A Class Room Logic / Deductive and Inductive, with Special Application to the Science and Art of Teaching

by George Hastings McNair

4. TOO MUCH CONSERVATISM IN SCHOOL ROOM.

Since the beginning these two mental types have been in evidence—the liberal who wants to do things, and the conservative who wants to weigh things. With the liberal, it is fight whether or no; with the conservative, it is fight provided the enemy is not too formidable. The one dares; the other cautions: both are needed to balance the world.

Liberalism and conservatism may be fostered in the school room, and to maintain a true balance each must receive its share of attention. Is such the case? The passing of “district-school-individualism” and the coming of “graded-school-collectism” has transferred the emphasis from liberalism to conservatism—from the inductive type to the deductive type. In this day it seems to be more important to have the child’s work orderly, than to have it original. In the main, examination papers call for correct knowledge and not for thought; in the main, promotions are based on accuracy, not on initiative. The conservative type being in control, the schools are sending out too many “Deductives,” not enough “Inductives.” The world needs more Columbuses and Edisons.