Locke and Rousseau

Katherine Reynolds Chapter 1 Locke and Rousseau EDG6691

Locke Summary

Locke believed that "it's the environment that molds the mind". His believes were very different from the traditional philosophy that children were born with innate ideas such as "mathematical truths and beliefs in God." Locke believed that children gain knowledge and develop character through experiences with in their environment. He also believed that education should not only include academic instruction but also character development.

Character development was most important according to Locke. Children develop character by practicing self-control and self-discipline. A parent's role in character development was to discipline their children. They should be firm with discipline but Locke discouraged the use of physical punishment or bribery. Instead a parent's praise should be the reward and their disapproval should be the punishment. This would create a child who was "in love with the pleasure of being well thought on"

Lock's idea of academic instruction was far different from the type of instruction that most children received. He believed that academic instruction should include scaffolding of skills, modeling of desirable behaviors and draw on a child's natural curiosity. He argued that this type of learning environment would be more motivating because it is simply more enjoyable for the child.

Locke believed that knowledge and behavior could be manipulated through interacting with ones environment. When those interactions are consistently positive children will develop character as well as be motivated to learn.

Application Locke's Theory

The impact of Locke's theory of academic instruction can be seen in classrooms today. His instructional strategies of modeling, repetition and reward can be used in every academic setting. I am an exceptional education teacher in a multi grade varying exceptionality classroom. Each one of these instructional strategies is essential to my instruction and classroom management.

I begin each lesson with modeling, both the desirable behavior that is expected as well as the academic concept. Modeling the desirable behavior eliminates any question as to what is acceptable and not acceptable behavior during the lesson. This, along with praise, helps to decrease the number of interruptions due to inappropriate behavior thus keeping the momentum of the lesson on track. The repetition of modeling acceptable behavior through out the day everyday gives my students ample opportunity to practice appropriate behavior in a safe environment. Modeling the concept is also essential because it gives my students a visual idea of what they will be learning.