History of Education

Classroom practice and the societies that shape it run together through Levi Seeley's survey of education. Written for teachers, training colleges and study groups, the book connects schooling with home life, religion, government and geography. Its chapters move through ancient educational systems, Greek and Roman thinkers, Christian schools, medieval institutions and the changes associated with the Renaissance and Reformation. Individual educators appear alongside accounts of how their communities organised learning.

Practical teaching methods give this broad history a concrete focus. In the discussion of Ascham, pupils translate a Latin passage into English and then back into Latin, comparing their work with the original. The account of Rabelais introduces another strand of humanist thought. Chapter readings, references and a suggested notebook plan make the volume useful for readers studying how ideas about teaching have developed, while its judgments also reveal the educational outlook of its author.