Preface. The-Acttb:Western · Journal of Elication A Brief Survey of Child Study. G W. A. LUCKEY. [JULY, distinct books, all leading to the same end, to be sure, but along entirely different paths. As a consequence methods of teaching will at once change to meet these facts will now become realities. From this time on new conceptions. What have been vaguely known as the philosophy of education will be read with a more critical spirit, and the individuality of the child will be studied and appreciated as never before. A nucleus for future study. When the idea of devoting this number of the JOUR-veals to the teacher that instead of one there are forty in the mass. Child study unseals this book and reSAL to child study was first considered my thought was to present some of the practical results of child study as well as ways by which the subject may be made most helpful. But a second thought convinced me that I could be of more service to the readers of the JOURNAL by giving instead a brief survey of child study as seen by men and women especially fitted by experience and education to speak with authority upon the various topics represented. In this way the readers have the advantage of a much stronger article and have a better opportunity of becoming acquainted with the best thought on this most interesting subject. Importance of child study. The investigations in this field during the past fifteen years have brought to light many undiscovered facts and have made obsolete much that has been accepted as true. The systematic study of children has become a fruitful source of scientific information and as such is recognized by psychologists everywhere. Important, however, as is the systematic study of children to scientific investigation, its pedagogical significance is of far greater importance. Why important. or We are often asked what has child study given us that is wholly new? Such a question of course cannot emanate from one who is familiar with the subject. But granting that all knowledge which the later investigations in child study have confirmed was the result of earlier speculative philosophy, it does not in the least detract from the importance of child study to the teacher and to the parent. Every one will admit that the knowledge of the race is far in advance of its practice. Many truths known in the time of Plato are violated to-day in our teaching as though they had never been discovered. The greatest enemy to human progress is man himself. All truth, no matter how by whom discovered, should become the common property of all. This, however, can never be so long as we are dependent wholly on books for our knowledge. Facts, however important, unvitalized are dead. growth of the teacher, like the growth of the child, rests The upon the amount of assimilation that takes place, and not upon the number of facts that can be crammed into the mind. To me, the most important mission of child study is to make common property the best and truest in educational practices from the earliest times to the present, and to bring our teaching into harmony with the natural stages of the growing child as determined by its spontaneous interests. Creates respect for individuality. To the average teacher, as well as to the parent, the child is and always has been a sealed book. In a school room of forty children there is, therefore, but one book, the common child-all individuality is lost All systematic observations of children, whether by teacher or parent, will form a nucleus around which will naturally concentrate all truth of individual deshould we close our eyes to its needs and go back to velopment. With the child always in our midst why the time of Froebel and Pestalozzi to understand through them the proper training for children of today. Human progress is moving on, and we are heirs not only to all that is past, but equally heirs to all that is present. The new education. Child study has given us a new education and a new ideal. No man has any right to determine in advance child to prepare him for the future. Who can discern the end of a child's education. We are educating the the future? The new education would lead the child ideal that will make him actively sympathetic with the to know and become muster of himself, and to have an throbbing pulse of humanity. With such individuals the future is safe. The symposium. Let me now introduce the readers to the symposium of articles written for this special number. All the may not therefore cover the ground that the writer, if articles were written in response to direct request, and cases of Professor Barnes and Miss Williams, who unlimited, would have taken. For instance, in the versity and normal school respectively, I suggested write on child study from the standpoint of the unithat they give an outline of their own work. I did forms of child study, which I felt would be valuable to this because these two institutions represent typical the reader. So I wish to be held responsible for the turn that all these articles have taken. The articles were limited in most cases to about five hundred words, so are necessarily short. cover nearly the whole subject and represent in terse But they form some of the crystallized thoughts of a number of the best students in child study. M. V. O'Shea writes on the topic, Child Study in the Home. Sara Wiltse considers Child Study from the Standpoint of the Kindergarten. H. E. Kratz, Child Study from the Standpoint of the City Superintendent. With