Part 10 (1/2)
Indeed, after the first day, they becoh automatic Because of their adaptableness the pupils look upon the new order as the established order, and, besides, the rotation in the chair affords a pleasing antidote to enerate a wholesoree of anticipation They are all sti forth The class exercise is relieved of much of the heavy formalism that characterizes the traditional recitation and that is so irksoe The socialized recitation is a worthy enterprise that enlists the interest of all roup and unifies them upon the plane of a common purpose In the common quest they becoation of sohtful consideration of scholars and authors
=The gang eleroup represent all strata of society, and the group is, in consequence, a working de in the same direction under a common impulse and intent upon a laudable enterprise, race and class distinctions are considered negligible, if, indeed, they are not entirely overlooked or forgotten The group is, in truth, a subli with the undesirable ele retained The gang spirit when iht directions and toorthy ends is to be highly co, each member stimulates and reenforces the other members, and their achievements in combination a spirit is well exe day” for the benefit of charity, the sale of Red Cross stamps, and the sale of special editions of papers People willingly enlist in these enterprises ould not do so but for the elenize and write upon the psychology of the gang, and the socialized recitation strives to utilize these psychological principles for the advancee of the enterprise in hand
=Proprietary interest=--In a cooperative enterprise such as the one under consideration each roup feels a sense of responsibility for the success of the enterprise as a whole, and this makes for increased effort In the traditional recitation the pupil feels responsibility only for that part of the lesson upon which he is called to recite In his thinking the enterprise belongs to the teacher, and therefore he feels no proprietary interest If the lesson is a failure, he experiences no special compunction; if a success, he feels no special elation If the trunk hich he struggles up the stairs is his own, he has the feeling of a victor when he reaches the top; but since it belongs to the teacher, he feels that he has finished a disagreeable task, takes his cooes on his coarden thinks thees The latter are potatoes, while the former are his potatoes
Proprietary interest sinks its roots deep into the motives that impel to action
=This interest in practice=--The recitation in question strives to generate a proprietary interest in the enterprise on the part of every member of the class so that each one ives direction and efficacy to the work of the class exercise Given such an interest, the pupil will not sit inert through the period unless stient and pertinent questions to help the enterprise along Moreover, each pupil, because of his proprietary interest in the enterprise, will feel constrained to bring to class such subsidiary aids as his hos, pictures, azine articles, books, and conversations that have a bearing upon the topic, and these he contributes opportunely in his zeal for the success of the recitation His pockets become productive of a varied assortment of materials that the tentacles of his interest have seized upon in his preparation for the event, and so all members of the class become beneficiaries of his explorations and discoveries
=The potency of ownershi+p=--A child is interested in his own things
The little girl fondles her doll in the h it does not ance
But it is her doll; hence her affection Volueneral subject of interest, and we have been ad to the native interests of the child, but the fundah been overlooked If ant to discover and localize the child's interest, we have but to , or his cart will discover to us one of his interests Again, if ould generate an interest in the child, we have but tofor which we hope to awaken his interest This is fundamental in this type of recitation The teacher effaces herself asof proprietorshi+p in the exercise in progress, and the pupils are quick to take the advantage thus afforded to make the work their own
=Exemplified in society=--The socialized recitation has its counterpart in rocery, in the barber shop, in the office, at the club, and in the field, we find groups of people in earnest, ani politics, religion, community affairs, public improvements, tariff, war, fashi+ons, crops, live stock, or ive-and-take policy in their efforts to arrive at the truth They contest every point and make concessions only when they are confronted by indisputable facts Soenerated in the course of the discussion, but this is always accounted a weakness and a substitute for valid argument The recitation is rather more decorous than some of these other discussions, but, in principle, they are identical Every one has freedouments or evidence There are no restrictions save the implied one of decorum The utmost courtesy obtains in the recitation, even at the sacrifice of soroup on their feet and anxious to be heard, but they do not interrupt one another without due apology
=Abiding resultants=--Unlike soe mistakes and to make concessions They do not scruple to correct the ratefully received, but they do not accept mere statements from one another They must have evidence They combat statearded as authorities They read extracts, or draw diagrams, or display pictures or specimens in support of their contentions There is animation, to be sure; and, at ti eye betoken intense feeling But the psychologist knows full well that these expressions intensify andthe impressions Both in victory and in defeat the pupil comes to an appreciation of the truth Defeat may humiliate, but he will evermore know the rock on which his craft recked Victory et the occasion or the facts The truths of the lesson becohout life they will be a part of himself
=Reflex influence=--Still further, this type of recitation reaches back into the hoets a wholesome cooperation between the hoht import The events of the day are recounted at the ho, and the contributions of the members of the family are deposited as assets in the recitation the next day Then the faer to learn of the reactions of the class to their contributions Such a community of interests cannot be confined to the four walls of a home, but finds its way to other homes and to places of business; the discussions of the class become the property of society, and the influence isthe people of the community many profitable topics of conversation, and these readily supplant the futile and less profitable topics It is easy to ence of an individual or of a co the topics of conversation
Gossip and shly inoculated with history, art, music, literature, economics, and statecraft
=Influence upon pupils=--Fro it will be seen that this type of recitation represents, not a _modus operandi_, but, rather, a _s,The work of the school is redeemed froe The pupil's initiative is given full recognition and inspiriting freedom ensues The teacher is not a taskmaster but a friend in need Pupils and teacher live and work together in an enterprise in which they have co success are shared equally and there is no place for envy in the distribution of dividends There is fair dealing in every detail of the work, with no semblance of discrimination There is a cash basis in every transaction If a pupil's offerings are rejected, he sees at once that they are inferior to others and beco shareholder in the ones that are superior to his own Nothing that is spurious or counterfeit can gain currency in the enterprise, because of the critical inspection of the roup, all of whority of their organization
In this cross section of life we find young people learning, by the laboratorythe viewpoints of others with no abateation of their own individuality; we find theood; we find the justice and discriing their horizons by ascending to higher levels of intelligence This work is as a upright, intelligent, effective citizens by perfories of such citizens They are learning how to live by the experience of actual living
=Part of an actual recitation given=--Some schools have developed this type of recitation to a very coree and in a very effective way In one such school the young wo report of a part of one of her recitations in this study:
The class was called to order by the chairnment for the next day's lesson, which proceeded as follows:
Teacher:--To-morroe shall have for the work of this convention the New Constitution as a whole We are ready for suggestions as to hoe had best proceed
Earl:--It seeood ould be to compare it with the Articles of Confederation
Joe:--I don't quite get your idea Do you mean to take them article by article?
Earl:--Yes
(Joe and Frank begin at the same time Teacher indicates Joe by nod)
Joe:--But there are so s in the new that are not in the old
Earl:--That is just it Let's make a list of the points in one that do not appear in the other Then by investigation and discussion see if we can tell why
Teacher:--Frank, you had soo
Frank:--Not on Earl's plan, which I think an excellent one, but I wished to ask the class if they think it ih these two docus are done to-day?” and ”Does this apply in our own city?” and ”In case the President or Congress failed in their duty, what could the people do about it?”