OCR Text |
Show Speaker Stresses Thinking Over Memory in Education Emphasis on thinking, rather than on the development of memory processes, should be the objective of modern education. So declared Dr. Paul J. Mlsner,' superintendent of schools at Glen-coe. Glen-coe. 111., speaking at an elementary element-ary supervisory conference in the governor's board room at the capital cap-ital Thursday as one of the features fea-tures preceding the opening of the Utah Education association convention Thursday night. "If a teacher plans a lesson and follows it slavishly," Dr. Misner said, "then the teacher may be having a desirable experience in thinking, but it is doubtful if the children have acquired any of that thinking ability." Dr. Misner said that Interest was one of the keystones In the proper education of children. Children, Chil-dren, he said, can accomplish much more if ideals of cooperation and interest are stressed rather than .the strict discipline of the old-time old-time schoolroom. As an example- of Mnking, Dr. Misner pointed out, the modern approach and discussions in the schoolroom of today on the European Eu-ropean war give a good idea of the new educational psychology. "Children know today that wars are not caused by national groups," Dr. Misner continued. "They know that wars usually are caused by certain types of leaders who have manipulated these national groups. "The next generation, with this new thinking ideal, may be much more skillful In the arts of peace than the present generation. "Teachers should be primarily concerned with their children's thinking in the fields of political science and history and not memorizing mem-orizing dates and unrelated chronology," chro-nology," the speaker continued. Even in mathematics. Dr. Misner Mis-ner said, the old ideas of mental discipline in learning tables and theorems Is being abandoned. Mathematics, he said, should also be taught on a thinking basis.' - |