William James' work was presumably revolutionary for the time period. As I read the pages in this chapters, I thought of several psychological theories that were almost exactly in line with James' thoughts. It made me want to reexamine what I knew and where that knowledge originated. For example, James wrote about different levels of development in childhood which seem to mirror the work of Piaget. In addition, many parts of chapters 10-14 deal with specific aspects of behaviorism. So my question is: Did James ignite interest in these theories? Did he ever develop these more fully before other theorists?
One of the main ideas I took away from chapter 12 was the idea of differentiated instruction. This idea was summed up well, as "the same thing recurring on different days, in different contexts, read, recited on, referred to again and again, related to other things and reviewed, gets well wrought into mental structure" (James, 1899/1962, p. 64). He went even further to explain that "this principle of multiplying channels and varying associations and appeals is important, not only for teaching pupils but for teaching them to understand. It runs, in fact, through the whole teaching art" (James, 1899/1962, p. 68). Both of these passages reminded me of my favorite teacher, who ignited my interest and passion in English in high school. Ms. McCabe was an excellent teacher who understood this principle well. She offered visual, auditory, and other perceptual styles of teaching to make sure lessons were initially accessible and reinforced. She also focused on vocabulary as the basis for most every lesson. One specific example that really stood out is how she acted out the Tell-Tale Heart. Although we read the text independently, she performed it in front of our class, including sound effects and visuals. The passion that she showed was completely unlike any other teacher I had. To this day, things I learned in her class have stayed with me and helped to form a foundation for my writing and love of reading. Her passion for the subject matter was contagious. As James said, "in almost any subject the passion of the subject will save you" (James, 1899/1962, p. 67). In my case, her passion for teaching, saved my learning and love for the subject.
"The old in the new is what claims the attention, -- the old with a slightly new turn" (James, 1899/1962, p. 54). This quote struck me when I first read it because it clearly resonated with me. Just as James mentioned fashion along with this quote, I thought of an interesting documentary I saw on the creative director behind Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld. In this, he described how Chanel is a classic brand with distinct features, yet the challenge each season is to create a new or fresh perspective, while enhancing the classic brand.
Elois,
ReplyDeleteI also connected to James's statements about the importance of multiplying channels. After reading your blog, I clearly see the relationship to differentiated instruction. Initially, I thought about the ability for some people to easily make mental connections while others seem to struggle. I wonder if gifted children create these brain maps of information seamlessly. They easily learn information, recall and apply it. If this mental mapping is a common trait among gifted children, I wonder if they are born with it.
Leanna,
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting thought! Divergent thinking, or the ability to come up with many solutions when exploring a problem, immediately comes to mind when I think of gifted students. Many gifted and talented students are found to have this creative problem-solving ability. I'm not sure if they are born with it, but they do seem to easily engage in this type of thinking, which probably increases their ability to learn in comparison to other students.