An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education: A Liberal Education for All

_We, believing that the normal child has powers of mind which fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, give him a full and generous curriculum, taking care only that al...

We have from time to time given some attention to the failure of our attempts to educate “The Average Boy,” and it may be useful to look into one or two fundamental principles u...

1. _Knowledge_: Failure of attempt to educate average boy--Industrial unrest often reveals virtue but want of knowledge--Dangerous tendency--The spirit of the horde--Individual,...

Mighty is the power of persistent advertisement. The author of _The Pagan_ may or may not be bringing an indictment against Pelmanism, but without any doubt ‘Pelmanism’ is bring...

A well-known educationalist has brought heavy charges against us all on the score that we bring up children as ‘children of wrath.’ He probably exaggerates the effect of any suc...

A hundred years ago, about the close of the Napoleonic wars, there was such another stirring among the dry bones as we are aware of to-day. All the world knew then, as now, that...

_Seeing that we are limited by the respect due to the personality of children we can allow ourselves but three educational instruments--the atmosphere of environment, the discip...

“_We hold that the child’s mind is no mere sac to hold ideas but is rather, if the figure may be allowed, a ‘spiritual organism’ with an appetite for all knowledge. This is its...

_We should teach children, also, not to lean (too confidently) unto their own understanding because the function of reason is to give logical demonstration of (a) mathematical t...

I need not waste time in attempting to convince the reader of what we all know, that a liberal education is, like justice, religion, liberty, fresh air, the natural birthright o...

_These principles (i.e., authority and docility) are limited by the respect due to the personality of children which may not be encroached upon whether by the direct use of fear...

It should not surprise the reader that a chapter, designed to set forth a startling truth, should open with the weighty words of an old Divine (Whichcote). But truths get flat a...

The War has made surprises stale but in those remote pre-war days we were enormously startled by the discovery of wireless telegraphy. That communications should pass through al...

_The Way of the Will: Children should be taught (a) to distinguish between ‘I want’ and ‘I will.’ (b) That the way to will effectively is to turn our thoughts away from that whi...

The title of this chapter may awaken some undeserved sympathy; gratifying visions of rhythmic movements, independent action, self-expression in various interesting ways, occur t...

Standard in Secondary Schools set by public examinations--Elementary Schools less limited with regard to subjects--A complete curriculum in the nature of things--Education still...

Pelmanism, an indictment--Monotonous drudgery the stumbling-block to education--A “play way”--Handicrafts--Eurhythmics--Enthusiasm of teachers amazing--Education, a passion--_Jo...

Napoleonic Wars outcome of the wrong thinking of ignorance--Intellectual renaissance followed--To be superseded by the utilitarian motive--Continuation School movement--Technica...

A liberal education, birthright of every child--Good life implies cultivated intelligence--Difficulty of offering Humanism to everyone--Problem solved at last--by the Drighlingt...

1.--_Education is an Atmosphere_: Only three means of education--Not an artificial environment--But a natural atmosphere--Children must face life as it is--But must not be overb...

1.--_Well-Being of Body_: “Children of wrath”--“Little angel” theory--Good and evil tendencies--Education, handmaid of Religion--Religion becoming more magnanimous--New-born chi...

Will, “the sole practical faculty”--“The will is the man”--Its function, to choose, to decide--Opinions provided for us--We take second-hand principles--One possible achievement...

1.--_The Mind of a Child_: The baby, more than a huge oyster--Poets on infancy--Accomplishments of a child of two--Education does not produce mind--The range of a child’s though...

Reason brings forward infallible proofs--May be furtherer of counsels, good _or_ bad--Inventions--How did you think of it?--Children should follow steps of reasoning--Psychology...

Deputed authority, lodged in everyone--No such thing as anarchy--A mere transference of authority--Authority makes for Liberty--Order, the outcome of authority--Docility, univer...

Herbartian Psychology--“Apperception masses”--Dangers of correlation--“Concentration series”--Children reduced to inanities--Mind, a spiritual organism--Cannot live upon “sweetm...

Not self-expression--A person, built up from within--Life, sustained on food--Plant analogy misleading--Mental and physical gymnastics--Mental food--The life of the mind--Proper...

An adequate conception of children necessary--All action comes from the ideas held--The child’s estate higher than ours--Methods of undermining personality-- Fear--Love--“Sugges...