Layout Options
Which layout option do you want to use?
Wide
Boxed
Color Schemes
Which theme color do you want to use? Select from here.
Reset color
Reset Background
Forums
New posts
Trending
Random
What's new
New posts
Latest activity
Rules
Libraries
New Audios
New Comments
Search Profile Audios
Clubs
Public Events
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Trending
Random
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Forums
General
Elysium
Troon Pipeline
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Naofumi" data-source="post: 47919" data-attributes="member: 39"><p>First of all, the brains of the young people must not generally</p><p>be burdened with subjects of which ninety-five per cent are useless</p><p>to them and are therefore forgotten again. The curriculum of the</p><p>primary and secondary schools presents an odd mixture at the</p><p>present time.</p><p>In many branches of study the subject matter to be</p><p>_ learned has become so enormous that only a very small fraction of</p><p>it can be remembered later on, and indeed only a very small frac-</p><p>tion of this whole mass of knowledge can be used.</p><p>On the other</p><p>~</p><p>hand, what is learned is insufficient for anybody who wishes to</p><p>specialize in any certain branch for the purpose of earning his daily</p><p>bread.</p><p>Take, for example, the average civil servant who has passed</p><p>through the Gymnasium or High School, and ask him at the age</p><p>of thirty or forty how much he has retained of the knowledge that</p><p>was crammed into him with so much pains. How much is retained</p><p>from all that was stuffed into his brain?</p><p>He will certainly answer:</p><p>“Well, if a mass of stuff was then taught, it was not for the</p><p>sole purpose of supplying the student with a great stock of know-</p><p>ledge from which he could draw in later years; but it served to</p><p>develop the understanding, the memory, and above all it helped</p><p>to strengthen the thinking powers of the brain.”</p><p>That is partly</p><p>true.</p><p>And yet it is somewhat dangerous to submerge a young brain</p><p>in a flood of impressions which it can hardly master and the single</p><p>elements of which it cannot discern or appreciate at their just value.</p><p>It is mostly the essential part of this knowledge, and not the acci-</p><p>dental, that is forgotten and sacrificed.</p><p>‘Thus the principal pur-</p><p>pose of this copious instruction is frustrated, for that: purpose can-</p><p>not be to make the brain capable of learning by simply offering it</p><p>an enormous and varied amount of subjects for acquisition, but</p><p>rather to furnish the individual with that stock of knowledge which</p><p>he will need in later life and which he can use for the good of</p><p>350</p><p>i bo</p><p>SS</p><p>tie:</p><p>Aca SFE</p><p>ath</p><p>POO</p><p>ee</p><p>SE</p><p>ee</p><p>ee</p><p>sire</p><p>ue</p><p>a</p><p>3</p><p>ko</p><p>1e cc</p><p>inity. This aim, however, is rendered illusory if, because</p><p>f the superabundance</p><p>of subjects that have been crammed into</p><p>his head in childhood, a person is able to remember nothing, or at</p><p>least not the essential portion, of all this in later life. There is no</p><p>reason why millions of people should learn two or three languages</p><p>ears</p><p>during the school years, when only a very small fraction will have</p><p>eS:</p><p>_ the opportunity to use these languages in later life and when most.</p><p>;</p><p>of them will therefore forget those languages completely.</p><p>To take</p><p>an instance: Out of 100,000 students who learn French there are</p><p>probably not 2,000 who will be in a position to make use of this</p><p>ey</p><p>accomplishment in later life, while 98,000 will never have a chance</p><p>—t—C~™S</p><p>to utilize in practice what they have learned in youth. They have</p><p>_</p><p>5</p><p>spent thousands of hours on a subject which will afterwards be</p><p>ae</p><p>without any value or importance to them.</p><p>The argument that</p><p>oe</p><p>these matters form part of the general process of educating the mind</p><p>Ee</p><p>is invalid.</p><p>It would be sound if all these people were able to use</p><p>*</p><p>2</p><p>this learning in after life.</p><p>But, as the situation stands, 98,000</p><p>are tortured to no purpose and waste their valuable time, only</p><p>for the sake of the 2,000 to whom the language will be of any</p><p>fae</p><p>use.</p><p>|</p><p>a</p><p>In the case of that language which I have chosen as an example</p><p>eee</p><p>it cannot be said that the learning of it educates the student in logical</p><p>thinking or sharpens his mental acumen, as the learning of Latin,</p><p>for instance, might be said to do.</p><p>It would therefore be much</p><p>better to teach young students only the general outline or, better,</p><p>the inner structure of such a language : that is to say, to allow them</p><p>to discern the characteristic features of the language, or perhaps</p><p>to make them acquainted with the rudiments of its grammar, its</p><p>pronunciation, its syntax, style, etc.</p><p>That would be sufficient for</p><p>average students, because it would provide a clearer view of the</p><p>whole and could be more easily remembered.</p><p>And it would be</p><p>more practical than the present-day attempt to cram into their</p><p>heads a detailed knowledge of the whole language, which they can</p><p>never master and which they will readily forget.</p><p>If this method</p><p>were adopted, then we should avoid the danger that, out of the</p><p>superabundance of matter taught, only some fragments will remain</p><p>in the memory; for the youth would then have to learn what is</p><p>worth while, and the selection between the useful and the useless</p><p>would thus have been made beforehand.