Show REPORT OF LECTURES BY PROF DEWEY ON THE METHOD OF THE RECITATION CONCLUDED LAST WEEK The pedagogical conclusions of the last lecture is that it is the business of the the- school to control the process of apperception apperception apperception tion so that it may proceed along the most correct and most fruitful lines Inthis In Inthis Inthis this lecture let us first apply the above to the nature of the concept and then treat briefly of the the three stages of mental development as laid down by Dr W. W T. T Harris Any idea that is used to apperceive orto or orto orto to interpret other ideas with is virtually a concept The child sees a bunch of flowers and selects sweet peas roses etc In order that he may make these identifications identifications identifications he must have these ideas in his mind The use of an idea rather than anything in the nature of the idea itself is that which makes it a concept There is no structural difference between precept precept pre pre- and concept The precept ends in itself while the concept is used to garner in other ideas The child sees a loco loco- motive So far as his ideas are based on this it is perception The moment he utilizes this experience to apprehend another the the- theold old precept has as become a concept All All' philosophical students are familiar with the dispute in regard to general ideas What is a general idea One side holds that as soon as you think you have a particular The other claims that you think merely the common ties Psychologically there is no mere general general general gen gen- eral idea We may use a particular image to control other images and this use use determines its generality Pedagogically Pedagogically Pedagogically this is important for there is a tendency tendency tendency tend tend- ency to oppose vivid imagery and conception conception conception concep concep- tion to each other There is no such contrast contrast contrast con con- psychologically nor pedagogically The image of the child is the center that reaches out and gathers in that which would be incomprehensible if not related to the image already in mind On the intellectual side the first work is to form standard images The standard standard stand stand- ard and image is a concept Suppose that it itis itis itis is the principle of oj pressure According to the principle of those who oppose the view here stated the child is dealing with mere particulars when studying particular objects as the water pump bicycle pump etc After this he is to go back and get thet common element This is a complicated complicated complicated com com- process An adult could not do doit doit doit it as stated It is not an easy matter to find rind the common element It took ages c r for the adult mind to find it Those who go to the other extreme would have the child learn the formula and then find the illustration This way holds its own because practically the child cannot do dothe dothe dothe the other way If we have to go to one extreme or the other Im I'm inclined to think the latter would be the best Neither however conforms to the true nature of the general The child should be brought to the question of relation in one particular case The case of pumping the bicycle 1 may be extended If the child vividly realizes this one case he has an image that he can keep coming back to Has the wind anything to do with it has water By questions he can soon come cometo cometo cometo to conclusions which will relate The child needs to learn to see the standard image in ways that are important for the problem at hand The movement movement of generalization is a movement of projection If the first case is definitely realized the process of projection will go on indefinitely We fail fall to realize the importance of the standard image The child needs to use it as a test test as a standard idea as a nucleus around which to cluster ideas We are too apt to depend upon the number number number num num- ber of ideas to deepen the impression in instead instead instead in- in stead of choosing the most important and thus leading the child to discriminate On the basis of the other theory it would seem that the greater the number of oi particulars particulars particulars par par- the easier the generalization Not so Drill illustrates this Drill is isa a repetition of cases which is made a substitute for a thorough understanding of the first case This has been the method of teaching arithmetic The chi chief f advantage of the Speer method is that it supplies the child with definite images The tendency in teaching is to invert the true order We V are apt to suppose particulars and then follow with I comparison and generalization In reality the mind imposes the generalization It brings particulars into relation The general is the the common What is the common From one point of view the common is the extern external l static thing from another it is dynamic We make things common Think of it as the movement of a living thing Generalization Generalization Generalization is using an image to organize experiences experiences experiences ex ex- which would otherwise be un un- related Read in connection with this lecture chapters VII VIII and XII McMurry's McMurry's McMurry's Mc- Mc Murry's Method of the Recitation in in order to see bo how w this idea is carried out in the idea of ty type e. e The The- type is the standard standard standard stand stand- ard image t ts t's r |