1.

Confucianism

Born in 551 B.C., Confucius founded the Confucian school of thinking, or Confucianism.

Confucianism comprises a rich tapestry of historical, political, philosophical and socio-

cultural traditions. There are three main themes to his teachings: humanism, harmony,

and hierarchy. Humanism is described as developing virtuous conduct through education,

which involves practicing the five virtues: benevolence (ren), righteousness (yi), wisdom

(zhi), loyalty (zhong) and altruism (shu). Harmony is described as avoiding conflict,

avoiding extremism, being willing to compromise and aiming for the middle way. Hierarchy

similarly echoes this quest for harmony: individuals should know their place and behave

accordingly. He considered man’s nature to be inherently good, and believed that every

person has feelings of pity, shame, and moral goodness. Humanity, justice, and wisdom

are within a person’s nature. However, he or she can be made to do evil because of

external influence. Thus, Confucius established education and self-cultivation as the way

for individuals to overcome individual contention and gain self-discipline. A learner-

centered education is privileged in Confucianism which is performed through giving

spotlight not just on the students’ cognitive progress but also on their affective and

behavioral developments, enriching the learner’s intellect and content mastery, and

stressing the need for students to “revere their studies,” “esteem their fellow students,”

“cherish their teachers,” “be firmly set and not likely to regress” in their learning, and

engage in “discourses on their studies” with their teacher and peers. The application of

these themes would produce a curriculum that is holistic, broad-based, and integrated.

Confucianism promotes education as not essentialized, static, and fossilized but instead,

as diverse, fluid, and evolving, offering an educational paradigm that is rounded, ethical,

universal, and ultimately enduring.