Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-10-25

Education has been long
engaged in the business Of fol-
lowing trends. We have been,
I think, among the most migra-
tory of all disciplines. -.
Many times we have misused
the new ideas because we did
not understand them. :.
Discusses Job of Educator
LET me make it clear that !
believe much good can be found
in all that has been thought and
said about education in the last
half-century, if the new ideas
are accepted in moderation and
applied with care.
But it seems to me certain
basic principles need to be kept
clear.
81. The job of education, your
job and mine, is to bring the
learner and what is to be
learned together.
20. We need to know what
should be taught. This is a
matter of selectivity after much
study. Curriculums are vague
on many points. They tend to
avoid statements of Specif-s
learnings. often deal with gen.
eralities, mythology, the how of
teaching rather than the what
of teaching.
"3. Textbooks are the best
curriculumS now available to
us.
a. Each child, therefore,
should have a textbook in the
basic subjects at the appropri-
ate levels. Among these are
reading, spelling, languages,
m a t h m a tics. geography,
United States History.
IS. The textbook should serve
as the basis for lesson planning
by the teacher and lesson prep
aration by the pupil. 1t is a
springboard from which the
teacher plans over and above
the content of the text.
IS. Lesson plans should re-
quire pupils to do something
more than fill in blanks or clip
out words or phrases from
workbooks, or to read the next
10 pages.
~. Following the content of
the textbook, the tie CHI er
should make applications to
experience, provide experience
itself where this is practical,
and develop larger units of
study to employ what has been
learned.
Teacher Role Important
"8. While teaching begins
with organized curriculumS, the
teacher sets the stage for Gre
alive learning experiences. -.
80. The textbook provides the
pupil with the opportunity to
study, review and relearn what
the teacher has been teaching.
40. Critical thinking is a
major objective of formal edu-
cation. This must be based on
facts, the coordination of these
, facts into logical thought pat
. terms and the expression OF
& these observations in coherent
language. 1t follows, therefore,
that extensive experience in
the directed organization of
. thought in written and spoken
language is the indispensable
tool for developing the capac-
ity for critical evaluation OF
data.
Many of US in this school
system believe that children
can undertake more difficult
work at an earlier age through
formal planning of lessons,
consecutive and sequential use
of textbooks and planned use
of assignment followed by So
called home study or home
work. This does not eliminate
the usefulness of the emerging
curriculum with its interest
capturing advantage. What is
needed is an organization of
instruction which will lead to
improved study habits, i'm
proved achievement and better
planning on the part of the
teacher.
Improvement Stressed
THE third and concluding
point I want to make is capably
shorthanded in the term: I'M
provement.
This is a fundamental con-
cept in American education. 1t
underlies the point of view we
have that every pupil should
have a place in school where
his behavior, that is, his &C
tivity as a human being, can be
improved.
1--WE fall short of this goal
in the local schools just as is
the case everywhere.
With this as the premise,
I think we can agree on this
guideline for action:
81. Our job is to elevate and
improve human behavior in all
its aspects. To do this we
sometimes have to move
against the stream. Sometimes
it is necessary to expect more
of pupils than may seem pleas
ing to their parents or even
than, as teachers, we believe
they are capable of doing.
Il prefer the tough-minded
approach to this job over the
soft and sugar-coated ap-
proach. would much rather
hear complaints about too much
homework, for example. than
because pupils have too little
experience in the formation OF