</p><p>As regards the majority of students, the knowledge and under-</p><p>standing of the rudiments of a language would be quite sufficient</p><p>for the rest of their lives.</p><p>And those who really do need this</p><p>language subsequently would thus have a foundation on which to</p><p>start, should they choose to make a more thorough study of it.</p><p>By adopting such a curriculum the necessary amount of time</p><p>would be gained for physical exercises, as well as for a more intense</p><p>training in the various educational fields that have already been</p><p>mentioned.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Naofumi, post: 47919, member: 39"] First of all, the brains of the young people must not generally be burdened with subjects of which ninety-five per cent are useless to them and are therefore forgotten again. The curriculum of the primary and secondary schools presents an odd mixture at the present time. In many branches of study the subject matter to be _ learned has become so enormous that only a very small fraction of it can be remembered later on, and indeed only a very small frac- tion of this whole mass of knowledge can be used. On the other ~ hand, what is learned is insufficient for anybody who wishes to specialize in any certain branch for the purpose of earning his daily bread. Take, for example, the average civil servant who has passed through the Gymnasium or High School, and ask him at the age of thirty or forty how much he has retained of the knowledge that was crammed into him with so much pains. How much is retained from all that was stuffed into his brain? He will certainly answer: “Well, if a mass of stuff was then taught, it was not for the sole purpose of supplying the student with a great stock of know- ledge from which he could draw in later years; but it served to develop the understanding, the memory, and above all it helped to strengthen the thinking powers of the brain.” That is partly true. And yet it is somewhat dangerous to submerge a young brain in a flood of impressions which it can hardly master and the single elements of which it cannot discern or appreciate at their just value. It is mostly the essential part of this knowledge, and not the acci- dental, that is forgotten and sacrificed. ‘Thus the principal pur- pose of this copious instruction is frustrated, for that: purpose can- not be to make the brain capable of learning by simply offering it an enormous and varied amount of subjects for acquisition, but rather to furnish the individual with that stock of knowledge which he will need in later life and which he can use for the good of 350 i bo SS tie: Aca SFE ath POO ee SE ee ee sire ue a 3 ko 1e cc inity. This aim, however, is rendered illusory if, because f the superabundance of subjects that have been crammed into his head in childhood, a person is able to remember nothing, or at least not the essential portion, of all this in later life. There is no reason why millions of people should learn two or three languages ears during the school years, when only a very small fraction will have eS: _ the opportunity to use these languages in later life and when most. ; of them will therefore forget those languages completely. To take an instance: Out of 100,000 students who learn French there are probably not 2,000 who will be in a position to make use of this ey accomplishment in later life, while 98,000 will never have a chance —t—C~™S to utilize in practice what they have learned in youth. They have _ 5 spent thousands of hours on a subject which will afterwards be ae without any value or importance to them. The argument that oe these matters form part of the general process of educating the mind Ee is invalid. It would be sound if all these people were able to use * 2 this learning in after life. But, as the situation stands, 98,000 are tortured to no purpose and waste their valuable time, only for the sake of the 2,000 to whom the language will be of any fae use. | a In the case of that language which I have chosen as an example eee it cannot be said that the learning of it educates the student in logical thinking or sharpens his mental acumen, as the learning of Latin, for instance, might be said to do. It would therefore be much better to teach young students only the general outline or, better, the inner structure of such a language : that is to say, to allow them to discern the characteristic features of the language, or perhaps to make them acquainted with the rudiments of its grammar, its pronunciation, its syntax, style, etc. That would be sufficient for average students, because it would provide a clearer view of the whole and could be more easily remembered. And it would be more practical than the present-day attempt to cram into their heads a detailed knowledge of the whole language, which they can never master and which they will readily forget. If this method were adopted, then we should avoid the danger that, out of the superabundance of matter taught, only some fragments will remain in the memory; for the youth would then have to learn what is worth while, and the selection between the useful and the useless would thus have been made beforehand. As regards the majority of students, the knowledge and under- standing of the rudiments of a language would be quite sufficient for the rest of their lives. And those who really do need this language subsequently would thus have a foundation on which to start, should they choose to make a more thorough study of it. By adopting such a curriculum the necessary amount of time would be gained for physical exercises, as well as for a more intense training in the various educational fields that have already been mentioned. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Name
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General
Elysium
Troon Pipeline
Top
