Education is an important part of the development of human society, which has gone through three stages: pre-institutionalization, institutionalization and non-institutionalization. This paper will discuss the evolution of education from the perspective of these three stages.

Pre-institutionalized education

From ancient human enlightenment to gradually formed materialized education, pre-institutionalized education witnessed the birth and change of education. The birth of educational entity means the clarity of educational subject, the stability of educational object, the serialization of cultural communication and the stability of places and facilities. All these work together to construct education as the cornerstone of independent social activities.

Institutionalized education

Institutionalized education is a huge educational network, which closely links schools at all levels. In addition to academic research, there are a variety of vocational and technical training courses. The hierarchical school system of formal education and the seamless connection from primary school to university constitute the main characteristics of institutionalized education.

Non-institutionalized education

Although non-institutionalized education has not formed an independent system, it is everywhere. It has no fixed place and system, but it is closely related to production and life. For example, Combs' concept of informal education and ilych's concept of "school-free society" are all manifestations of this highly integrated education.