The Self-actualising Educand

1979

ISBN O 86981 142 8

Preface

In pedagogics we study the realities of the educational situation as embodied in the relationship between educator and educand. In EMPIRICAL EDUCATION, also known by other names such as psychopedagogics, educational psychology etc., the participants themselves are studied. As the title of the book indicates, the child as an educand is the sole focus of study - more specifically in his involvement with educational assistance - in self-actualisation. Empirical education studies the actual child as he empirically exists. In dealing with the child's development from his pre-school, primary and secondary school days to his postschool youth period, this process has to be 'frozen' in order to focus on the actual child or group of children. We are studying the developing, learning child. Development and learning cannot be separated, but we do make a distinction. In this book we shall be concentrating on the child, and we shall be looking at typical developmental stages. The phases in the learning process will be distinguished: The phenomenon of a child's wish to learn, and the types of methods of learning will be followed by the other steps in the learning process up to learning success. We shall confine ourselves to essentials, never losing sight of the child. For instance, we shall try never to separate a psychological phenomenon such as 'anxiety' from 'a child experiencing anxiety'. The actual, empirical child remains the focal point, and he is explicitly described, the educator and the educational relationship - all educational events, in fact - are present by implication. All self-actualisation is guided actualisation, and every child is what he is largely because of the educational assistance he either received or lacked. We start with a few important aspects of a theoretical structure for our subject. The first chapter must be thoroughly understood before the rest can be attempted.

contents

Preface (xi)

CHAPTER 1 - THEORETICAL BASIS OF EMPIRICAL EDUCATION 3 

1.1 Introduction 3

1.2 Empirical Education 5

1.3 Categories and criteria of Empirical Education 28

CHAPTER 2 - INTRODUCTION TO CHILD DEVELOPMENT 53

2.1 Theories of child development 53

CHAPTER 3 - OBJECTIVES OF BECOMING 59

3.1 Introduction 59

3.2 World of meaning 60

3.3 Adequate self 60

3.4 Belonging 61

CHAPTER 4 - THE PRE-SCHOOL CHILD 65

4.1 Introduction 65

4.2 Bases of relationships which the child forms 66

4.3 Forming relationships 73

4.4 The child's life-world 77

4.5 School-readiness as a developmental task 80

CHAPTER 5 - THE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILD 85

5.1 Who is the primary school child? 85

5.2 What are the developmental tasks of the primary school child? 88

5.3 How does the child realise developmental tasks? 92

5.4 The life-world of the primary school child J 20

CHAPTER 6 -THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD 125

6.1 Introduction 125

6.2 Various stages in the child's linguistic development 126

6.3 Factors influencing linguistic development 133

6.4 Speech defects (a cursory survey) 139

6.5 Orientation 145

CHAPTER 7 - THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT 149

7.1 Introduction 149

7 .2 Media of thought 150

7 .3 Modes of thought 152

7.4 Cognitive development 153

7 .5 Conclusion 161

CHAPTER 8 -THE SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILD 165

8.1 Identification of the secondary school child 165

8.2 The adolescent's developmental aims 166

8.3 The adolescent's relations to self 167

8.4 Relations with peers 169

8.5 Relations with parents 173

8.6 Relations with ideas 177

8.7 Relations with moral and religious values 180

8.8 Adolescent developmental tasks 184

8.9 The adolescent in his life-world 186

CHAPTER 9 -THE POST-SCHOOL YOUTH 189

9.1 Identification of a youth 189

9.2 Social relations 191

9.3 Relations with self 192

9 .4 Relations with parents 193

9.5 Heterosexual relations 194

9.6 Youth problems 196

9.7 Summary 197

CHAPTER 10 -THE TEACHER-EDUCATOR 201

10.1 Introduction 201

10.2 The teacher's relations with himself 202

10.3 The teacher in his social relations 203

10.4 The teacher's relations with concepts 204

I 0.5 The teacher's relations with his pupils as educands 205

10.6 The encounter between teacher and pupil 206

10.7 The teacher's personality 206

10.8 The teacher's knowledge of his pupils 207

10.9 The teacher's knowledge of the material 208

I0. I0Help form the teacher to the learner 208

10.11 Summary 216

CHAPTER 11 - LEARNING AND THE LEARNING PROCESS 219

CHAPTER 12 - THE CHILD WANTS TO LEARN (MOTIVATION) 225

12.1 Introduction 225

12.2 The individual and his vitality 226

12.3 Instincts and impulses as driving forces 226

12.4 Volitional intentions 228

12.5 Self-maintenance and self-development as motives 228

12.6 Obstacles to volitional behaviour 231

12.7 Summary 231

12.8 Educational factors related to motivation 232

12.9 Conclusion 236

CHAPTER 13 - TYPES OF LEARNING 239

13.1 Introduction 239

13.2 Structuring types of learning according to learning actions 239

13.3 Classification in accordance with the objective or purpose of learning 240

13.4 Classification in accordance with the degree of awareness with which learning takes place 241

13.5 Van Parreren's categorisation of types of learning 241

13.6 Coetzee's categorisation of types of learning 244

13.7 Categorisation of types of learning according to meaning 245

13.8 Conclusion 257

CHAPTER 14 - SUCCESSFUL LEARNING 261

14.1 Introduction 261

14.2 Cognitive factors and successful learning 262

14.3 The connection between affective factors and successful learning or mastery 266

14.4 Teaching factors and successful learning 271

14.5 Conclusion 274

CHAPTER 15 - CONSOLIDATION 277

15.1 Introduction 277

15.2 Theoretical approach and assimilation 277

15.3 Significance attribution and assimilation 279

15.4 The organisation of meaningful concepts 279

15.5 Method of consolidation 283

15.6 The effect of consolidation 284

15.7 Conclusion 285

CHAPTER 16 - RETENTION AND THE ACTUALISATION OF LEARNING RESULTS 289

16.1 Introduction 289

16.2 Ways of actualising 290

16.3 Forgetting 296

16.4 Conclusion 299

CHAPTER 17 - TRANSFER 303

17.1 Introduction 303

17.2 Transfer and the cognitive structure 303

17.3 Directions of transfer 304

17.4 Other theories of transfer 306

17.5 Conclusion 308

CHAPTER 18 - STORAGE OF KNOWLEDGE 313

18.1 Introduction 313

18.2 The nature of knowledge 314

18.3 Where is knowledge stored? 317

18.4 Involvement and the storage of knowledge 318

18.5 Summary 319

Bibliography 321

Index 326