all the praise that is given to child study in these days one may, nevertheless, hear words of censure now and again from those who fail to see its practical value, or who fear that it is being carried on to the detriment of those children who are made subjects of study for purposes of science. Perhaps every one has heard parents say "I do not want my boy torn to pieces by these child study people;" and "I will have no one around prying into him all the time, poking at him, asking him all sorts of questions, and experimenting upon him in other ways." In an English educational journal there appeared recently a humorous article portraying very vividly the difficulties which a science-loving father met in striving to study his child in the way in which many parents seem to think children must be treated if anything whatever is to be discovered concerning them; and a writer in a late number of a prominent school journal in our own country applied his caustic wit at some length in satirizing the modern child study movement because it busied itself mainly in prodding children in diverse ways to see how they would react. It is gratifying to know, however, that these discordant notes are not often heard in the midst of the almost universal harmony in favor of child study. Reason of opposition. But there have doubtless been justifiable reasons why some people have felt critical toward child study. The impression seems to have been conveyed to many that the only way to study children is by weighing or measuring or subjecting to sharp physical stimuli in order to study the character of the reaction; and there has naturally arisen antagonism to this sort of thing. A parent especially would be unable to see much, if any, practical value in such proceedings, and would feel strongly the unwholesome effect which it would be apt to have upon children when they became conscious that they were being made objects of special interest to the scientist, as though they were a plant, a stone, or an animal. I suppose it may be said with justice here, too, that the average parent must make very clumsy work of studying his child by the method of inductive science, for parents have little training, and most of them have no native ability for such work. This is by no means a reflection upon the mental capabilities of parents, for it cannot and should not be expected of them that they will be experts in the methods of scientific study, and in this case a very difficult method at that. Во де form the duties that devolve upon one who is responsible for the up-bringing of children. Parent desires practical knowledge. the fact that the parent is not a theorist; he is charged There may be some danger of our losing sight of with the practical responsibilities of training individual children. He cannot take a prominent part in the elaboration of a science of child-nature unless while he is thus engaged he becomes possessed of knowledge which will give him greater wisdom in dealing with his own children. We may here, for the sake of convenience, divide all mankind into two classes-theorists or scientists, and practical people. The scientists are interested in gathering facts from which generaliza. tions may be derived, and they are not specially concerned with the immedate practical bearing of their work. They would not be good scientists if they made their observations for the purpose of directly illuminating some perplexing problem in daily life. They must gather facts for the sake of facts simply, and if the conclusions are not immediately applicable to the problems of our daily existence, why it is of no great moment to the scientist. But practical people cannot be so unconcerned in regard to the observations which they make; they must see that things work, and they are interested in facts only as they have some imme-· diate reference to pressing problems to be solved. Now, in the realm of human affairs the psychologist is a theorist and scientist, while the parent is a practical person who is interested in the theories of childnature only as these relate explicitly to training in the home. In order intelligently to train a child it is probably not necessary for a parent to weigh, measure, and test his child by delicate devices as may most profitably be done by scientists, or engage very extensively in fact-gathering of any kind for the purposes of science simply. Indeed it is ofttimes true that vigorous, effective action does not go hand in hand with absorption in the details of inductive science; and reason would endorse what experience has already tended to indicate that parents who use their children. for purposes of inductive study do not always have the greatest success in their training. It will in all probability be wiser to leave the elaboration of a science of child-study to those who have the requisite preparation and opportunity. This will be better for a future science and less liable to turn the home into a sort of laboratory which cannot, in the nature of the case, be of much assistance to the parent in the discharge of his practical duties. The child study for parents. But there is another kind of child study which may be of the greatest immediate benefit to every parent. This consists in keeping in touch with what is being revealed by science concerning the normal growth and development of children, and applying the truths thus gained to training in the home. It would be within bounds to say that we have not yet a very