Educational models are influenced and built into institutional structures and social practices

Athenian society in 300BC was that citizens separated into economic and social class structure. For example, the ruling class included rich members and descendents of rulers in authority and a slave who was in Athenian society were not given the same rights and educational privileges as a member of the ruling class. Therefore in an Athenian society the learner would be someone in a higher social class and would be trained to be a competent soldier, ruler or artisan. The soldier would be thought philosophy and physical training and the ruler philosophy, math, literature and history. This demonstrates how the educational model was influenced and built into the Athenian society.

Another example is the social practice of “the role of women before the 20^th Century”, in my model, if the learner was a woman; she was most likely trained to be a competent homemaker and wife. For Rousseau the learner Sophia, should be educated relative to men, i.e. to please him, be useful to him. (Noddings)(pg17) Nolddings also points out that some philosophers later excused him for his misogyny; “After all, Rousseau is –as is everyone – was a product of a particular time and place” (Noddings) (pg 18). I believe that is can be extended to not just people/learner but the functional model of education. This model is a dynamic function of the particular time and place it exist in (i.e. the particular elements that include the operational norms of a society, social taboos).

The examples above highlight how ideas and philosophies most dominate within a society influence the engagement of the learner and the aim of educations. They shape what is included as part of the learners education and how the learner is thought.

Noddings, N. (2007). Philosophy of Education. Boulder, Westview Press.