The Comparison between the Educational Idea of Horace Mann and Confucius 霍瑞斯曼与孔子教育理念的比较.doc

重庆大学本科学生课程论文 霍瑞斯曼与孔子教育理念的比较霍瑞斯曼与孔子教育理念的比较 班号：143 班 学 生： 指导教师： 重庆大学重庆大学 二 o 一三年十二月 course essay of chongqing university the comparison between the educational idea of horace mann and confucius class: 143 student: gao yuhan supervisor: yang yu chongqing university december, 2013 course essay of chongqing university introduction table of contents 1 introduction1 2 the similarities and difference of horace mann and confucius .2 2.1 similarities2 2.2 difference.2 2.2.1 the aim of teaching2 2.2.2 the method of teaching3 2.2.3 the scale.3 3 conclusion4 references5 course essay of chongqing university introduction 1 1 introduction it is hard to imagine that as the first great american advocate of public education who was born on may 4, 1796, horace mann grew up in an environment ruled by poverty, hardship, and self-denial. although he was taught briefly and erratically by comparatively poor teacher, he managed to educate himself in the franklin town library. later in his twenties he gained his admission to brown university. it is this kind of education experience that promotes his idea of public education which should be free, universal, nonsectarian and democratic. his tireless advocacy of universal pubic education earned him the title “father of american education.” as for confucius, being regarded as one of the most influential figure in ancient china, he was born in a humble family in the country of lu. sometimes, he also went by the name kong zi, and styled zhong ni. he was a well-known leader in education and he made quantities of phrases about education, life, and the government. he gathered students around him and taught the basics of what is today called confucianism. he taught decorous, courtly behavior, duty to rulers, parents, and older brothers. he taught that you should not do to others, what you would not want done to yourself. so influential are his educational ideas that they last until today. in the following parts, people are going to find out the features of both horace manns and confuciuss educational ideas. course essay of chongqing university the similarities and differences of horace mann and confucius 2 2 the similarities and difference of horace mann and confucius 2.1 similarities both the 2 educational pioneers insist that a school should be available and equal for all, regardless of his region, social status, birth, and class. no matter the student is from a humble or a noble family; they own their right to be educated. and they hold the opinion that education is of vital importance for a country, for the reason that a country can not long remain ignorant. as far as horace mann is concerned, the common school ought to be a “great equalizer”; this kind of educational idea coincides with what confucius advocated. encountered strong resistance as he did, both of horace mann and confucius emphasize that the significance of education lies not only on giving students knowledge, but also to help kids build their value and ethics and accomplish an essential thing allows of no delay, to give them a sense of responsibility. 2.2 difference as is universally acknowledged, the educational idea from west and east appears differently in many ways. so it is not surprising that the educational idea of horace manns and confucius educational idea is not completely the same. chances are that their different education experience contributes to these differences. 2.2.1 the aim of teaching horace mann regards education as a tool which enables their citizens civilized, and makes them more responsible and moral. however, it is by no means satisfactory for confucius. in another word, confucius has a higher expectancy towards his student. as is known to all, a large number of confucius disciples become famous politicians. an apparent reason for this phenomenon is that confucius always regards giving advises to the emperor as a crucial part in his teaching. course essay of chongqing university the similarities and differences of horace mann and confucius 3 2.2.2 the method of teaching although both of the 2 historical figures advocate a sense of equality, there exist some differences. as for horace mann, he holds the opinion that all the students should accept the same education. but confucius acts differently, he is aware of that there are no tow completely leaves in the world, so different people should receive different advice. for confucius, equality means that everyone has his (or her) right to be educated, but when they have been given the chance to study, the teacher has the responsibility to guide the students towards different ways. for instance, confucius has many out-standing disciples, and there is no doubt that different person has different characteristics. hence when they go to confucius for some inspiration, confucius will give them different answers according to their characteristics. 2.2.3 the scale no one can deny that in the era which confucius lives, the scale of education is undoubtedly small, without saying, it can hardly satisfy peoples urgent need for knowledge. although confucius changed the situation which education is only for noble family, but education is not widespread that time. but horace manns educational idea appears to be more advanced. he puts forwards that it should be well-trained and professional teachers to guide the students. under his effort, a large amount of teachers appeared. so he enlarges the scale of education and gives everyone a chance to be educated. in another word, to be educated is no longer an unreal dream for common people. course essay of chongqing university conclusion 4 3 conclusion in a nutshell, both confucius and horace mann is influential historical figure, their educational idea have some similarities and have differences as well. in any way, without exaggeration, their educational ideas pass down from a generation to another, and even in today, their educational idea is also playing a crucial part in peoples daily life. as for chinese, there is an essential question that allows of no ignorance. people must be aware of the necessity of making chinese education system more personalized, and make chinese students more creative and critical. it is really thought-provoking that why chinese students today are buried in varieties of courses they don