JUAN LOUIS VIVES THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION

Joseph Stanovsky PhD 2007 by J. S.

Writing in the 16th century, Juan Louis Vives describes ideas about education supported by friends Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), Guillame Bud e (1468-1540), Fran coise Rebelais (1483-1553) and a future colleague --- Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533-1592). Each of these men, either singly, or as a group exposed their thoughts to critical examiners, all the while trying to promote good ideas by teaching, observing events of the day, and by eloquently writing their opinions. Alcofribas Nasier, is an anagram for the author Fran coise Rebelais. He was author of Gargantua and Pantagruel, two books that described the errors and shortcomings of education. Rabelais had ideas parallel to those of Vives. Juan Louis Vives (1492-1540) had unique and very modern ideas about what education should be. Consider just these eight: (1) He thought it best to teach in the common vernacular (by using a less than precise Latin grammar) the language of education in the 16th century; (2) He proposed a central academy with public schools in nearby townships whose purpose it was to prepare students for the academy; (3) He thought it an improvement if the teaching method used by a master was tailored to a pupils ability; (4) He thought pupils should record assignments and class instructions in a notebook; (5) He thought that teachers should meet together; (6) He thought that parents and teachers should meet together in an association; (7) He introduced recreational activities into the curriculum; and (8) Vives was heartily in favor of education for women!

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