Funny, he doesn't sound anything at all like you. REH
----- Original Message ----- From: "Harry Pollard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Ray Evans Harrell'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, January 05, 2004 9:49 PM Subject: RE: [Futurework] Reason and Faith > Brian, > > Of course, Dewey was mainly famous because he was Chairman of the > Henry George School in New York City. > > Have a Good Year! > > Harry > > ******************************************** > Henry George School of Social Science > of Los Angeles > Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 > Tel: 818 352-4141 -- Fax: 818 353-2242 > http://haledward.home.comcast.net > ******************************************** > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > mcandreb > Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 6:03 AM > To: Ray Evans Harrell; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; > [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Reason and Faith > > Hi Ray, > Schon visited my Faculty several times in the late eighties and > early > nineties. He always said that it was important to understand > Dewey in > order to appreciate his applications of Dewey's ideas. FWers > might enjoy > some early Dewey. > > Take care, > Brian > > > ---------------------------------- > My Pedagogic Creed > John Dewey's famous declaration concerning education. First > published > in The School Journal, Volume LIV, Number 3 (January 16, 1897), > pages > 77-80. > > > ARTICLE I--What Education Is > > I believe that all education proceeds by the participation of the > individual in the social consciousness of the race. This process > begins > unconsciously almost at birth, and is continually shaping the > individual's powers, saturating his consciousness, forming his > habits, > training his ideas, and arousing his feelings and emotions. > Through this > unconscious education the individual gradually comes to share in > the > intellectual and moral resources which humanity has succeeded in > getting > together. He becomes an inheritor of the funded capital of > civilization. > The most formal and technical education in the world cannot > safely > depart from this general process. It can only organize it or > differentiate it in some particular direction. > > I believe that the only true education comes through the > stimulation of > the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in > which he > finds himself. Through these demands he is stimulated to act as a > member > of a unity, to emerge from his original narrowness of action and > feeling, and to conceive of himself from the standpoint of the > welfare > of the group to which he belongs. Through the responses which > others > make to his own activities he comes to know what these mean in > social > terms. The value which they have is reflected back into them. For > instance, through the response which is made to the child's > instinctive > babblings the child comes to know what those babblings mean; they > are > transformed into articulate language and thus the child is > introduced > into the consolidated wealth of ideas and emotions which are now > summed > up in language. > > I believe that this educational process has two sides-one > psychological > and one sociological; and that neither can be subordinated to the > other > or neglected without evil results following. Of these two sides, > the > psychological is the basis. The child's own instincts and powers > furnish > the material and give the starting point for all education. Save > as the > efforts of the educator connect with some activity which the > child is > carrying on of his own initiative independent of the educator, > education > becomes reduced to a pressure from without. It may, indeed, give > certain > external results, but cannot truly be called educative. Without > insight > into the psychological structure and activities of the > individual, the > educative process will, therefore, be haphazard and arbitrary. If > it > chances to coincide with the child's activity it will get a > leverage; if > it does not, it will result in friction,or disintegration, or > arrest of > the child nature. > > I believe that knowledge of social conditions, of the present > state of > civilization, is necessary in order properly to interpret the > child's > powers. The child has his own instincts and tendencies, but we do > not > know what these mean until we can translate them into their > social > equivalents. We must be able to carry them back into a social > past and > see them as the inheritance of previous race activities. We must > also be > able to project them into the future to see what their outcome > and end > will be. In the illustration just used, it is the ability to see > in the > child's babblings the promise and potency of a future social > intercourse > and conversation which enables one to deal in the proper way with > that > instinct. > > I believe that the psychological and social sides are organically > related and that education cannot be regarded as a compromise > between > the two, or a superimposition of one upon the other. We are told > that > the psychological definition of education is barren and > formal--that it > gives us only the idea of a development of all the mental powers > without > giving us any idea of the use to which these powers are put. On > the > other hand, it is urged that the social definition of education, > as > getting adjusted to civilization, makes of it a forced and > external > process, and results in subordinating the freedom of the > individual to a > preconceived social and political status. > > I believe that each of these objections is true when urged > against one > side isolated from the other. In order to know what a power > really is we > must know what its end, use, or function is; and this we cannot > know > save as we conceive of the individual as active in social > relationships. > But, on the other hand, the only possible adjustment which we can > give > to the child under existing conditions, is that which arises > through > putting him in complete possession of all his powers. With the > advent of > democracy and modern industrial conditions, it is impossible to > foretell > definitely just what civilization will be twenty years from now. > Hence > it is impossible to prepare the child for any precise set of > conditions. > To prepare him for the future life means to give him command of > himself; > it means so to train him that he will have the full and ready use > of all > his capacities; that his eye and ear and hand may be tools ready > to > command, that his judgment may be capable of grasping the > conditions > under which it has to work, and the executive forces be trained > to act > economically and efficiently. It is impossible to reach this sort > of > adjustment save as constant regard is had to the individual's own > powers, tastes, and interests-say, that is, as education is > continually > converted into psychological terms. > > In sum, I believe that the individual who is to be educated is a > social > individual and that society is an organic union of individuals. > If we > eliminate the social factor from the child we are left only with > an > abstraction; if we eliminate the individual factor from society, > we are > left only with an inert and lifeless mass. Education, therefore, > must > begin with a psychological insight into the child's capacities, > interests, and habits. It must be controlled at every point by > reference > to these same considerations. These powers, interests, and habits > must > be continually interpreted--we must know what they mean. They > must be > translated into terms of their social equivalents--into terms of > what > they are capable of in the way of social service. > > > > > ARTICLE II--What the School Is > > I believe that the school is primarily a social institution. > Education > being a social process, the school is simply that form of > community life > in which all those agencies are concentrated that will be most > effective > in bringing the child to share in the inherited resources of the > race, > and to use his own powers for social ends. > > I believe that education, therefore, is a process of living and > not a > preparation for future living. > > I believe that the school must represent present life-life as > real and > vital to the child as that which he carries on in the home, in > the > neighborhood, or on the playground. > > I believe that education which does not occur through forms of > life, or > that are worth living for their own sake, is always a poor > substitute > for the genuine reality and tends to cramp and to deaden. > > I believe that the school, as an institution, should simplify > existing > social life; should reduce it, as it were, to an embryonic form. > Existing life is so complex that the child cannot be brought into > contact with it without either confusion or distraction; he is > either > overwhelmed by the multiplicity of activities which are going on, > so > that he loses his own power of orderly reaction, or he is so > stimulated > by these various activities that his powers are prematurely > called into > play and he becomes either unduly specialized or else > disintegrated. > > I believe that as such simplified social life, the school life > should > grow gradually out of the home life; that it should take up and > continue > the activities with which the child is already familiar in the > home. > > I believe that it should exhibit these activities to the child, > and > reproduce them in such ways that the child will gradually learn > the > meaning of them, and be capable of playing his own part in > relation to > them. > > I believe that this is a psychological necessity, because it is > the only > way of securing continuity in the child's growth, the only way of > giving > a back-ground of past experience to the new ideas given in > school. > > I believe that it is also a social necessity because the home is > the > form of social life in which the child has been nurtured and in > connection with which he has had his moral training. It is the > business > of the school to deepen and extend his sense of the values bound > up in > his home life. > > I believe that much of present education fails because it > neglects this > fundamental principle of the school as a form of community life. > It > conceives the school as a place where certain information is to > be > given, where certain lessons are to be ]earned, or where certain > habits > are to be formed. The value of these is conceived as lying > largely in > the remote future; the child must do these things for the sake of > something else he is to do; they are mere preparation. As a > result they > do not become a part of