, and being able to keep respect and distance according to everyone's status and identity. Locke believes that etiquette is a kind of decoration for morality, which makes morality more brilliant. He made such an analogy: morality and etiquette are like diamonds, which are more pleasing to the eye after polishing. If a young gentleman has the virtue of etiquette, he can "have more extensive contacts, more friends and higher attainments in this world."
The third virtue that a gentleman should possess is wisdom. Locke's wisdom refers to the intelligence and foresight that a gentleman should have when managing affairs. People's ability to know, understand and judge (collectively referred to as intelligence) is developed through knowledge learning, which is different from the usual understanding. Mainly refers to the instinct to deal with all kinds of affairs. Therefore, Locke put forward that the virtue of wisdom is not innate, but acquired through his own efforts and practical experience. This is not easy for children to get, but we should encourage them to develop honesty and sincerity, obey reason, and often reflect on the consequences of their actions, so as to strive to reach the realm of wisdom. To reach this level, students should first be "frank, fair and intelligent people", and pay special attention to prevent being infected with cunning, because cunning often imitates wisdom and attempts to replace it, which requires serious attention to expose and remove.
Courage can also be called perseverance, which is an essential virtue for a gentleman and "the character of a truly valuable person". If a gentleman can bear the burden of humiliation, he will be at ease in the face of disaster or danger, will not be awed by fear, will go forward based on his reputation and responsibility, and will not escape.
To sum up, we can see that Locke's exposition of gentleman's moral quality is based on bourgeois utilitarianism and put forward in order to realize the personal happiness and interests of gentleman; But it also reflects the realistic spirit of the bourgeoisie to some extent. Locke put the virtue, wisdom and upbringing that run through a person's life in the priority position of education, but did not put the "knowledge learning" that is considered important by ordinary people in the first place, which reflects the characteristics of his educational thought.
Locke put forward many positive and correct opinions on how to carry out moral education. He believes that to educate children, we must first understand them. Parents and teachers must carefully study the child's "heart" and understand the child's personality and likes and dislikes. "This is because children who are willing to learn will get twice the result with half the effort. If they don't want to learn or are forced to learn, they will get twice the result with half the effort and suffer."
He paid special attention to the role of example and demonstration in moral education. Because "nothing can be so gentle and deeply rooted in people's hearts as an example." Therefore, parents and teachers "should set an example and let their children do what they want". At the same time, parents should also carefully choose good teachers and friends for their children, so that children can often contact and associate with knowledgeable guests.
Because children are "rational animals", Locke believes that "reasoning is the real way to treat children" because reasoning is a means to improve children's moral awareness. When reasoning with children, teachers should first be "limited to the ability and understanding suitable for children" and try to be simple and clear; Secondly, be gentle and calm, and let the children feel that your request is reasonable and beneficial.
Locke pointed out that the purpose of reasoning is to make children understand the meaning of various moral rules, so as to implement these rules more consciously. But to develop skilled behavior habits, we must rely on practice and practice again and again. When children form good habits, they should be "fixed on it" and become their psychological property.
Locke also attached great importance to reward and punishment, and made a detailed and comprehensive discussion on it. When it comes to rewards, he thinks that parents should not "reward their children with what they like to eat and win their hearts". For example, using apples and candy to make children learn badly. As for children who have finished school, it is even worse to reward them with beautiful clothes and coins. Doing so is tantamount to teaching them to love luxury and greed, thus sacrificing their children's "virtue." Locke thinks that the best way to reward children is to praise them in public. "Children are extremely sensitive to praise. They feel it is a pleasure to be respected, especially by their parents and those they depend on." Therefore, parents praise their children when they see their good behavior. When they see their children's bad behavior, they put on a cold or indifferent face, and people around them adopt the same attitude, which will achieve better results than flogging or threatening. Praise and praise children's good behavior in public. After some publicity, the meaning of "reward" is even greater. It will make children pay more attention to their own reputation and be more careful to maintain others' praise for themselves. "However, rashly announcing the child's fault in public will make the child feel ashamed, the child will be disappointed, it doesn't matter, and then the tools to sanction them will be gone. "Locke advocates that there should be no punishment as much as possible, especially corporal punishment, but he believes that children who make' stubborn' or' rebellious' mistakes must be whipped, and if they want to fight, they must fight thoroughly." They must not stop until their goals are fully realized. "This caused Locke's contradiction in punishment.
3. Intellectual education
In all kinds of education for gentlemen, Locke put knowledge last and regarded it as an auxiliary means of virtue. He said: "For a gentleman,' knowledge should be there', but he should be in the second place, just as an aid to more important qualities." Locke's learning and intellectual education are not limited to learning cultural knowledge, but also including acquiring various skills. Locke thinks that the former is the main and the latter is indispensable.
In terms of learning content, Locke, contrary to the tradition since the Middle Ages, emphasized that what a gentleman needs is "knowledge of a business" and "ability to carry out business", and under the guidance of this thought, put forward a wide range of learning subjects: reading, calligraphy (writing), painting, shorthand, foreign languages, composition (writing), theology, geography, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry and history. But he didn't ask students to "drill too deep" in all subjects, only asked them to "try" and give them "enlightenment". In the future, if he still has time or is interested in a certain subject, he will try to ask for directions if necessary. He affirmed: "anyone who is knowledgeable and enjoys a high reputation in any science in the world is not under the control of the teacher."
In acquiring other skills, Locke suggested that every gentleman's children should learn at least one kind of manual labor, preferably two or three kinds, such as carpentry, agriculture and gardening. In case this gentleman is in trouble, mastering this skill will be beneficial in itself. It can also strengthen the body and help overcome the problem of rote memorization. Locke himself is a shrewd gardener.
Locke believes that the task of teaching is to develop students' thinking and cultivate their ability to judge and summarize clearly, logically and step by step. He particularly emphasized that children should be allowed to "enhance their spiritual activities and abilities, rather than expand their spiritual possessions." Therefore, he strongly opposed the rote learning method popular in grammar schools at that time, and advocated that teaching should be pursued as a game and entertainment. In teaching, we should stimulate students' interest and let them feel the joy of learning; Students should not be intimidated by harsh methods, but should strive to maintain a "peaceful and quiet" atmosphere. He stressed: "You can't write straightforward words in a soldier's mind any more than you can write straightforward words on a vibrating piece of paper."
Locke's philosophical thought and educational thought occupy an important position in the history of human thought and education, and its influence far exceeds his era and national boundaries, and has become the starting point of many educators' thoughts. /kloc-helvetius, a materialist in the 0/8th century, and, a utopian socialist later, all originated from Hurlock's materialistic theory of meaning. The utilitarianism he advocated profoundly and permanently influenced the ideology of various capitalist countries. Locke emphasized personal factors, the important role of parents and that children should be regarded as independent individuals in education, which also had a great influence on the later bourgeois education theory. /kloc-In the 0/8th century, his educational masterpiece "Random Talk on Education" was published in English for more than 20 editions, and then translated into French, Dutch, German, Italian and Swedish versions.