Show REPORT OF LECTURES BY PROF DEWEY 4 i ON THE THE- OF THE u f RECITATION J di 7 The Process of Generalization and the Nature of the General J.- J. In discussing apperception it was mentioned that the principal of generalization generalization generalization general general- is involved in that fact t I L o cation is the essence of generalization The extension by little children of words to new objects illustrates this The same is seen in the way the savage employs employs employs em em- ploys words The new experience is interpreted fro from what is at hand The childs child's experience and habits are his tools This process is is one of identification tion not a complete fusion The new object is not looked at in isolation from other facts not facts not with reference to other related experiences to enable the child to get hold of it See Pot of Green Feathers Identification is the extension of an anold anold old experience into new conditions so as asto asto asto to enable one to master the new This is the very core of the process of gener gener- The scientific concept differs from the common one in the pains taken in identification ion At first identification is direct and rather naive We take it for granted As experience grows we learn that many do not hold and we learn that there is a critical is for working out these points The process of identification thus gets suspicious suspicious-in in doubt We look over our identifications The difference is that between an untested untested untested un un- tested uncritical one and that in which doubt causes tools to be used as tests i The child is generalizing from the start in so far as he is using his old standpoints to gather in and garner the new One person may interpret the earths earth's surface as a landscape another with reference to a market garden etc The fact is the same but something in the mind mind- of each determines what this will be That which controls what the experience experience experience ex ex- is is the general The demand for ability to deal quickly with experience experience experience exper exper- is the need of the general The general geneal is kept alive by application by determination determination determination-by by that which gives a S 1 o t quality or character to new experience The instinct to generalization is thus a natural ll and a primary attitude The child is always using generalization In fact the child generalizes too much rather than the reverse He g generalizes insufficient data The on relations are forced What is shown in logic as the fallacy of supposing the thing that precedes precedes precedes pre pre- cedes the other is the cause is this defective defective de de- r. r generalization Francis Bacon called attention to this tendency of the I. I mind If the mind once sees things as connected it will pass over fifty cases to the contrary for the former forms the looking-glass looking through which the mind acts in in interpreting experience This is the uncritical naive stage How to utilize this stage so as to make it most effective in the growth growt of the child is an important question There are three possible ways of dealing dealing dealing deal deal- ing with this stage 1 To take things more or less as they come to let the child make an entity of each lesson by itself This is the method of isolation We sometimes hear of correlation spoken of as a pedagogical device If we look at the psychological phase correlation is providing the conditions the conditions the opportunity the the material to make connections to to tie things together to make a new exper experience ence 2 3 Since interpretation interpretation- generalization generalization- is a necessity to coherence coherence coherence coher coher- ence of knowledge the child must be made conscious at each step of the stage of his knowledge The first is virtually a neglect of connecting links this is a continual emphasis of links These are not so opposed to each other as they y seem It is possible to isolate studies and yet give great attention to generalization generalization general general- generalization within the subject Turn to text textbooks textbooks textbooks books and note note this truth In English grammar we pass from one subject to another as if it were practically a new newa r a- r art rt t I world orId Great attention is formulating given to formulating formulating for for- general statements of these isolated isolated isolated iso iso- subjects The abstract is overemphasized overemphasized overemphasized over over- emphasized in order to make up for a alack alack alack lack of intrinsic connections in the subject subject subject sub sub- matter If there were the natural relations would it be necessary to consciously consciously consciously con con- formulate statE statements ments This suggests suggests suggests sug sug- the third mode of procedure 3 To arrange materials in such a way that the childs child's mind will be induced to work along lines of continuity to see how this grows out of what has preceded This avoids the isolation of the first and the necessity for continuous conscious explicit explicit explicit ex ex- statement of the general principle This is not to be interpreted so as to mean that the principle should never be stated It does not follow th that t because the child is not consciously stating generals generals generals gen gen- that his knowledge is not being eing generalized presented arranged in an orderly way Here as elsewhere the teacher comes comeE in to control the generalizing instinct The school has not to produce the tendency ten- ten dency but to utilize it The object of the organization n of material on the part of the teacher is by no means to take the place of the activity of the child in generalization generalization generalization gen gen- nor is it to compel the child to work out every generalization for himself but it is to supply food which will enable the mind to work with some guarantee of success The teacher cannot possibly have too much knowledge of the subject matter The Themore Themore Themore more of this she knows the more likely the subject will be presented along lines of df f greatest coherence Nature study illustrates these modes of presentation It is sometimes merely a tickling of fancy fancy fancy-a a catering to the childs child's immediate immediate immediate imme imme- diate interest Again it is a presentation presentation presenta presenta- tion of ready-made ready generalizations Sometimes scientific material is pre- pre seated as an an excuse for a reading lesson There are natural connections but it is isa a question of balance The real problem is to present material material material mater mater- ial i in such an orderly way that the childs child's instinct to generalize will flow in ina a certain certai channel which will be parallel to higher scientific generalization This brings up the question before considered whether hether the child should understand everything he is taught The difficulty is in the meaning of understand The child should be able to assimilate so as asto asto asto to relate in an organic way the new to what he already has It by no means follows that the child shall consciously state all g generalizations If we get him to state the general prematurely the child becomes confused and we thus defeat our own ends The child needs organs to apperceive generals The fact that the general is given him in concrete form will by no means enable him to grasp it If he has been dealing with practical cal generals if he has been organizing he has a background background-a a basis with basis with which he can reach out and the general principle Before the child comes conies to school he has certain practical habits He now no needs eeds intellectual habits He has control control control con con- of intellectual habits on the practical cal side He has now to now to form the habit of the the habit of connect connect- ing Until he gets this habit it is futile for him to grasp definitions as such but when he be has formed the habit of using general truths in new experience then he heis heis heis is ready to attend to definition This takes place at a about lout eight or nine years of age There is a change in the mental outlook at this time This is sometimes seen in the third grade and sometimes in the fourth Our curriculum does not provide for this change If the child deals with materials in an i orderly way he is generalizing but he does not want to do this forever He turns around to see what these truths look like like like-he he restates Generalization must be inv involved from the start because knowledge grows with attention and nd with interest All attention is selective When we attend we pick out certain things and reject others Interest and 1 attention are both selective When we come to conscious comparison and contrast contrast contrast con- con that is all we are doing We Weare are bringing out the relevant and ignoring the irrelevant In the first place generalization generalization generalization gener gener- is nat naive ve uncontrolled uncritical cal in the scientific stage it is conscious and controlled The selective process is the same the difference is in the control con- con j in in the guarantee for success J |