definite conception of how a child normally develops, but we are, thanks to the labors of patient investigators, getting the parent cannot do the scientist's work, more light upon this question everyday. Of course, the scientist al successfully per- the experiences of the race which have been uncon40280 E the that by w th Super it in is the Awak One o **Buns of Thorean and Burghs? femen who would wish to become thoug into el the at trainin phere, Tanish establis appreci stad re that we can live by the education of man and other-plays alone, we might impede progress for son, but, evolution be praised, the world would on, children would be studied without our help, we should find ourselves sitting under some dead on which our tuneless harp would hang-the edors of the day too far in advance for us to hear r laughter, even if they remembered having passed n the way. Vest Roxbury, Mass. SARA E. WILTSE, responding Secretary International Kindergarten Union. t in a very brief, and therefore unsatisfactory, article s the task set before me. Awakens sympathy and appreciation. It is known to every observing superintendent that one of the chief hindrances to efficient school room work lies in the teacher's failure to understand the thoughts and feelings of the child and thus to come into close touch and sympathy with him. Sunshine is no more essential to the healthy growth of plants than the atmosphere of sympathy and love is to the right training and growth of children. In such an atmosphere, the difficulties of instruction and discipline vanish. Child study, if rightly pursued, never fails to establish those helpful relations of sympathy and appreciation between teacher and pupil. It may begin in studying the "bad boy," as the botanist does some floral monstrosity, with the cool scientific spirit, but it invariably ends in awakening feelings of profound sympathy for the unfortunate one, and a strong desire to lift him up to a higher plane. It matters little where the teacher begins, a deeper, more sympathetic interest in child nature, in children in general, is aroused, and this one fact is reason sufficient for the introduction of child study by the superintendent. Lines of investigation. Since the field of child study is practically limitless, to suggest what are the most helpful lines of investigation from the superintendent's standpoint is exceedingly difficult. I shall suggest a few simple lines of study which I have tested in the Sioux City schools. For the primary teachers, a deeply interesting and profitable investigation is to ascertain with what stock of knowledge beginners come to school. The primary teacher must know the child's circle of knowledge so that she does not attempt to teach what is already known, nor vainly attempt to build on knowledge the child does not possess. Defectives. Simple tests for discovering the defectives in sight and hearing is another important line of investigation. Since the child's psychical development depends almost entirely upon the normal activity of his senses, it is evident that, should this activity of his senses fall below the normal, his psychical development must be restricted to a lower plane than the normal. The child handicapped by defective senses is doomed to live in a contracted sense and thought world, unless his disabilities be early removed. Teachers should be quick to discover these unfortunates, and guard against any conditions which may impair the senses. Eye tests are easily made by use of oculists' cards, and ear tests by the ticking of a watch, or dictating sentences in a whisper. Results of sight tests. Our investigations disclosed that in a test of over 4,500 pupils, the defectives in sight ranged from six per cent in first grade, to sixteen and six tenths per cent in eighth grade, with an average in all grades of eleven and five tenths per cent. Even higher per cents are found in other cities. Is there not need of careful study here of conditions and wise remedies? Better lighting, better seating of pupils, the near sighted ones in front, use of glasses, etc., are some of the remedies easily applied. Results of hearing tests. Our investigations in hearing demonstrated that about one pupil out of every ten has hearing more or less impaired. What a loss in teaching this is no one can accurately measure. The unfortunate pupil, not having heard the teacher's explanations, and not wishing to betray his deafness, is regarded as dull and stupid, and, after a hopeless struggle, actually lapses into that condition of stupidity to which he had been, at first, unjustly assigned. Remedies. The remedies are often quite simple. Impairment of hearing begins frequently from secretions retained about the mouth of the Eustachian tube. This condition is usually evidenced by obstructed breathing, or mouth breathing, and may be caused by enlarged turbinated bones in the nose, adenoid vegetations, or growths in the vault of the naso-pharynx, or enlarged tonsils. A simple surgical operation will readily afford relief. Pupils thus afflicted can usually be recognized by their open mouths, obstructed breathing, thick nasal voice, elongated face, and dullness of ex pression, as well as dullness in general. Use of questions. Along the line of questioning pupils, there is a limitless field of investigation, some phase of which superintendents will do well to encourage their teachers to begin. Take almost any subject, as the reading of the pupils. Some simple questions can be easily formulated like the following: 1, What books have you read since last September? 