The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-17
EFFECT, PROGRESS
OF EDUCATION TOLD
BY MISS LILA PAYNE

Effect of modern education upon the
individual persuing learning, was dis
cussed at length by Miss Lila Payne,
elementary supervisor of the local
schools, in an address before the Ro-
tary club at the Arlington hotel Tues
day noon.
Changes which have taken place in
industries and professions during the
past few years were cited by Miss
Payne TO emphasize the growth in
education and its principles.
There are new things in the indus
tries and in the professions in WHICH
you are interested. There are new
things in housekeeping. You do not
use the same kind of car you did 20
years ago. You are not using the
same kind of steel. The machinery
in your factories is not exactly of the
model of 20 years past. The electric
bulbs are different from those of five
years ago. The doctors don't X-ray
you as they did before the war, even
your Victrola needles have been i'm
proved. Why should education lag
behind? 1t has changed somewhat
Desire Better Products
The changes have been made for
| the same reason that the changes in
| other occupations have been made
| There has been q desire for better
products, for less waste and the re-
search people in the laboratories and
| in the shops have gone to work to meet
the demands.
That might be one of the reasons
why civilization has progressed so
much more rapidly in the last 100
years than in SO many of the thou
sands that have gone before. There
has been a desire for progress and a
conscious effort to that end.
| For a while education did lag
Everything has been in that stage
Chemistry for ages was only alchemy
but the chemistry and physics of today
are an improvement. Education was
for time, like alchemy based upon at
tractlve opinions rather than verifiable
facts. That time is past.
| Continue Research Work
For years there have been a group
of workers steadily increasing in mum
Der and improving in methods of pro
cedure who are at work finding out fol
us the things We need to know. 1t is
difficult to isolate a given factor anC
to check up results. But it is valu
able. Education may now deal with
verifiable facts rather than attractive
opinions. We are growing more anC
more skeptical about the attractive
opinions.
! Our specific aims are very carefully
worked out in many subjects for us
One of the first attacks was on spell
ling. DR.. Ayres went to work to fine
out what people needed to know il
order to spell accurately the thing!
they had to spell. Many thousands o
business letters and other document
were examined and the number o
words really needed was found to b.
surprisingly small. There remainet
the deciding upon the list to b.
learned in the elementary schools.
In arithmetic, many people hav
= done good work. We have very vel
standardized tests. A test is not cor
sidered standardized until it has bee,
worked over with thousands and ten
Of thousands of children.
Studying the Child.
"One may have both specific, scier
tific aims and know as well as poss
BILE what the individual abilities of tn
child are and still fail to teach SUI
cessfully. The psychologists hav
done much work for US here. The
have done research work to discove
for us, not only what we ought t
learn but how we learn it and why W
learn it and the best conditions fc
learning it We have therefore tn
= three laws of learnings worked gu
5 Readiness, exercise and effect.
You will notice that we want
l recognize only the law of exercis
Now they are telling US that it is b
i lieved, as a result of careful researcl
> that learning comes mainly by the la
= of effect. Any movement of mind {
d body that succeeds Cor brings satisfa
:. tion) has for that reason a bette
chance of being used again. Read
ness or mind set adds to the satisfa
l. ton.
~ r. r.