The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-08-24
SOCIAL EFFICIENCY
GOAL OF. SCHOOL
STATES Mr. GILES
Superintendent q City Edu-
cation Says Courses Tend
to Make Children Better
Citizens.

"Socializing the Schools" was the
topic of Superintendent J. T. Giles
address to the Wayne county tsachers'
institute this morning. Prof. Giles IL
to give an address each morning dur
ing the week. In his initial discussion
he dwelt at considerable length on
the influence which the schools are
feeling from the worldwide movement
toward the more complete sociliasa-
ton of institutions.
I'VE are now in the midst Of q
movement that is revolutionizing all
our institutions. The literature of our
time, books and periodicals, our clubs.
our churches and many of our new or
CARNATIONS are being steadily changed
by it's power. The Progressive party
was founded on this movement. 1t
has been caused by an idea. Ideas
are the forces that change our insti-
tutions.
1.-THE new idea of specialization is
not over twenty years old, but 1t IN
already revolutionizing the theory and
practice of our schools. Many new
movements have proved themselves
merely temporary. but there is every
evidence that this new movement has
come to stay. 1t is world wide and its
causes are deep.
See Social Need.
"The specialization of our institutions
Is one phase Of the age-old conflict be-
tween individualism Gnd collective
ism. We are discovering that man 10
q gregarious animal and that it 10 to
his advantage to hunt with the pack.
Circumstances made the nineteenth
century American strongly individu-
alistic. But the development of the
factory system has concentrated our
population and headed US toward q
wider collectiveism.
Never until today were there
enough goods to go around. This has
placed on US the responsibility for
equal distribution and made want and
poverty crime.
"The great worldwide movement Of
specialization is affecting the school.
both in its instruction and In its ad-
ministration.
1.-The Old definition of education was
the complete development of mind.
You can't find that definition in any
book published the last five years To-
day we are accepting Prof. John Dew
ey's definition that the aim of educa-
ton is to create social efficiency.
This new conception Of education
ia revolutionizing courses Of study. We
are adding new studies and abandon
ing old studies and we are pressing
all our studies into the interests of
citizenship
Vocational education is one way in
which the school is responding to the
great movement
Educate With Play.
I'VE are using play as means Of
education, and we are trying to intro
duce the play motive wherever posi-
BILE, and we are doing that because it
helps to equip the child to fulfill it's
| social functions. Once we educated
the mind only. Today we understand
that it is the whole boy and the whole
| girl that comes to school.
Although our discipline is better
in schools than it has ever been be-
fore, we are beginning to feel the in
fluence of democracy. The democracy
in politics has brought democracy into
our social institutions.
I'VE are judging school methods by
the social standard and We are trying
to make our methods inside the school
room to harmonic as much as we can
to methods that are brought to bear on
the child outside the school room.
This movement toward socializa-
ton is changing our methods of ad-
ministration. We have longer school
days and a longer school year. We
have night schools. We are beginning
to use our schools as social centers.
serve the community better than ever
| hofOrc"