The story of education; Socialized education

You're Pacific University program today and in the broadcast the follow is based upon the story of education published by Chilton books in June 1962 co-author with your narrator was Dr. Eugene Moleski an assistant superintendent in charge of teacher recruitment for the New York City Board of Education. By presenting these excerpts from my book The Story of education we are hoping that you our listening audience may be better able to understand the cries and the wherefores of our own American schools. Our topic today. Socialized education. In his writings practically no attention was paid to education by Auguste Comte de. Born in 1798 and known as a so-called father of modern scientific sociology. However some of his followers didn't have much to say about the important places schools and social progress. It should be noted the sociology and psychology deal was much the same subject matter. These fields of study are not antagonistic. In fact they compliment each

other. Their differences are largely a matter of emphasis. The psychologist studies and analyzes the individual. The sociologist seeks to discover human contributions to the progress of society. Stimulated by rapid advancements in science and by efforts to achieve a better social status for the masses that grew out of the 19th century democratic movements. Human relationships continuously have been gaining a new importance. Today as never before educational problems are being studied from the viewpoint of their economic political and social significance. This current emphasis is nothing new as social aims have been more or less important all types of education from primitive society onward. In fact the more primitive the society usually the more necessary it is that the child be taught to adjust himself to group characteristics. The chief aim of Oriental education was to preserve social stability. Hebrews Greeks Romans all

recognise the social significance of teachers and their methods. The educational aims of Jesus were far more advanced than ever before presenting to the world. It was indeed unfortunate that later Christians so completely lost sight of the massive social goals in their over emphasis the formal religious rites. The current emphasis on social educational aims has been brought about by a realisation that the school must take a leading role in preparing its future citizens to live together and make a play in a complicated highly industrialized world. The most recent development of a progressive education movement has been the realization that its philosophy bears social implications that the school is vitally concerned with the total economic and social scene. As a result curricula progressive schools are today emphasizing the problems of social progress. This recognition of the need for socialized education is largely a child a necessity. A belated

admission that 20th century society has outgrown the education ideals and practices of the past. Leader in this new movement as in so many others was John Dewey or rather it may be said that socialized education is a new interpretation of what Dewey had been saying for 50 years is publication a school and society in 1899 spearheaded the revolt against the religious disciplinary and informational aims that it dominated education throughout the 19th century. Dewey argued the schools should emphasize civic and social experience vocational and practical usefulness and individual development. His great service at that time was a restatement of the aims of education in the light of rapid social changes that had been taking place. Education for doing a has two sides psychological and social neither of which may be subordinated or neglected. The psychological nature of the child

forms the basis for his education. It is the teacher's responsibility to make full use of these natural spontaneous activities describing original nature as being spontaneously impulsive rather than passing due in a divided impulses into four kinds. The social impulse of communication or conversation the constructive impulse to make things the impulse to investigate things and the impulse of artistic or creative expression. Where these impulses in mind the school must be changed from a sedentary listening basis to an active doing or working one. The teaching process must be planned to allow the child to learn wherever possible by his own experiences and in that way to acquire the habit of thinking. The proper solution to any problem demands intelligent thinking which becomes the principal factor in the ability to cope with new situations. Thinking as do we defined it is the bringing of the meanings of past experience to

bear on the interpretation of the new situations. Dewey found out that when the psychological and social approaches to learning are separated there is produced either a force an external education in which freedom of the individual is subordinated to a preconceived notion of what society should be or else a beret and from a development of the mental powers and with the learner has but little idea of the used to be made of what is being learned. The school is primarily a social institution because its processes are social. In fact educational processes are basically no different from those going on continuously in life outside the classroom. Therefore the manner in which preschool learning has been taking place should suggest to a teacher the logical starting point for more systematic encouragement of physical and mental growth. The school ideally should be that form of social life in which can be concentrated those factors that most effectively cause a child to share in

the accumulated knowledge and skills of the race. Education can be considered as proceeding most satisfactorily when ever the individual is actively participating in social relationships with others. Do he desired certain modifications in both methods and curriculum to meet the needs of a new society. He thought that have with the discipline and responsibility which had been so important in the economy of earlier family systems. I have now lost much of their effectiveness. It is the duty of the modern school to prepare its BIA both for a new environment one that represents those changes and living invasions resulting from recent applications of scientific data to industry manufacturing transportation and communication to do it this is the logical place for bringing about social progress and reform. By means of education society can first formulate its own purposes and then organize the means for their attainment. Thus in the schools

