The popular "Wise School" educational activities in the 5th century BC have acquired the nature of higher education. Although there is no fixed teaching place, collective teaching has emerged. Socrates' "question and answer heuristic" teaching method makes the educational activities of the wise school unique.
Pythagoras school and its educational activities also have the nature of higher education. The thought of this school is mystical, and its ideological core is little known. However, influenced by this group, the tradition of taking "Four Arts" as the teaching content in western schools has begun to take shape.
The formation of higher education in ancient Greece has a process from germination to formation. If Aesop Kratos' rhetoric school is the bud of higher education, then the establishment of Plato Academy marks the formation of higher education. The establishment of Aristotle's colleges and universities in ancient Greece and Rome can be regarded as the development stage of ancient Greek higher education. It was not until Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire that the higher education in ancient Greece was forced to withdraw from the historical stage.
The idea of higher education in ancient Greece;
The ancient Greeks always attached importance to the state's control over education. The starting point of education fully embodies the national will and has a strong social service function. Therefore, the main goal of education at that time was to cultivate ruling talents who could run the country and keep the country safe. Such people must stand at the top of the knowledge pyramid and have all-round ability and accomplishment.
The educational activities of the school of wise men, which appeared in the 5th century BC, have the nature of higher education, aiming at teaching people to engage in political activities, that is, training outstanding politicians, in addition to training a group of qualified and orderly citizens. It can be seen that the main goal of education has gradually emerged at this time.
The characteristics of higher education in ancient Greece are: first, comprehensive and harmonious higher education; Second, higher education to train political talents; Thirdly, heuristic higher education; Fourthly, higher education runs through philosophy.