THE SOCIALIZED RECITATION
=The term defined.=--The socialized recitation, as its name implies, is
a recitation in which teacher and pupils form themselves into a
committee of the whole for the purpose of investigating some phase of a
school study. In this committee the line of cleavage between teacher and
pupils is obliterated as nearly as possible, the teacher exercising only
so much of authority as will preserve the integrity of the group and
forestall its disintegration. The teacher thus becomes a coördinate and
coöperating member of the group, and her superior knowledge of the
subject is held in abeyance to be called into requisition only in an
emergency and as a last resort. It will readily be seen, however, that
the teacher's knowledge of the subject must be far more comprehensive in
such a procedure than in the question-and-answer type of recitation, for
the very cogent reason that the discussion is both liable and likely to
diverge widely from the limits of the book; and the teacher must be
conversant, therefore, with all the auxiliary facts. She must be able to
cite authorities in case of need, and make specific data readily
accessible to all members of the group. This presupposes wide reading on
her part, and a consequent familiarity with all the sources of knowledge
that have a bearing upon the subject under consideration.
=The pupil-teacher.=--In order to make the coöperative principle of the
recitation active in practice a pupil acts as chairman of the meeting,
serving in rotation, and gives direction to the discussion. He is
clothed with authority, also, to restrict the discussion to time limits
that there may be no semblance of monopoly and that the same rights and
privileges may be accorded to each member of the class. The chairman, in
short, acts both as captain and as umpire, with the teacher in the
background as the court of final appeal. Knowing the order of rotation,
each pupil knows in advance upon what day he is to assume the functions
of chairman and makes preparation accordingly, that he may acquit
himself with credit in measuring up to the added responsibilities which
the position imposes. In taking the chair he does not affect an air of
superiority for the reason that he knows the position to have come to
him by rotation and that upon his conduct of the duties depend his
chances for honor; and acting for his peers he is careful not to do
anything that will lead to a forfeiture of their respect and good will.
=Some advantages.=--It requires far more time to describe these
preliminary arrangements than it does to put them into operation.
Indeed, after the first day, they become well-nigh automatic. Because of
their adaptableness the pupils look upon the new order as the
established order, and, besides, the rotation in the chair affords a
pleasing antidote to monotony. Each day brings just enough novelty to
generate a wholesome degree of anticipation. They are all stimulated by
an eagerness to know just what the day will bring forth. The class
exercise is relieved of much of the heavy formalism that characterizes
the traditional recitation and that is so irksome to children of school
age. The socialized recitation is a worthy enterprise that enlists the
interest of all members of the group and unifies them upon the plane of
a common purpose. In the common quest they become members in a social
compact whose object is the investigation of some subject that has been
found worthy the attention and thoughtful consideration of scholars and
authors.
=The gang element.=--The members of the group represent all strata of
society, and the group is, in consequence, a working democracy. Moving
in the same direction under a common impulse and intent upon a laudable
enterprise, race and class distinctions are considered negligible, if,
indeed, they are not entirely overlooked or forgotten. The group is, in
truth, a sublimated gang with the undesirable elements eliminated and
the potential qualities of the gang retained. The gang spirit when
impelling in right directions and toward worthy ends is to be highly
commended. In the gang, each member stimulates and reënforces the other
members, and their achievements in combination amply justify their
coöperation. The potency of the gang spirit is well exemplified in such
enterprises as "tag day" for the benefit of charity, the sale of Red
Cross stamps, and the sale of special editions of papers. People
willingly enlist in these enterprises who would not do so but for the
element of coöperation. We have come to recognize and write upon the
psychology of the gang, and the socialized recitation strives to utilize
these psychological principles for the advancement and advantage of the
enterprise in hand.
=Proprietary interest.=--In a coöperative enterprise such as the one
under consideration each member of the group feels a sense of
responsibility for the success of the enterprise as a whole, and this
makes for increased effort. In the traditional recitation the pupil
feels responsibility only for that part of the lesson upon which he is
called to recite. In his thinking the enterprise belongs to the teacher,
and therefore he feels no proprietary interest. If the lesson is a
failure, he experiences no special compunction; if a success, he feels
no special elation. If the trunk with which he struggles up the stairs
is his own, he has the feeling of a victor when he reaches the top; but
since it belongs to the teacher, he feels that he has finished a
disagreeable task, takes his compensating pittance in the form of a
grade, and goes on his complacent way. The boy who digs potatoes from
his own garden thinks them larger and smoother than the ones he digs for
wages. The latter are potatoes, while the former are his potatoes.
Proprietary interest sinks its roots deep into the motives that impel to
action.
