The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-13
OLD SUBJECT
IN new DRESS
How to Interest the School
Child in His Work
Is Discussed in Superintendent
Wilson's New Book.
MOTIVATION OF SCHOOL WORK
Fit the School to the Pupil Is
His Idea.
Instead of Putting the Little
One Into Groove.

When Johnny or Mary come home
tired from school, don't place the
blame on too long hours or overstudy.
Conclusive experiments prove that
they are tired because their school
work has not been of interest to them.
The interested student comes home
as briskly as he left.
This is one of the new educational
discoveries told of in Superintendent
Wilson's new book, 1.-The Motivation
of School Work" The age-old prob
lem of interesting the child in school
is attacked, and one is inclined to say,
solved in Wilson's new book. The
book is a pioneer in educational litera-
ture.
Wilson's ''open sesame to the mind
of the child is the word motivation"
1t is almost impossible to arouse the
interest of the child in a routine course
of study. So as Mahomet went to the
mountain when the mountain refused
to come to him, the school and the
course of study is to be made to fit
the child instead of trying to fit the
| child into a grooved course of study.
The problem of the school is stated
by Superintendent Wilson thus: 1.-The
work in which the schools seek to en-
gage the child is not significant to
him. 1t does not satisfy the needs
which the individual child expert
ences." Get away from the textbook
is the preachment that Wilson offers.
| Plan the school work so that it will
excite the motives which influence
children of the grade school age.
| List of Motives.
| Following are the motives which are
| compelling to the young child, accord
| ing to Wilson's book: 1, Earning
money and acquiring property; 2,
| competing for results, reward, or an
honor; 8, making things; 4. entertain
ing; 5, sharing; 6, advancing ones self
| in the estimation of others; Z, playing
games; s. promoting self-develop-
ment; 9. preserving products and col
lections; 10, mastering and conquer
| ing; IL, fitting for a life career.
| The greater part of the book is
| given over to practical illustrations of
| the use of these motives in school
work The first four chapters discuss
the present status and need in educa-
ton, gives the meaning of motivation,
discusses the psychological basis of
motivation and analyses the origin
! and sources of motives. The succeed
ing chapters take up the motivation of
the different studies.
| In many cases the illustrations OF
successful motivation are drawn from
the Topeka schools. In his chapter
on geography he tells of the imaginary
aerial trip around the world taken by
the upper-grade pupils in Topeka,
Kansas. The Topeka State Journal
published the map showing the pro-
posed airship route open to all COM
petitors and starting from the grounds
of the Panama-Pacific exposition in
May. 1915. Prizes of three hundred
thousand dollars were offered.
1t Interested the Children.
The scheme so interested the chill
dren that more was accomplished in
geography during the Journey than
in many weeks previous. In addition
the children were asked to write of
their journey or compose imaginary
| letters from different places touched
in their flight, furnishing a fine exer-
else in English and grammar. Accord
ing to superintendent Wilson the To-
peka public library was thronged with
children eagerly reading all they could
find about airships, and estimating the
| distances between stops and working
| out the details to sights along the
route. The work was more thorough
ly covered than in weeks of stric
routine of geography lessons.
The book is mine of practical sug
gestion in interesting the child ane
making the school work take on the
| significance that it should in thu
child's life. Wilson gives due credi
to the psychologist and philosopher
John Dewey, for the first expression o.
! the lUcd u HlOllNdllOI, yet " lhC L "
peka man belongs the credit of it
first analysis and full development.
The book is the product of min
years work on the part of Superin
tendent Wilson and his brother, Gu.
| Wilson, of Iowa State university. 1t
l published by Houghton, Mifflin & &C
>---
Two men who stammered consider
ably met one day and began a con
verSation. They were proceeding
with considera BILE difficulty, when on
OF them remarked: