Read Instructions

Answer at least TWO of the three questions:

1. Why did God make children, according to Comenius? How does Comenius vision contribute to changes in  the  image of childhood? What is “modern” about Comenius’ approach to education. Compare with maria Montessori. Locke?

2. Looking at School Background Sheet and at Cunningham materials assigned for this week please discuss mandatory school attendance as the portal through which state influence begins to structure childhood. What , in your opinion, was the previous government change which had the greatest impact on the way children were perceived in the West? How does the poem “Vitai Lampada” illustrate the role played by English elite boarding schools in Imperial Britain and how would this type of school serve as a counterweight to state influence.(Hint- focus on “public”, “private’ “civil” divisions discussed on “School” sheet.

3. What is the relationship between secularization, Utopianism and childhood?