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Show REHABILITATION OF OUR SOCIAL LIFE BY IT. CLAUDE L.1BWI8 The following paper was written writ-ten for the recent convention of the National Educational Association Associa-tion held at Cedar Falls, Iowa. It is an able treatise of advanced thought along educational lines and has been widely copied by educational ed-ucational publications : We- seem to be pretty well agreed that the only cure for many of the ills that threaten our national welfare is to be found in the proper rehabilitation rehabilita-tion of our rural life. We are also agreed as to the means by which) this work of rehabilitation is to be ac-' complished. Everywhere we regard it as n problem of education and look to the reconstruction of our rural school for the solution. The consolidated rural school is a step in this direction. But if consolidation consol-idation is interpreted to mean an nt-tempt nt-tempt to establish schools in the country of the same kind, in respect to buildings, equipment, courses of study, and educational aims, as those we have been operating in our cities we shall certainly bo disappointed in the results. It is only by getting a clear vision of what is needed in the social, intellectual, intel-lectual, and economic life of the country that we are able to plan tho type of school that will supply these vital needs. Wo are then in a position posi-tion to see "what the course of study should be and do for consolidated rural schols." Evidently it should be and do for consolidatcdacrdircionct of such n nature as to enable them to build up a type of civilization in the country that conforms with our American ideals and that will give to tho people who live there the benefits bene-fits of the highest achievements of the race in the fields of science, nrc ethics and social culture. To do this tho course of study must be so constructed con-structed as to make the school the . source of intellectual growth for tho entire community, tho guiding force , in its economic development, and the 'creative center of its social activity. Our elaborate system of formal cd-I cd-I ucation, based on text-book courses I of study certainly has no place in sucn a plan. Neither would our fran- tic efforts to encompass the rapidly J accumulating knowledge of our mar-, mar-, velous oge . in a form convenient for . craming it into the pupil's mind, there j to remain as cold .storage information for some probable future use, bo very 1 effective. What we need, in a course of study ! that really does what it should do for consolidated rural schols, is a rational ration-al system of vitalized education, based on the study of real things and scientific scien-tific training in doing things. The basic principles of vitalized education as demonstrated by Mrs. Harvey in I the Porter school near Kirksville, Mo., and as presented in Professor Hold-en's Hold-en's plan Vitalized Agriculture thru ' rotation, should be embodied in the work of our consolidated schools. Tho dominating ideas should be: to think in terms of children and people instead in-stead of subject matter; to study real things that have a close connection (Continued on page three.) I REHABILITATION OF OUR SOCIAL LIFE' H . i H (Continued from first pnge) j with the vital interests of the pupils w r nnd community members; to attack B " r rcn problems tnkcri'from the phases M 'of life the pupils arc in contact with B instead of artificial problems tuken B from books made by ingenious puzzle B writers, to havo the activities of the B school grow out of the needs and ac- B tivitics of rcol life, yet ever broad ening in thofr .scope and increasing in their Complexity as the pupil's contact with the real world brondens and becoms more intimate. Ample provision should also be made for Riving the pupils new experiences through better nnd wider contacts with the world about them. Their eyes should be opened to the wonders and beauties and possibilities of their surroundings, nnd the desire aroused withinthem to dovelop and use the rcnources at hand to the best possible advantage. Such a course of study is consistent with modern psychology, with its clear picture of tho natural development develop-ment and normal functioning of the ncuro-musculnr syfen. It gets us away from tho old idea of "formal discipline" and shows us the empty artificiality of formalism in education nnd the futility of mere information that seldom or never finds an outlet in constructive doing. It rests on tho real basis of the "learning process" and embodies tho fundamental principles prin-ciples of sound pedagogy. Among these, the following arc suggestive: 1. The child's physical endowment of instincts, natural tendencies, and native capacities should be used ns tho foundation upon which to build his education. A thorough understanding under-standing of child nature is absolutely necessary in order to get large results. re-sults. 2. The child gains experience through his conscious activities oi in other words, through his contacts with the real world and his reactions to these contacts. 3. Only these experiences which the child understands or which hovo meaning to him can be used to interpret inter-pret new experiences. Furthermore, tho ability to interpret experience depends de-pends in the first place upon the de- j vclopmcnt and condition of brain centers. Time nnd growth often solve the teacher's problems. 4. The motor activities and creative creat-ive impluses of the child should be used ns the basis for instruction. ' These construction activities furnish ; the best source from which to draw I material for teaching the f undament- al processes of reading, oral cxpres- ! ion, spelling, writing and arithmetic. j !. Teaching ahould be done as much as possible in terms of doing and in j such a way that what the child learns I carries over into action. In other ! words, the work should be dynamic I rather than static. Tho folowing plan is offered as suggestive sug-gestive as a result of holding this view of the problem in mind nnd at tho same time attempting to embody these fundamental principles: A Suacstiynl?'Ian of Vitalized Edu-' Edu-' "" 'catlonF6?bs6liiated Rural Schools , Tho principal aims of this plan may bo outlined under the folowing heads: ' 1. Increasing nnd enriching the ' pupil's experience. 2. Developing skill in the fund-' fund-' amentnl processes of reading, ornl ex- pression, writing and arithmetic. f 3. Cultivating normal growth, phy sical strength nnd bodily control. 4. Moral and aesthetic training. These aims should prevail throughout through-out tho school from the first grade to senior class. The First Aim. That of increasing and enriching tho pupil's experience, II may best be realized by utilizing tho J pupil's creative impulses and direct- jf ing his constructive activities through 1 first hand contact with the real thing. l Ample provision should be made for ' Buch contacts and activities through out his entire school life. The objects of study and sources of activity for ! this part of tho school work should be of the Bnme nnture ns those outlined outlin-ed by Professor Holden under the headings of: 1. Growing Things. 