The Concept of Education and Physical Training dur...

The Concept of Education and Physical Training during the Renaissance

2-17　Maria and Jesus

Varied forms of play became part of the education of the youth of the nobility at this time.The Athenian philosophy that had supported play as an important form of education was given fuller emphasis during the Renaissance by such educators and writers as François Rabelais3，John Locke，and Jean Jacques Rousseau.

The humanist education model，which was concordant with the epitomes of the Renaissance，was amiscellaneous，creative idea.Its goal was to create an all-round advanced human being.In 14th century，the“humanist life epitome”was claimed.The humanism movement was gradually developing and spreading；however，in this phase，humanism-based formation or practice was not in question.

In the history of humanity，the humanism period has been acknowledged as a‘transitional period'.Modern civilization and education are based on this period.In teaching methods，formulae enabling pupils to improve their skills and abilities were adopted.Students started to learn outdoors，in touch with nature.Strict disciplinarymethods gaveway to rather tolerantmethods.The importance and value of professional education were acknowledged.

The Humanistmovement has played a very significant role in educational issues.Thismovement flourished in order to resurrect the art and culture of ancient Athens and Rome with their formidable aspects，thereby enabling body and soul to improve concordantly with the education of humans.The necessity of physical training along with education of soul and mind has been emphasized；for this reason，physical practices and games have been suggested for young people.It is possible to see how the humanists formed the foundations of the Renaissance，beginning from the 14th century to the 18th century and working from Italy to Spain，Germany，France and England.Almost all of the humanists stated the significance of physical training in their written works on education.

In accord with Ancient Greek education concepts，one of the humanists，Vittorino da Feltre4 claimed that benefits were provided by the education of body and soul through daily exercises such as swimming，riding and swordplay，and generating love towards nature via hiking；he also emphasized the importance of games and tournaments.Enea Silvio de Piccolomini is also worthy of attention；alongside his religious character，he thought that physical training should be emphasized and that beauty and power should be improved in this way.