James’ first chapter sets the stage for his talks by explaining the link between psychology and education. He points out that teachers often get bogged down by a perceived lack of knowledge of psychology as it pertains to education, and as a solution discusses psychology as the science that sets boundaries for education, the art, and allows teachers to creatively and individually follow the rules and guidelines that psychology applies to education.
I made a connection to James’ comment about using methods that have both theory and practice behind them. As a school psychologist, evidence-based practices and interventions have been drilled into my brain, and I am beginning to see that transfer in my internship. As James suggests, teachers in my district seem to be so hung up on that “evidence-based” psychological guideline that they overthink about the interventions they can use in the classroom, which snowballs into anxiety about Response to Intervention, and results in distress and resistance to the process, whereas to me, a psychologist, that evidence-based concept makes perfect sense and can be easy to implement in classrooms.
Chapter 2: The Stream of Consciousness
The main idea behind this chapter is that everyone has concrete, complex fields of consciousness which guide the way individuals perceive, process, and store information.
James’ discussion about sensations being the focus and thoughts and feelings being the margin reminded me of teachers who use many different methods of instruction, for example, visual instruction in the form of a worksheet or PowerPoint, auditory instruction in the form of lecture, and hands-on instruction with the use of tangibles, instruments, art supplies, etc., just to name a few. The variety of methods of instruction helps students keep their focus through the many sensations being targeted, while also challenging them to think of new ways to do things. Moreover, different people respond to different types of instruction better, and the constant changing of instruction can create a stimulating environment for all students.
Chapter 3: The Child as a Behaving Organism
The main idea of James’ third chapter is that for teachers, of the two main functions of the stream of consciousness, the practical function is the one that is most relevant. James asks teachers to remember and emphasize that we are practical beings, and that our minds help aid us in adapting to our lives, and goes on to explain why this point of view is fundamental to teachers, especially when dealing with the behaviors of children.
James mentioned that teachers should see their main purpose as “training the pupil to behavior” (James, p. 13). This reminded me of a problem many teachers have in the classroom in terms of behavior. So many times I hear teachers talking about class-wide behavior disruptions, and how their whole class, not just a few, are bad. James’ idea of teaching behavior to kids reminded me a lot of active teaching of classroom rules, which many teachers do not do. It’s not enough to post the rules in the classroom and go over them once. As James suggests, teaching behavior, teaching the rules, is way more effective. Actively teaching what to do and what not to do, giving examples, even involving the class in making rules and teaching the rules can improve class-wide behavior tenfold. It amazes me that James, in 1892, talked about strategies to use in the classroom that are still useful to teachers today.
Chapter 4: Education and Behavior
In Chapter 4, James talks about what it means to be educated, which includes the way we behave and the way we conduct ourselves, and illustrates different ways in which people can be educated based on their behavior and conduct.
James talks about prevalent ideas and values of education in two different countries, Germany and England, and how they differ. This reminds me of cultural issues that are faced in schools on a daily basis. The way different cultures view education, learning, and behaviors are often different and can be seen often in schools, especially when it comes to special education. This calls for school professionals, including teachers, principals, even school psychologists, to be aware and competent when working with families of different cultures.
No comments:
Post a Comment