The Mind and Its Education - George Herbert Betts
4. PROBLEMS IN INTROSPECTION AND OBSERVATION
- Do you find that you understand better some difficult point or problem after
you have succeeded in stating it? Do you remember better what you have
expressed?
- In which particular ones of your studies do you think you could have done
better if you had been given more opportunity for expression? Explain the
psychology of the maxim, we learn to do by doing.
- Observe various schools at work for the purpose of determining whether
opportunities for expression in the recitations are adequate. Have you ever seen a
class when listless from listening liven up when they were given something to do
themselves?
- Make a study of the types of laughter you hear. Why is some laughter much
more pleasant than other laughter? What did a noted sculptor mean when he said
that a smile at the eyes cannot be depended upon as can one at the mouth?
- What examples have you observed in children's plays showing their love for
dramatic representation? What handicrafts are the most suitable for children of
primary grades? for the grammar school? for the high school?
- Do you number those among your acquaintance who seem bright enough, so
far as learning is concerned, but who cannot get anything accomplished? Is the
trouble on the expression side of their character? What are you doing about your
own powers of expression? Are you seeking to cultivate expression in new lines?
Is there danger in attempting too many lines?