This essay explains three key features of the Age of Enlightenment that include liberalism, rationalism and equality. These key features will be explained in terms of how they reflect specific assumptions about children and education. Furthermore to evaluate how these ideas have impacted children’s education in both the past and the present. Liberalism requires members of society to develop liberal ideas such as individualism and independence amongst the likes of John Locke who wrote a book called ‘Some thought Concerning Education’ (1893) which emphasises the significance of early education in the home. “upbringing in the home is crucial for the development of good character” (May, 1997, p. 3). Rationalism is another imperative feature of the Age of Enlightenment as people used theory to make sense of human development along the likes of Rousseau. His book, ‘Emile’ is about the development of a young boy becoming a man using his ideas for child rearing. “education should be a response to the child’s curiosity and interest to natural world.” (May, p. 39-40, 2005) This theory was put into practice by Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi who was so impressed with his ideas that “he attempted to rear his child according to Rousseau’s principles” (May, 1997, p. 11). The Enlightenment implies equality necessary for females to be educated alongside men to allow for equal opportunity. In Wollstonecraft’s book ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’ (1792) she protests for women’s rights in society. May (1997, p. 8) points out that she “argued for the liberal principles of equality, freedom, and rationality for women”. There were both inequalities in sex and wealth as only the wealthy could afford education. Carpenter (2009, p. 2) outlines that “the rich have always had access to education” whilst “the poor it seems simply did not have access to education”.

Liberalism considers that all children are as capable as the next child in terms of future potential. When reflecting on John Locke’s book ‘Some Thought Concerning Education’ his thoughts about children is that life is shaped by different experiences and which is key to human development. He saw that “the child came into the world like a ‘blank tablet’ whose mind and knowledge grew out of the experiences” (May, 1997, p. 3) which indicates the importance for early education. Rationalism implies that from birth, children should learn the art of reason in order to make decisions. Rousseau saw that education through ‘play’ is critical for human development by using objects in the environment to build knowledge. As noted in Natural Happiness, Sensation, and Infancy in Rousseau’s Emile”, (Jeffrey A. Smith, 35(1), 93-120, 2002) he interprets that “we are born with the use of our senses, and from our birth we are affected in various ways by the objects surrounding us”. Incorporating curiosity in early education allows for the development of rationalism as a skill for the young by using objects to play to assist and build logic. Equality and the Age of Enlightenment makes out that males and females should be taught the same things as females were previously not seen capable in the upcoming capitalist economy. Mary Wollstonecraft saw “that women, like men, are endowed with the faculty of reason, which can flourish only if existing norms and customs are transformed” (Kurian & Myers, 2011, p. 1777-1778). She didn’t see that women should only be educated on looking after their husband and child. The fact that only children from wealthy families are educated reflects that this generally benefits children with more money and the poor are automatically disadvantaged. It is made clear by Carpenter (2009, p. 2) that there is an “abysmal academic achievement of children from low ses groups”.

John Locke’s ideas that children are of equal ability at birth transformed children’s education as everyone is considered equal at birth and adapt through different experiences. Locke wrote about “observing children and encouraging curiosity and questions” (May, 1997, p. 4). This created a demand for organised education which the likes of Robert Owen that helped to build infant schools with his wealth that allowed children to play to create curiosity from the ages of 2 to 8. This impacted children’s learning at the time by allowing them to be unswaddled and to explore their environment to build curiosity to get them to want to learn. This affected children’s future education by encouraging children to play with toys often found at nurseries nowadays. Teaching children to be rational individuals was the general consensus certified by many significant individuals surrounding education. From past to present play has been encouraged in schools at young ages from 2 – 6 to encourage curiosity and aid problem solving. Samuel Wilderspin used blocks for ‘play’ as it was found they “are exceedingly amused, from the variety of forms in which they may be placed” (May, 1997, p. 16). The idea of play has caused the majority of infant schools to have a series of toys to facilitate development to develop the senses. Isenberg, Quisenberry (2002 p. 33) “Large blocks are first used to lay out flat roads or outline buildings. Later, children fill in the spaces and, by primary age, build to great heights”. This illustrates the correlation between development of the child with play in terms of sophistication which is widely confirmed by schools containing infants and children. Mary Wollstonecraft’s work allowed for the revolution of women’s roles in the future society allowing them to be educated equally alongside men. Even though it took time for her principles and ideas to be recognised it created the grounds by which females should be given the same opportunities and not just to be taught how to look after their

husbands. She was “someone who sought to redefine the role of women in society” (May, 1997, p. 12) who did so in the 20th century by allowing them to be independent from men both sexually and economically.
The key features including liberalism, rationalism and equality represent the maturity of education with time across the Enlightenment. It brought across much change from liberalist thinkers who seek for change in future society. Important people including Locke, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Owen and Wilderspin have inspired each other in search for social and political reform to affected children’s education both in the past and in present which they successfully do so.

References

Carpenter, V. (2009, 15th July). Education, teachers and the children of the poor. Paper presented at the Researching Professionals Symposium, University of Otago College of Education, Dunedin.

G. Kurian., E. Myers. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Political Science (p. 1777-1778). Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Jeffrey A. Smith. 2002. Natural Happiness, Sensation, and Infancy in Rousseau's "Emile", 35(1), 93-120.

Joan Packer Isenberg., Nancy Quisenberry. (2002). Play: essential for all children. (A Position Paper of the Association for Childhood Education International). 79(1), 33.

May, H. (1997). The challenge of liberalism and enlightenment: Childhood, learning, and motherhood. In the discovery of early childhood (pp. 3-23). Auckland, Wellington: Auckland University Press/NZCER.

May, H. (2005). Missionary infant schools for Maori children 1830s-1840s. In school beginnings. A 19th century colonial story, Wellington, NZCER Press.