2. Making Things. 3. Living Things 4. Soil. Home and Community. i In using these groups apply the 1 rotation plan to keep interest alive and secure zest in the work. To bo more explicit, every pupil in the school, from tho beginner to tho twelfth grader, will center his study on growing things, taken from crops, treeB, gardens, weeds, etc., and such (VlJfelC activities ns drying, canning, pre- IV serving, etc., for one ycur. In tho primary grades, including the first, second nnd third, tho study will bo confined chiefly to getting acquainted ac-quainted with the obvious characteristics character-istics and uses of tho growing things tho pupils will havo tho opportunity to observe. In tho fourth, fifth and ixth grades, tho study will comprise a closer investigation nnd wider range t of contacts with growing things. Pro-club work in raising crops, exterminating ex-terminating weeds, drying, canning, and preserving fruits and vegetables should be included in this work. In . tho high school division, the study of i growing things will bo moro intensive 1 i nd wider in its ranges, and includes " practical work in agriculture and homo economics through club organizations organ-izations and Smith-Hughes projects. During tho next year, study thru- out tho school will center on making - 1 things, cardboard houses and furni- m tu're, dolls, toys, weaving, wood work, J cement work, rope knots and splices, sewing, etc. This is followed during the third yenr by the study of living, things: live stock, poultry, birds, pests, insects, in-sects, and by cooking activities. The objects to be studied the fourth yenr arc soil, home, and community, including soil fertility and cultivation, cultiva-tion, beautifying the home, health and sanitation, soclnl and community Welfare. Wel-fare. As with the study of growing things, the work is to be adapted to tho different grades so with the succeeding groups, the way in which they nro studied must be determined by the stnto of devclopmnt of the pupils. The important feature to bear in mind is that the thought and activity ac-tivity of the entire schools is unified nnd intensified by having all the pupils pu-pils studying the same group of things the same year. After the four years have been completed, begin again with the first yenr thus will pupils who 3tudy growing things got their first year in school also study them ngain during their fifth year and once more during their ninth. This unified thought nnd action in the school will have a wonderful effect throughout the community in the way of arousing intrest in whnt tho pupils pu-pils arc studying and doing, thus creating cre-ating a strong co-operative spirit. The Socond Aim. That of developing develop-ing skill in tho fundamental processes of rending, ornl expression, writing, nnd arithmetic, can be best realized by using material taken from the constructive con-structive activities and study of real things outlined above. This work be included in the program of every school year and sufficient time allotted to the different processes to insure tho highest results. With the lower grades, tho be3t Primary Methods in use today should be employedj In the intermediate and grammar grades history and geography should be added and nil ofi the work in this division closely cor-J related with the real things being studied. The high school division should include elementary science and applied mathematics, the study of these being motivated by tho prob- lems arising from the constructive activities and study of renl things. , The Third Aim. Thnt of cultivating cultivat-ing normnl growth, physical strength and bodily control is really first in importance nnd should nlways be uppermost up-permost in the teacher's mind. Wo rcnlize at last the folly of attempting attempt-ing to educate the child and nt the snmo time neglect his physcinl well being. The new Health Work in the schools, where health habits are made automatic and the pupils are taught to think health in terms of strength nnd beauty and joy, will fit into this plnn perfectly. As likewise will tho new physical training that gives the pupil the kind of exercise he needs instead of the specialized nnd commercialized athletics of our high schools and colleges. The Fourth Aim. Or Moral and Aesthetic Trtaning, Should be realized real-ized through tho proper cultivation of the emotions nnd tho building of fine idenls and high standards. Thrift habits, music in all its forms, dramatization, drama-tization, art, nil of these can be correlated cor-related with the other in n vital way. Civic activities, scouting, public improvements, im-provements, socinl welfare work, nil furnish the most effective means of developing the highest type of citizenship citizen-ship nnd enn be established in this plan of vitnlizcd education. The following general outlino is an nttempt to present the entire plan ns n unified scheme of education in n form that con be more readily viewed as a whole. AIMS AND METHODS with OBJECTS OB-JECTS of STUDY & ACTIVITIES. I. Increasing the Child's Experience Exper-ience by means of Constructive Activities Activ-ities through Actual Contact with Real Things. Follow Rotation Plan With: 1. Growing Things: crops, trees, gardens, weeds, etc., nnd cooking lessons, les-sons, canning, drying. 2. Mnking Things: cardboard, woodwork, cement, tools & mnchines, rorte knots & and splices, sowing. 3. Live Things: live stock, poultry, poul-try, birds, insects, pests and cooking. 4. Soil, Home & Community: soil fertility, cultivation, moisture, sanitation, sani-tation, beautifying the home, social and community work. II. Developing Skill in the use of The Fundamental Processes. (Note: Tho material for this work is to bo drawn chiefly from the constructive con-structive activities of tho pupils, or closely correlated with them.) To be a part of tho child's work during every year of his school life. Reading & oral expression, writing, composition, spelling, number, arithmetic, arith-metic, mnthematics, geography nnd history. In tho high Bchol division elementary science and nplicd mntho-mntics mntho-mntics to be ndded. III. Developing Physical Strength and Bodily Control through Health Education. Health Habits: nt home and in school. Physical training: gymnastics, play, games, hikes, personal hygiene. The upper grades to include Health Cru-Bade Cru-Bade work and Scouting. IV. Moral and Aesthetic Devcop-ment, Devcop-ment, or Cultivation of Emotion and Building Ideals and Standards. Thrift Habits: at homo nnd school, Scouting, Civic Activities, Music; rhythmic activity, dancing, Binging, npprccintion. Dramatization: stories, , plays, historical events, pageants. Art : & Literature. f-mrn " -" . |