=This interest in practice.=--The recitation in question strives to
generate a proprietary interest in the enterprise on the part of every
member of the class so that each one may have a share in the joy of
success. Such an interest gives direction and efficacy to the work of
the class exercise. Given such an interest, the pupil will not sit inert
through the period unless stimulated by a question from the teacher, but
will ask intelligent and pertinent questions to help the enterprise
along. Moreover, each pupil, because of his proprietary interest in the
enterprise, will feel constrained to bring to class such subsidiary aids
as his home affords. His interest causes him to react to clippings,
pictures, magazine articles, books, and conversations that have a
bearing upon the topic, and these he contributes opportunely in his zeal
for the success of the recitation. His pockets become productive of a
varied assortment of materials that the tentacles of his interest have
seized upon in his preparation for the event, and so all members of the
class become beneficiaries of his explorations and discoveries.
=The potency of ownership.=--A child is interested in his own things.
The little girl fondles her doll in the most tender way, even though it
does not measure up to the accepted standards of excellence or elegance.
But it is her doll; hence her affection. Volumes have been written upon
the general subject of interest, and we have been admonished to attach
our teaching to the native interests of the child, but the fundamental
interest of proprietorship has strangely enough been overlooked. If we
want to discover and localize the child's interest, we have but to make
an inventory of his possessions. His pony, his dog, or his cart will
discover to us one of his interests. Again, if we would generate an
interest in the child, we have but to make him conscious that he is the
owner of the thing for which we hope to awaken his interest. This is
fundamental in this type of recitation. The teacher effaces herself as
much as possible in order to develop in the pupils a feeling of
proprietorship in the exercise in progress, and the pupils are quick to
take the advantage thus afforded to make the work their own.
=Exemplified in society.=--The socialized recitation has its counterpart
in many a group in society. In the blacksmith shop, at the grocery, in
the barber shop, in the office, at the club, and in the field, we find
groups of people in earnest, animated conversation or discussion. They
are discussing politics, religion, community affairs, public
improvements, tariff, war, fashions, crops, live stock, or machinery.
Whatever the topic, they pursue the give-and-take policy in their
efforts to arrive at the truth. They contest every point and make
concessions only when they are confronted by indisputable facts. Some
feeling, or even acrimony, may be generated in the course of the
discussion, but this is always accounted a weakness and a substitute for
valid argument. The recitation is rather more decorous than some of
these other discussions, but, in principle, they are identical. Every
one has freedom to express his convictions and to adduce contributory
arguments or evidence. There are no restrictions save the implied one of
decorum. The utmost courtesy obtains in the recitation, even at the
sacrifice of some eagerness. There may be a half-dozen members of the
group on their feet and anxious to be heard, but they do not interrupt
one another without due apology.
=Abiding resultants.=--Unlike some of their elders, they are ready to
acknowledge mistakes and to make concessions. They do not scruple to
correct the mistakes of others, knowing that corrections will be
gratefully received, but they do not accept mere statements from one
another. They must have evidence. They combat statements with evidence
from books or other sources that are regarded as authorities. They read
extracts, or draw diagrams, or display pictures or specimens in support
of their contentions. There is animation, to be sure; and, at times, the
flushed face and the flashing eye betoken intense feeling. But the
psychologist knows full well that these expressions intensify and make
abiding the impressions. Both in victory and in defeat the pupil comes
to an appreciation of the truth. Defeat may humiliate, but he will
evermore know the rock on which his craft was wrecked. Victory may elate
and exalt, but he will not forget the occasion or the facts. The truths
of the lesson become enmeshed in his nervous system and throughout life
they will be a part of himself.
=Reflex influence.=--Still further, this type of recitation reaches back
into the home and begets a wholesome coöperation between the home and
the school, and this is a desideratum of no slight import. The events of
the day are recounted at the home in the evening, and the contributions
of the members of the family are deposited as assets in the recitation
the next day. Then the family is eager to learn of the reactions of the
class to their contributions. Such a community of interests cannot be
confined to the four walls of a home, but finds its way to other homes
and to places of business; the discussions of the class become the
property of society, and the influence is most salutary. Indirectly, the
school is affording the people of the community many profitable topics
of conversation, and these readily supplant the futile and less
profitable topics. It is easy to measure the intelligence of an
individual or of a community by noting the topics of conversation.
Gossip and small talk do not thrive in a soil that has been thoroughly
inoculated with history, art, music, literature, economics, and
statecraft.
=Influence upon pupils.=--From the foregoing it will be seen that this
type of recitation represents, not a _modus operandi_, but, rather, a
_modus vivendi_, not a way of doing things, merely, but a manner of
living. The work of the school is redeemed from the plane of a task and
lifted to the plane of a privilege. The pupil's initiative is given full
recognition and inspiriting freedom ensues. The teacher is not a
taskmaster but a friend in need. Pupils and teacher live and work
together in an enterprise in which they have common interests. The
emoluments attending success are shared equally and there is no place
for envy in the distribution of dividends. There is fair dealing in
every detail of the work, with no semblance of discrimination. There is
a cash basis in every transaction. If a pupil's offerings are rejected,
he sees at once that they are inferior to others and becomes a willing
shareholder in the ones that are superior to his own. Nothing that is
spurious or counterfeit can gain currency in the enterprise, because of
the critical inspection of the members of the group, all of whom are
jealous for the preservation of the integrity of their organization.
