Locke was born in a lawyer's family and was influenced by the new bourgeois thought since he was a child. This laid a good ideological foundation for his education system. After he finished his secondary education in scholastic philosophy, he went to Oxford University to study. After graduating from college, I worked as a Greek and literature teacher at school, studying natural science and medicine. From 65438 to 0667, he met the liberal politician Shaf Li Sibo, became his family doctor and his grandson's teacher, and became his close friend. As Schaaffs Berry sided with the bourgeoisie against the king, they had to flee to Holland at 1682. Six years later, before he returned to England, there were two revolutions in England. This period is an important stage in the formation of his bourgeois world outlook. Several of his major works were also born in this period.
Locke's philosophy is basically materialistic. In his main philosophical work "On Human Understanding", he tried to prove that there are no innate ideas and concepts in human consciousness, and children's hearts are like a blank sheet of paper. According to this principle, Locke spoke highly of the fact that acquired education plays a decisive role in people's growth. He believes that knowledge and ideas are produced from sensory experience. Locke's theory that innate thinking denies the decisive role of acquired education has become the characteristic of philosophy and pedagogy in the "enlightenment era" of modern education.
Locke established his own pedagogy system on the basis of materialist philosophy. He is the first among all educators to use empirical psychology to establish his own education system. His important book "Random Talk on Education" is the crystallization of this system. Locke attaches great importance to creating education that adapts to his innate negation theory, and thinks that the purpose of education is to cultivate rational and talented gentlemen. He realized from his long-term educational experience that to achieve this goal, the educated must develop well in sports, moral education and intellectual education. All his concrete methods about education revolve around this goal. This view is still of great significance until now.
Locke believes that sports should be put in the first place, because "a healthy spirit lies in a healthy body". He was the first educator who put forward the theory of precise sports. He applied educational principles and methods to other education as the basis of sports theory. Based on his experience as a health care doctor and teacher, Locke put forward a set of exercise system that was carefully studied and adapted to the scientific level at that time. If you think you should use games, sports, cold water bath, cold water foot washing, swimming, outdoor life and other methods to exercise, so that the educated can adapt to the special situation of fatigue and various changes in the future. If you think you shouldn't wear too many clothes, you should sleep more and breathe more fresh air. In terms of diet, Locke suggested that the best foods are milk, porridge, bread, fruits and vegetables. He asked to eat less greasy food and drink less hard liquor. Locke believes that only by strengthening exercise and ensuring proper diet can children develop healthily.
Locke pays special attention to moral education. He pointed out, "I think virtue is the first and most indispensable of all qualities of a person or a gentleman." "Without virtue, I don't think he will be happy in this life and the next." Locke replaced the moral concept based entirely on religion and "innate thought" with the new moral theory. Therefore, it pushed forward the moral education theory represented by Comenius in the past.
Locke's morality is based on personal interests and interests. He believes that the most important task of education is to cultivate character, exercise will and form the habit of moral self-discipline. Locke believes that it is inappropriate for teachers to give too many concessions and acquiescence to children at first, and then control them too strictly when they grow up. Children's reasonable wishes should be met, but once these wishes exceed the limit and become willful, we should not hesitate to refuse this request. Locke thinks that flogging children is the most inappropriate method in education. It is the root of all evil and evil that will happen in the future. For children, this "slave-like discipline" method should be avoided, and honor rewards should be given "according to reason, for those with noble morality and good behavior". Locke pays special attention to the role of role models in educating children. He believes that children's behavior is mostly imitation. Therefore, parents and tutors "should set an example and let their children do what they want them to do" and "never violate their own classes". Locke also asked educators to pay great attention to overcoming children's laziness. He believes that if children are indifferent to the things around them, lack interest and are not active and lively at work, this is one of the worst shortcomings. Teachers should try their best to arouse students' interest in anything, and then start from this matter and expand their interest to other issues.
Locke also has his own understanding of intellectual education. He believes that under the premise of having a healthy body, morality comes first and learning comes second. Under this understanding, Locke pointed out that children's intellectual education is also very important. On the one hand, we should teach them to read and acquire knowledge, on the other hand, we should guide them to practice. He has drawn up a wide range of teaching subjects, such as reading, writing, writing, drawing, shorthand, French, Latin, composition, theology, geography, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, chronology, history, ethics, law, rhetoric, logic, natural philosophy and so on. Locke has many effective ideas on how to teach. He emphasizes stimulating students' learning initiative, paying attention to children's interest, taking care of their practical ability, advocating more encouragement and more induction, and concentrating and keeping students' attention in teaching. We should not laugh at children because they are naive and do not conform to the reality of life, but should guide them to find the correct answer in various ways. Locke is extremely opposed to rote learning and advocates cultivating students' logical thinking ability. In his view, the teacher's duty is not to "teach students everything they can know in the world", but to "make students love and respect knowledge" and "seek knowledge by proper methods". This view has reference significance for current school education.
Locke is a bourgeois educational theorist. His thoughts are always branded with class limitations. For example, he despised national education and denied the educational role of schools and society.
Locke's educational thought had a great influence on Rousseau's educational view in the18th century. Their view that new education and genius can be created for education is actually reflected in Locke's educational thought. Until now, some of Locke's specific views are still widely cited intentionally or unintentionally. This can not but admit that Locke has played a great role in the development of pedagogy theory. (End)