2, Which one of these did you like best? Why? 3, Have you ever read a What? 4, What book book that you liked better? that you have read did you like least? Why? 5, If 6 you were given money to buy a book, what book would you buy? Teachers can use such questions as these for language exercises, and thus gain an insight into their pupils' lives, that better understanding of their manner of thinking and acting which is so essential to to their best training. Questions such as the above can be formulated on pupils' preferences for school studies, for work out of school, what constitutes a good pupil, a good teacher, what their ideas are about punishment, etc., etc. Scientific side of child study omitted. But this article has already exceeded the limits assigned me, and only a few simple suggestions have been made. It can be easily inferred from my omission of any reference to the more scientific phases of child study that I do not favor such investigations by graded or rural teachers. The high degree of accuracy necessary in such investigations cannot be attained by the average teacher, but there is still a limitless field left for her, along the lines I have suggested, and into this interesting field superintendents will wisely induce her to enter and explore. Sioux City, Iowa. H. F. KRATZ, Child Study in the New Jersey State Normal Method of study. In our New Jersey Normal School the required work in child study is regarded as a department of psychology, and runs through the second year of the course. The work during the first and third years is voluntary. We begin by following a modified form of Principal Russel's method; that is, the students watch children wherever they find them, and note what they do, what they say, and so on. observations in a book, noting the date, name of the Each pupil records her child, age, sex, nationality, length of time between making the observation and recording it, and whether the case was observed by the writer, or was a reminiscence of her own childhood, or was told her by another, or was obtained through reading. These records, in the case of the earnest students, number, by the close of the year, several hundred each. They are constantly read over and referred to in the work in psychology. Before the close of the year, the records in books are classified by the owners to the best of their ability. A student is expected to contribute from her store to the school collection which now numbers several thousand records. Classification of material. Usually these are sorted with reference to the trait which seems most conspicuously exemplified in each, but, during the past year all observations on the children in the first grade of our primary department have been kept separate and sorted with reference to the individual children. We hope, in time, to have thus a life-book of each child which will be valuable The records have already seful to the normal practice teachers. to their future teachers. Advanced work. [JULY, general observation, more special work. Results. But the most important of our contributions to child study have been the answers to Dr. Hall's syllabi. We did a good deal in this line last year. This year we have taken up all but the few which required special knowledge and training on the part of the workers. Each syllabus was carefully read and discussed with of them in great detail. the classes and a great interest aroused. We have pressed his belief in their value. thus far, this year, sent in five thousand reports, some Dr. Hall has repeatedly exEffect upon the students. The effect of the study of children on the students is to excite in them a great interest in the little people. They learn to love them. Even those who have entered most lightly on their normal course are brought to some realization of the truth that to take a place as a teacher is to assume the responsibility of watching, guarding, and guiding the unfolding of immortal souls. LILLIE A. WILLIAMS, Teacher of Psychology, N. J. State Normal School. Child Study from the Standpoint of College and New movement in pedagogy. colleges. Along with this movement we have had a have sprung up in all our principal universities and Within the last ten years departments of pedagogy strong development of the professional side of our normal school courses. professional training of teachers seems to me but a part of that general intellectual awakening along sciThe interest in the higher realities of life wherever they appear. If this be true, entific lines which has set students at work on the then the new movement in pedagogy will develop its dren. Buildings, courses of study, books, apparatus— possibilities in proportion as it attends to the realities with which education deals. These realities are chilall these have value only as they serve as the setting for real children. The department of pedagogy that does not devote the major part of its work to the diistry that does not devote the major part of its time to rect study of children is like a department of chemthe study of chemicals. Difficulties in the way of experimentation. Children are so valuable that they will never be free used for purposes of observation, and masses of recmaterials for experimentation; they may, however, be ords may be compiled and interpreted in the college or university. Personally we have had great difficulty in maintaining an experi school, owing to the |