the life experience of the child and so > are not > truly educative. > > I believe that the moral education centers upon this conception > of the > school as a mode of social life, that the best and deepest moral > training is precisely that which one gets through having to enter > into > proper relations with others in a unity of work and thought. The > present > educational systems, so far as they destroy or neglect this > unity, > render it difficult or impossible to get any genuine, regular > moral > training. > > I believe that the child should be stimulated and controlled in > his work > through the life of the community. > > I believe that under existing conditions far too much of the > stimulus > and control proceeds from the teacher, because of neglect of the > idea of > the school as a form of social life. > > I believe that the teacher's place and work in the school is to > be > interpreted from this same basis. The teacher is not in the > school to > impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but > is > there as a member of the community to select the influences which > shall > affect the child and to assist him in properly responding to > these > influences. > > I believe that the discipline of the school should proceed from > the life > of the school as a whole and not directly from the teacher. > > I believe that the teacher's business is simply to determine on > the > basis of larger experience and riper wisdom, how the discipline > of life > shall come to the child. > > I believe that all questions of the grading of the child and his > promotion should be determined by reference to the same standard. > Examinations are of use only so far as they test the child's > fitness for > social life and reveal the place in which he can be of the most > service > and where he can receive the most help. > > > > > ARTICLE III--The Subject-Matter of Education > > I believe that the social life of the child is the basis of > concentration, or correlation, in all his training or growth. The > social > life gives the unconscious unity and the background of all his > efforts > and of all his attainments. > > I believe that the subject-matter of the school curriculum should > mark a > gradual differentiation out of the primitive unconscious unity of > social > life. > > I believe that we violate the child's nature and render difficult > the > best ethical results, by introducing the child too abruptly to a > number > of special studies, of reading, writing, geography, etc., out of > relation to this social life. > > I believe, therefore, that the true center of correlation on the > school > subjects is not science, nor literature, nor history, nor > geography, but > the child's own social activities. > > I believe that education cannot be unified in the study of > science, or > so called nature study, because apart from human activity, nature > itself > is not a unity; nature in itself is a number of diverse objects > in space > and time, and to attempt to make it the center of work by itself, > is to > introduce a principle of radiation rather than one of > concentration. > > I believe that literature is the reflex expression and > interpretation of > social experience; that hence it must follow upon and not precede > such > experience. It, therefore, cannot be made the basis, although it > may be > made the summary of unification. > > I believe once more that history is of educative value in so far > as it > presents phases of social life and growth. It must be controlled > by > reference to social life. When taken simply as history it is > thrown into > the distant past and becomes dead and inert. Taken as the record > of > man's social life and progress it becomes full of meaning. I > believe, > however, that it cannot be so taken excepting as the child is > also > introduced directly into social life. > > I believe accordingly that the primary basis of education is in > the > child's powers at work along the same general constructive lines > as > those which have brought civilization into being. > > I believe that the only way to make the child conscious of his > social > heritage is to enable him to perform those fundamental types of > activity > which make civilization what it is. > > I believe, therefore, in the so-called expressive or constructive > activities as the center of correlation. > > I believe that this gives the standard for the place of cooking, > sewing, > manual training, etc., in the school. > > I believe that they are not special studies which are to be > introduced > over and above a lot of others in the way of relaxation or > relief, or as > additional accomplishments. I believe rather that they represent, > as > types, fundamental forms of social activity; and that it is > possible and > desirable that the child's introduction into the more formal > subjects of > the curriculum be through the medium of these activities. > > I believe that the study of science is educational in so far as > it > brings out the materials and processes which make social life > what it > is. > > I believe that one of the greatest difficulties in the present > teaching > of science is that the material is presented in purely objective > form, > or is treated as a new peculiar kind of experience which the > child can > add to that which he has already had. In reality, science is of > value > because it gives the ability to interpret