In this cross section of life we find young people learning, by the
laboratory method, the real meaning of reciprocity; we find them winning
the viewpoints of others with no abatement or abrogation of their own
individuality; we find them able and willing to make concessions for the
general good; we find them learning justice and discrimination in their
assessment of values; we find them enlarging their horizons by ascending
to higher levels of intelligence. This work is as much a part of life
for them as their food or their games and they accept it on the same
terms. They are becoming upright, intelligent, effective citizens by
performing some of the work that engages the time and energies of such
citizens. They are learning how to live by the experience of actual
living.
=Part of an actual recitation given.=--Some schools have developed this
type of recitation to a very complete degree and in a very effective
way. In one such school the young woman who teaches the subject of
history makes the following report of a part of one of her recitations
in this study:
The class was called to order by the chairman for the assignment for the
next day's lesson, which proceeded as follows:
Teacher:--To-morrow we shall have for the work of this convention the
New Constitution as a whole. We are ready for suggestions as to how we
had best proceed.
Earl:--It seems to me that a good way would be to compare it with the
Articles of Confederation.
Joe:--I don't quite get your idea. Do you mean to take them article by
article?
Earl:--Yes.
(Joe and Frank begin at the same time. Teacher indicates Joe by nod.)
Joe:--But there are so many things in the new that are not in the old.
Earl:--That is just it. Let's make a list of the points in one that do
not appear in the other. Then by investigation and discussion see if we
can tell why.
Teacher:--Frank, you had something to say a moment ago.
Frank:--Not on Earl's plan, which I think an excellent one, but I wished
to ask the class if they think it important while looking through these
two documents to keep in mind the questions: "Is this the way things are
done to-day?" and "Does this apply in our own city?" and "In case the
President or Congress failed in their duty, what could the people do
about it?"
Ella:--It seems to me that Frank's suggestion is a good one for it bears
upon what we decided in the beginning, that we must apply the history of
the past to see how it affects us to-day.
Violet:--I should like to know how the people received the work of this
convention. You know that it was all so secret no one knew what they
were doing behind their closed doors. If the people were like they are
to-day there would certainly be some opposition to the New Constitution.
Elsie:--Good. Mr. Chairman, I move that Violet report the reception and
rejection of the New Constitution by the people of the several States as
a special topic for to-morrow.
Robert:--Second the motion.
Chairman:--Miss Brown, have you any suggestion as to time limit?
Teacher:--I suggest ten minutes. (Chairman puts vote and suggestion is
carried.)
Teacher:--Mr. Chairman, may we have the secretary read the several
points in the assignment?
At the chairman's request the secretary reads and the class note as
follows: Study of the New Constitution, emphasizing points of similarity
and difference.
Seek reasons for same.
Application of Constitution to our present-day life.
Remedy for failures if officers fail to do their duty.
Special topic ten minutes in length on the reception of the Constitution
by the people of the different States.
Teacher:--I think that will be enough--consult the text. In connection
with the special topic some valuable material may be found in the Civics
section in the reference room. The other references on this subject you
had given you. Mr. Chairman, may we have the secretary read the points
brought out by yesterday's recitation?
QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES
1. What is meant by the "socialized recitation" as the term is here
used?
2. Define separately the word "socialized" as used in this connection.
3. What are the teacher's functions in such a recitation?
4. What are the teacher's functions in the traditional recitation?
5. Compare the kinds of knowledge required of a teacher in connection
with the two types of recitations.
6. Suggest a method of proceeding in a socialized recitation and show
the advantages of the method.
7. Give some of the reasons why the socialized recitation enhances
interest.
8. What is the essence of the "gang spirit"?
9. Compare the character and extent of the individual's responsibility
in the two types of recitations.
10. In what other ways is the socialized recitation likely to produce
better reactions?
11. Some one says that the convention style of recitation will not do,
because a few do all of the work. From your experience or observation do
you find this true? If so, is this condition peculiar to that type of
recitation? Suggest methods of counteracting this tendency in the
socialized class. Would these prove effective in a class taught in the
ordinary way?
12. Is one likely to overestimate the value of one's possessions, mental
or physical? Are the pupils (and perhaps the teacher) likely to
overestimate what is done in the socialized recitation? What things may
offset this tendency?
13. Compare the socialized recitation with a debate.
14. Compare it with an ordinary discussion or argument.
15. Show just why the results of the socialized recitation are likely to
be permanent.
16. How does socialized class work affect the home and society?
17. Though school is a preparation for life, it, at the same time, is
life. Show that the socialized recitation presupposes this truth.
18. Compare the value of the assignment of a history lesson in the
manner described in the notes quoted with the value of an ordinary
assignment.
19. Describe at least one other socialized recitation.
20. Compare socialized work as described in Scott's Social Education (C.
A. Scott, Ginn & Co., 1908) with the socialized recitation here
described, as to (_a_) aim, (_b_) method, (_c_) results.
21. "Lessons require two kinds of industry, the private individual
industry and the social industry or class work." Is this true? If so,
what sort of recitation-lesson will stimulate each kind?