Primitive Education & Its Traces in Modern Education

Education did not start just a millennium or two in past; it has always existed. For since our species began to use language -- verbal or nonverbal -- we have already started educating people, especially those within our communities and those within our families.

The primitive form of education, which started 100,000 to 50,000 years ago, is also known by the name "education for conformity. Why is this? Well, it's because of the fact that education before did not involve anything other than how to survive and how to blend in with the tribe to which one belonged.

There are two type of education within this form of education. First is the practical education and second is the theoretical education. Practical education involves activities and skills necessary for one to stay alive like hunting and fighting skills. Theoretical education, on the other hand, involves spiritual and worship activities. These are necessary for one's acceptance into the society. Beliefs traditions, rituals and customs are taught to the young so that they can carry on with what the tribe also learned from their fathers and their fathers' fathers and so on.

There were no schools or other educational institutions during the time when primitive education was prevalent in the world. As a consequence, the family had become the agent of education and the center of practical and theoretical training.

Fathers were tasked with the duty to train the boys how to hunt, how to build huts, how to swim, how to produce fire and many more. Mothers, as counterparts, on the other hand, were tasked to train the girls to manage the household. Tribe elders, those who reached considerable age, were considered the high priests -- wisdom and moral counselors of the tribe.

There were no levels of instruction. Children were taught of whatever, whenever the adults have time to discuss and show the skills.

Contents of primitive education were usually ritualistic and prescriptive.They were organic and trial-and-error in nature. The methods used were enculturation, indoctrination and tell-me-and-show-me.

Culture was passed on and preserved for generations, through the words of mouth. This medium allowed little changes to occur and accumulate into enormous changes over the decades.

People were able to adjust and adapt to political and social life since primitive education is flexible and pliant. Due to this flexibility, primitive people, the proponents of primitive education, were able to meet their economic needs and were able to survive.