and control the > experience > already had. It should be introduced, not as so much new > subject-matter, > but as showing the factors already involved in previous > experience and > as furnishing tools by which that experience can be more easily > and > effectively regulated. > > I believe that at present we lose much of the value of literature > and > language studies because of our elimination of the social > element. > Language is almost always treated in the books of pedagogy simply > as the > expression of thought. It is true that language is a logical > instrument, > but it is fundamentally and primarily a social instrument. > Language is > the device for communication; it is the tool through which one > individual comes to share the ideas and feelings of others. When > treated > simply as a way of getting individual information, or as a means > of > showing off what one has learned, it loses its social motive and > end. > > I believe that there is, therefore, no succession of studies in > the > ideal school curriculum. If education is life, all life has, from > the > outset, a scientific aspect, an aspect of art and culture, and an > aspect > of communication. It cannot, therefore, be true that the proper > studies > for one grade are mere reading and writing, and that at a later > grade, > reading, or literature, or science, may be introduced. The > progress is > not in the succession of studies but in the development of new > attitudes > towards, and new interests in, experience. > > I believe finally, that education must be conceived as a > continuing > reconstruction of experience; that the process and the goal of > education > are one and the same thing. > > I believe that to set up any end outside of education, as > furnishing its > goal and standard, is to deprive the educational process of much > of its > meaning and tends to make us rely upon false and external stimuli > in > dealing with the child. > > > > > ARTICLE IV--The Nature of Method > > I believe that the question of method is ultimately reducible to > the > question of the order of development of the child's powers and > interests. The law for presenting and treating material is the > law > implicit within the child's own nature. Because this is so I > believe the > following statements are of supreme importance as determining the > spirit > in which education is carried on: > > 1. I believe that the active side precedes the passive in the > development of the child nature; that expression comes before > conscious > impression; that the muscular development precedes the sensory; > that > movements come before conscious sensations; I believe that > consciousness > is essentially motor or impulsive; that conscious states tend to > project > themselves in action. > > I believe that the neglect of this principle is the cause of a > large > part of the waste of time and strength in school work. The child > is > thrown into a passive, receptive, or absorbing attitude. The > conditions > are such that he is not permitted to follow the law of his > nature; the > result is friction and waste. > > I believe that ideas (intellectual and rational processes) also > result > from action and devolve for the sake of the better control of > action. > What we term reason is primarily the law of orderly or effective > action. > To attempt to develop the reasoning powers, the powers of > judgment, > without reference to the selection and arrangement of means in > action, > is the fundamental fallacy in our present methods of dealing with > this > matter. As a result we present the child with arbitrary symbols. > Symbols > are a necessity in mental development, but they have their place > as > tools for economizing effort; presented by themselves they are a > mass of > meaningless and arbitrary ideas imposed from without. > > 2. I believe that the image is the great instrument of > instruction. What > a child gets out of any subject presented to him is simply the > images > which he himself forms with regard to it. > > I believe that if nine tenths of the energy at present directed > towards > making the child learn certain things, were spent in seeing to it > that > the child was forming proper images, the work of instruction > would be > indefinitely facilitated. > > I believe that much of the time and attention now given to the > preparation and presentation of lessons might be more wisely and > profitably expended in training the child's power of imagery and > in > seeing to it that he was continually forming definite, vivid, and > growing images of the various subjects with which he comes in > contact in > his experience. > > 3. I believe that interests are the signs and symptoms of growing > power. > I believe that they represent dawning capacities. Accordingly the > constant and careful observation of interests is of the utmost > importance for the educator. > > I believe that these interests are to be observed as showing the > state > of development which the child has reached. > > I believe that they prophesy the stage upon which he is about to > enter. > > I believe that only through the continual and sympathetic > observation of > childhood's interests can the adult enter into the child's life > and see > what it is ready for, and upon what material it could work most > readily > and fruitfully. > > I believe that these interests are neither to be humored nor > repressed. > To