society has the ideal tool for shaping itself with a reasonable degree of definiteness in whatever direction it wishes to move. That is the essence of a democratic social order as contrast with the handing down of ready made concepts so characteristic of autocratic social orders. Duly pointed out that the general mistake is being made of introducing the child to a broccoli to specialized studies. That at the time have very little real relationship to his own social life. The basis upon which all growth and training should be concentrated and correlated. And other words both subject matter and methods in schools should be adapted to the child's own peculiar needs. As the best means of preparing a pupil to be introduced to more formal studies do recommended the so called expressive or constructive activities such as drawing household arts manual arts music in nature study. Language he

thought loses much of its value as a means of social communication because the social element is lacking when it is taught as a separate subject. Instruction and earth medical processes more effective and certainly more fun when the child plays store pretends to buy and makes change than is ever possible in the traditional formal style of teaching. One of DUIs greatest contributions to modern education has been his emphasis upon the importance of the child's interest. These he considered as signs of growing powers and warn that they require careful and constant observation. His mandate so frequently overlooked by both followers and critics. Was that the should be neither excessively humored nor excessively abused. Repression results in the weakening of intellectual curiosity and destroying of initiated. Whereas unguided humoring degenerate into trying to unseat the priests and whim. Whenever a

child identifies himself with the fact to be learned or the action proposed. That can be considered a case of genuine interest. Any teacher who ignores the moving developmental nature of the injuries is seriously handicapping the pupils and just provides the moving or driving force. Effort comes into play in the degree to which the achievement of the activity is postponed or made remote by obstacles. It is in fact this effort to overcome obstacles are to perform tasks that stimulates thinking and reflection. Thinking and reflection maybe physical intellectual constructive and social. Doing a considered them the only true educated activities the teacher he said should realize that interest which is artificial cannot be added or attached to a formal subject. It must be inherently contained within the activity in which the child engages. Do we have now that it is not the

proper function of the teacher to discipline the child. The most effective moral training results when a pupil I assumes a responsibility a discipline himself as a part of his efforts to enter into proper social relationships with others. Thus any teacher is on the wrong path when she tries to form rigid habits of the billions within a child. It is much better to create a social environment that permits each pupil to learn for himself what can and what cannot be properly done. In a socialized classroom situation the teacher repeated late puts responsibility for decisions squarely on the children. Unless her judgment tells her that her own decision is necessary in order to settle a difficulty she helps the pupils formulate rules for their guidance when it becomes apparent that rules are necessary for effective group action. Those indicating they have possibilities of leadership are given opportunities to prove

their capabilities. In our activities the children are encouraged to set up their own standards of evaluation and each one is made responsible for completing his job promptly and successfully. Wherever possible pupils are encouraged to provide for each other's needs. They are asked to be lenient with members of the group who are still socially and developed. And if that's proved trials to the room as a whole. The building of good social habits is the primary objective of socialized education. When at the close of the 19th century Dewey published his first notable books. He was demanding a new type of socialized education to fit a day and age of rapidly advancing social and political democracy. An analysis of his philosophy shows the influence of Rousseau. I thought a lot about Dr. Bell and many others. However his principal sources for building the theory of desirable interaction between each individual and his social environment are the more

recent forces of democracy evolution industrialism pragmatism and scientific investigations stressed with the fact that the psychological nature of the child must not be divorced from the social situation. Rather it should be used as the basis for directing human energies into socially useful channels. Most educators of today consider the ultimate aim of education as socialistic rather than individualistic. If you believe that the school's purpose is to prepare the individual merely for the attainment of his own security welfare happiness or power. If you hold to the idea that education is to help the individual prepare himself to play a lone but effective hand in a world of competitive struggle. Narrow individualistic games in terms of bread and butter knowledge culture or even character I being recognised everywhere as in adequate education leaders are emphasizing as never before that the formation of habits and

skills the inculcation of ideals attitudes and appreciation the acquisition and utilization of knowledge. I'm not ends in themselves but only means to the greater and preparing individuals to fit into the general social organization and to serve the general social welfare in the present day conception of education. The ultimate goal is almost universally accepted as social.