Show REPORT OF LECTURES BY PROF DEWEY ON THE OF THE RECITATION With reference to nature study the general point suggested is that the consideration consideration consideration con con- of the plant with reference to t- t growth to life pro processes esses to functions affords the opportunity of combining the childs child's interests and the subject matter From the standpoint of the child there are at least four types of interest 1 Natural interest in the childs child's own doing This is illustrated by his interest in taking care of the plant in observing it from day to day There is isa a sequence of his own activities parallel to the unfolding of knowledge of the plant itself There is the natural plant unity Parallel to this is the cycles of the childs child's activities as he gathers seeds Reeds plants them cares for their growth etc 2 The child has a natural interest in use What is the plant as a whole good for What are the uses of the various parts Why are there different t forms of root and stalk and leaves This is very diff different rent from observing the parts in isolation 3 The child has an interest in change in in movement itself The moving thing holds interest better than the stable or dead thing The investigations of Earl Barnes and of some who are working in Clark University show that the child is not only interested in what a thing is for but in what it will do 4 4 Another interest is more intel intel- It refers to the questioning at attitude attitude attitude at- at of mind When the ultimate object is to notice the parts there are no points of connection There is no in inquiring inquiring inquiring in- in quiring attitude on the part of the child When the object is accurate information only no particular que question tion arises If the interest is in life there are three questions always before him a What is it going to do next There is always movement ahead Attention is reaching out When the subject is presented from the standpoint of development there is always something to reach out toward b How does it happen If the plant is isolated from its environment natural conditions are not present When possible possible possible pos pos- sible the individual should be presented in its environment It should be capable of observation from day to today day for long a enough period to watch the entire circuit of growth When the object is to dissect flowers and to identify them there is no natural basis for questions The only question is what next and this is really artificial being the result of the attitude of a pupil toward a lesson It is not a spontaneous psychological interest When one studies studies studies stud stud- ies a plant in its environment the study does not end in mere sensation but there is developed a general attitude of mind which looks ahead When one gets this habit of mind he can attend to his own education When knowledge is isolated there is no training in intellectual habits The school habit of learning facts for forthe forthe the sake of the facts is artificial The use of molding in the study of geography illustrates the of the interest of the child and point of view of the adult On one side interest in doing is appealed app to and on the other a positive advance in knowledge The standpoint of the adult would be bethe bethe bethe the definition This is meaningless to the child It is p possible to use sand modeling and not accomplish anything The normal school has its weakness in separating the two views It has its strength in affording a rich subject mat mat- ter The college gives subject matter but leaves the student helpless as to teaching The vice in education today is in catering to the childs child's present in interests interests interests in- in instead of developing new ones Int Interest rest is the leverage not the goal The teacher must know the child in order to know the childs child's tools for work The teacher must know the subject matter in order to know the direction in which the child is is isto M to to move T The e standard helps us t tto to determine what is IS important what Important what I will move on The problem of real real method is how to take the subject matter matter matter mat- mat ter and put it into the form where he 1 can utilize interest till it grows to full j mastery To illustrate this let us return to what was said of the flower and its growth There are two standpoints the morphological and the functional It is isa a fundamental principle that the childs child's interest is on the side of function and that the key to a scientific understanding is also on this side Prof Coulters Coulter's course is pedagogy as well well well-as as as botany He emphasizes the functional Work is being done How Here is a basis for examining the tools The children may maybe maybe maybe be interested in counting the pores in inthe inthe inthe the stem even if they do not know their meaning but if we start from the fact that we breathe and that plants are like us in this respect the child will wish to know how Here is a basis for work The scientific interest and the child in interest interest interest in- in terest are not opposed It is a question of knowing enough nough to bring them into relation r 9 TO BE CONTINUED r 1 j 1 |