repress interest is to substitute the adult for the child, and > so to > weaken intellectual curiosity and alertness, to suppress > initiative, and > to deaden interest. To humor the interests is to substitute the > transient for the permanent. The interest is always the sign of > some > power below; the important thing is to discover this power. To > humor the > interest is to fail to penetrate below the surface and its sure > result > is to substitute caprice and whim for genuine interest. > > 4. I believe that the emotions are the reflex of actions. > > I believe that to endeavor to stimulate or arouse the emotions > apart > from their corresponding activities, is to introduce an unhealthy > and > morbid state of mind. > > I believe that if we can only secure right habits of action and > thought, > with reference to the good, the true, and the beautiful, the > emotions > will for the most part take care of themselves. > > I believe that next to deadness and dullness, formalism and > routine, our > education is threatened with no greater evil than sentimentalism. > > I believe that this sentimentalism is the necessary result of the > attempt to divorce feeling from action. > > > > > ARTICLE V-The School and Social Progress > > I believe that education is the fundamental method of social > progress > and reform. > > I believe that all reforms which rest simply upon the enactment > of law, > or the threatening of certain penalties, or upon changes in > mechanical > or outward arrangements, are transitory and futile. > > I believe that education is a regulation of the process of coming > to > share in the social consciousness; and that the adjustment of > individual > activity on the basis of this social consciousness is the only > sure > method of social reconstruction. > > I believe that this conception has due regard for both the > individualistic and socialistic ideals. It is duly individual > because it > recognizes the formation of a certain character as the only > genuine > basis of right living. It is socialistic because it recognizes > that this > right character is not to be formed by merely individual precept, > example, or exhortation, but rather by the influence of a certain > form > of institutional or community life upon the individual, and that > the > social organism through the school, as its organ, may determine > ethical > results. > > I believe that in the ideal school we have the reconciliation of > the > individualistic and the institutional ideals. > > I believe that the community's duty to education is, therefore, > its > paramount moral duty. By law and punishment, by social agitation > and > discussion, society can regulate and form itself in a more or > less > haphazard and chance way. But through education society can > formulate > its own purposes, can organize its own means and resources, and > thus > shape itself with definiteness and economy in the direction in > which it > wishes to move. > > I believe that when society once recognizes the possibilities in > this > direction, and the obligations which these possibilities impose, > it is > impossible to conceive of the resources of time, attention, and > money > which will be put at the disposal of the educator. > > I believe that it is the business of every one interested in > education > to insist upon the school as the primary and most effective > interest of > social progress and reform in order that society may be awakened > to > realize what the school stands for, and aroused to the necessity > of > endowing the educator with sufficient equipment properly to > perform his > task. > > I believe that education thus conceived marks the most perfect > and > intimate union of science and art conceivable in human > experience. > > I believe that the art of thus giving shape to human powers and > adapting > them to social service, is the supreme art; one calling into its > service > the best of artists; that no insight, sympathy, tact, executive > power, > is too great for such service. > > I believe that with the growth of psychological service, giving > added > insight into individual structure and laws of growth; and with > growth of > social science, adding to our knowledge of the right organization > of > individuals, all scientific resources can be utilized for the > purposes > of education. > > I believe that when science and art thus join hands the most > commanding > motive for human action will be reached; the most genuine springs > of > human conduct aroused and the best service that human nature is > capable > of guaranteed. > > I believe, finally, that the teacher is engaged, not simply in > the > training of individuals, but in the formation of the proper > social life. > > I believe that every teacher should realize the dignity of his > calling; > that he is a social servant set apart for the maintenance of > proper > social order and the securing of the right social growth. > > I believe that in this way the teacher always is the prophet of > the true > God and the usherer in of the true kingdom of God. > > > This piece has been reproduced here on the understanding that it > is not > subject to any copyright restrictions, and that it is, and will > remain, > in the public domain. > > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.558 / Virus Database: 350 - Release Date: 1/2/2004 > > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
