The rejection of innate knowledge
This is the fundamental theme of the work. Locke's argument for the 'Tabula Rasa' approach to human conscious led him to explore pedagogy in the book, since education would be at the very center of Locke's view of civics. In other words, if we're 'Blank Slates,' before our teachers and parents get a hold of us, then what those parents and teachers do with that impressionability is the most important aspect of human development.
The rejection of privileging children
During Locke's time, upper-class people weren't letting their children suffer, and Locke saw that it was actually hurting the children in the long run. He advocated that a child's life should include the full spectrum of experience, since they were orienting themselves to real life. It doesn't serve them to let them think life is different than it really is.
The rejection of a body-centered pedagogy
One of the basic pedagogical traps a teacher can fall into is focusing too much on bodily behavior. Kids are frantic animals, and in order to help teacher's keep their sanity, much of the literature about childhood was pedagogue-centered. "How can I make this child obey me?" instead of Locke's preferred goal, "How can I make this child develop correctly."
The connection between self-denial and open-mindedness
Instead of offering a child our own list of points of view and beliefs, Locke argues that we help our children to attain independence by showing them the value of self-denial, which Locke says is a fundamental component of open-mindedness in adult life. A person who can't think of someone else as being important will also not consider rival points of view as meaningful.
