Saturday, September 19, 2009

Reflection 7


The first form of education comes from the imitation of out parents. Those who we are raised with become by default, our first professors. That is how we learn to speak and that is how we learn to behave. Our unique cultural heritage is also engraved in our way of life and as we grow older, we become more and more like our parents. This way of learning is not new by any means and it is the way that the ancient civilizations passed down their knowledge to the new generations. In ancient Egypt, homeschooling was the way to learn.

Whatever your family was skilled at is what eventually you would become. As a young man, you could not chose your own career path. Young men learned the trade that their fathers taught them and eventually taught their own children. Young girls were taught lessons by their mothers on how to manage the household, how to sing, and to ply musical instruments. If the girls were to eventually become temple workers, the singing and dancing became their respective careers. Mesopotamia’s way of instructing was more focused on the teaching of scribes and priests.

Not everyone could attend a scribe school or priest school but those who could were treated to many methods of learning including memorization and individual instructions. This type of education was considered difficult and became a test of excellence for those who could master it.

Another way of teaching similar to the home schooling method was the apprenticeship. First noticed in Hammurabi’s code, and apprenticeship required a student to learn from a master for many years until the student became a master himself. This system was used throughout the ancient world and not until the last century did it diminish in use. During medieval times, guild system based on apprenticeship learning was the main way to achieve a career. Official documents were made for an apprentice to in order to become a journeyman. Once a journeyman, the student would become a master after making a “masterpiece.” This way of learning ensured proper teaching methods were used to pass down a craft from generation to generation.

It is only recent that school have become diverse enough to give the options of different careers for students.

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