Activity 1.5: William James’ Talks to Teachers, Preface – Chapter 4

Preface: William James presents his talks so teachers will consider the whole student when in practice in the class room.

Connection: I was impressed by the fervor that James approached the introduction to psychology to the educator. With the incorporation of psychology, teacher would be much better equipped to deal with students and address their needs.

Chapter 1 Psychology and the Teaching Art: To be a good and effective teacher, psychology and the act of teaching are intertwined; however, neither part can be considered more than the other.

Connection: “Having so favorable an organization...” started a paragraph in this talk. (James, 1). This phrase resonated with me. Not for what it said but for what it caused me to reflect upon. I could not help but think about the current state of American education. At one time, it may have been the envy of the world. Where is it now? It appears that the American system has moved away from educating the whole student. The system as it appears currently constructed turns out tradespeople not educated thinkers. Perhaps a return to James' idea would lead to better outcomes.

Chapter 2 Stream of Consciousness: The teacher should pay attention to all the forms of consciousness. Education occurs through sensation and reflection as well as through active participation.

Connection: Students are continually learning. Many are learning whether they are paying attention in the classroom or not. For a more meaningful educational experience to take place, educators should pay attention to this phenomenon. Even the “vague” and “hazy” moments can be used to advance learning. They can be used to incorporate many smaller lesson that could possible lead to larger connections and mastery of more advanced topics.

Chapter 3 The Child as a Behaving Organism: We are mostly adaptable beings that cannot exist on a purely philosophical plane. Most behaviors have a valid place in education and adaption.

Connection: We are adaptable beings; this ability to adapt may be largely responsible for success of the human species. As a species, we can take our more frivolous moments and learn from them. These moments may be as important as the more serious ones. And when they are combined, learning experiences can occur. This combination also allows us to remain true to an essential human tenant: we are practical and capable of engaging in useful “behavior.”

Chapter 4 Education and Behavior: Behavior and education are intertwined.

Connection: William James presents a definition that made me think about the role of education. He stated the education is the “the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior.” (James, 15) To me it does not get much simpler than this. When engaging students to teach some this is what happens. To refer to an early post on shooting, the successful student takes a series of behaviors and readings, organizes them into coherent steps that can be repeated in order to deliver a good shot. Good shots are possible without all the learning but success is more likely if the education is internalized.