VOL. 1

NO. 2

UNTIL recently, and too generally even

now, the only recognized educational values have been knowledge and a few skills. This knowledge has too often meant merely the ability to repeat what had been memorized, or at best to answer questions about it. The skills have been principally the three R's. There was, besides, a more or less vague faith that increase of ability along any named line, as neatness, would carry as far as the name of neatness would go.

Now we are not satisfied to accept this program. Knowledge we still wish, perhaps more than in the old days; but we demand that it be gained under such conditions and be organized in the mind in such a way as to make it more likely to serve us in time of need. The few skills formerly stressed are now greatly increased, particularly by adding those that concern associated living, for we recognize that there is such a thing as the fine art of living, particularly living well with others. We also have given up our naive faith in formal discipline and do not expect neatness in arithmetic papers to mean of itself neatness generally. We know now that we must work for all the neatness we get.

Perhaps the best statement of our present conception is found in Professor Dewey's words: "Education is life," considering that the emphasis here is to be placed on growing. I accordingly propose the following as the most general test to apply to evaluate our school activities: Do the activ

*Copyright, 1921, Wm. H. Kilpatrick.

ities of our children leave them, and others whom they influence, more disposed and better equipped to go on to other equally fruitful activity? The two terms, then, "growing" and "leading on," are the touchstones that we must apply. All other aims and values are subordinate to them.

It may be well, before going to the more specific treatment of the topic at hand, to state two rather general aims which furnish further help in judging our school activities. First, we should seek to have our pupils increase in the power of conscious control of their experiences, especially in the light of the social consequences resulting. The young child, at the first, is largely instinctive in his movements and must gradually learn to control both his movements. and his purposes. The aim of the school can, in a large measure, be summed up under the question: Are our children gaining in control over the experience process? and, do they increasingly control their aims in the light of the social consequences of their acts? The second additional aim may be found in the consideration that the very young child in his play is satisfied with results that to an onlooker seem purely subjective, and with means and agencies similarly subjective. A little girl will have a tea party, and offer imaginary tea to imaginary guests. It is a "merciful dispensation. of Providence" that children can thus enjoy life in this subjective fashion; but, if they are to grow up into men and women who

will live successfully in this world, they must come to substitute for needs and aims that are merely subjectively satisfying, those which will also be objectively (socially) satisfying. This is not to say that the later activities should not continue to be subjectively satisfying. For my part, I hope tremendously that this quality will remain, but it is absolutely necessary that the element of objectivity should gradually come to test the validity of their purposes and their actions. Keeping in mind, then, these general considerations, that "growing" and "leading on" are our primary aims and that, in connection with these, we wish continually increased control over the experience process and continually increasing recognition of objectivity, we are ready now to consider more specifically the topic assigned for this hour: the educational values underlying the project.

The very

1. With regard to purposing. Do the purposes of our children increase in clearness and definiteness as the children get older? Can we see at the end of the year that the child has increased in the power of defining for himself the purpose which is to underlie his activity? Again, does the child form his purposes with more and more consciousness and deliberation? young child is almost instantaneous in the projects that he sets out upon. Our children should increasingly consider whether the purposes they enter upon are wise and right. Still again, we should ask ourselves: Are the purposes which our children entertain increasingly fruitful as the year advances? Can we see that the children of the second grade choose projects and activities more fruitful of results than those which they chose in the first grade? If not, then at least in this respect they are failing to grow. Speaking generally, the range also of projects undertaken should increase in

width. This will demand consideration of materials on our part in order that the children may be properly stimulated along everbroadening lines. Again, do the purposes socially show more consideration of others, and do they bring in a larger number of participants? The questions thus raised, under the head of purposing, are: whether. we can see, as the school year passes, that our children's purposes become clearer, more conscious and deliberate, more fruitful, and of wider range; whether they show more consideration of others, and whether larger and larger groups unite in their execution. It would be much better if we could have objective evidence of these increases in purpose, and, if we are to develop the proper technique of project-teaching, we must set systematically to work collecting evidences of growth under these several heads.

2. Planning. Are the plans that our children make more fully and more consciously worked out? Are the plans better organized? that is, are they more likely to be effective? Are they more complex as the years go by? Do they include more factors and elements? Oftentimes we are much disturbed because the children plan so poorly, so meagrely. We must not, however, judge the growing child by our adult standards. The question is not so much: Does the child plan adequately or inadequately, as we count adequacy? but: Is he improving in his ability to plan? The fact of the improvement is the thing that we are concerned with. It may be that after we have worked a good many years on the project method we shall then know more fully just what kind and degree of planning to expect at the several stages of development. At the present time, however, the emphasis must not be upon attaining specific standards. It can only be on the factor of growth. Does the child increase in his power of planning effectively? And, again, I would say that it would be highly desirable to get objective evidence, to have specimens (if not of all the individual children, then typical specimens), to show us for certain whether we

are being satisfied with subjective standards of growth and, consequently, possibly being deceived, or whether we are able to say that we can show specific and objective evidence that the child's planning is improving.

3. Execution. The discussion here is almost a repetition of what we have just had. The adult not used to children will be very much disturbed at the inadequate execution of projects undertaken by the child. You and I, however, must never forget that what we are trying to find out is not so much how well the child can execute a piece of work as whether he is increasing at a maximum rate in his ability to execute. And here again, in order to judge this, objective specimens of handiwork, saved from year to year, will help us to judge more reliably. Perhaps, in the course of time, we shall have learned how to make scales or measuring rods that will tell us very definitely whether our children are growing in the way we wish. Under the discussion of execution, we expect, then, an increase of skill. The child should show that he is better able to handle the various tools and implements and materials with which he works. There should be some increase in the number of tools and, in particular, there should be an increase in the perseverance with which he pursues his projects. The increase along these several lines is to judge him and us.

4. Judging. Probably the most important item under this head is the development of higher and higher ideals of workmanship. Recently I was called on, with some others, to study a particular class, and it was the general judgment of those present that this particular third grade showed no higher ideals of workmanship this year than they showed last year, and we were accordingly compelled to judge that the teaching had not produced what was desired. Again, in the judging we wish a more conscious consideration of what has been done and how well it was done, to the end that the child may increasingly form conceptions of methods of work. Quite possibly this is too

much to ask of lower-grade children, but the older the child grows, the more its method should be in evidence.

In addition to judging the values of the project under these four heads, we should ask about the concomitants, those by-products of learning in which, perhaps, our most valuable characteristics are finally put. Has the child increased in self-reliance and initiative? Is he able to concentrate more fully upon his self-imposed task? Is there a higher degree of co-operation? Can the child co-operate with a larger number, and can these more nicely fit their several subordinate parts into the one whole? Is there increased acceptance of responsibility? Do the children increasingly feel and accept responsibility for the proper working of matters in the room-in particular, for the execution of group problems? And, correlative with this, is there increase of self-control? And, growing out of it all, is there increased respect for law and orderly procedure? One glance at the social world about us shows the tremendous significance of this last factor. And, in personal relationship of child with child, is there increased consideration of others? Are their manners better now than they were at the beginning of the year? Is conduct chosen more consciously in the light of its bearing upon others-in the light of foreseen consequences? Unfortunately, we do not at present see any way of determining objectively such character by-products as these concomitants, but they are no less important because of that difficulty. I, myself, am inclined to value them as the most important of all. The very fact that we have no objective means of measuring these results should make us more on the lookout lest we deceive ourselves into finding growth where it is not, in fact, present.

It is, of course, evident that what we have been considering means a new regime in school work and in educational methods. In order to attain these several values, our schools must furnish many more opportunities than have hitherto been found for chil