Weekly Response #2 for EDP 610

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Question: What can teachers and parents learn from James’ analysis about habits?

The two chapters we read for this week introduced the laws of habit and the association of ideas, which I believe are the most essential parts of James’s thoughts about educational psychology.  According to James (1962), habits constitute more than “ninety-nine” (p. 33) percent of people’s external behaviors; “the association of ideas”, which is also habitual, comprise the internal mental world of people.  Understanding the laws of habits and the work of association is fundamental for teachers and parents, who are responsible for building educated young people with healthy behaviors and positive thoughts.  These few pages could have a powerful influence on the development of teachers’ philosophies of education if fully understood.  In this response, I will mainly focus on the roles of habits.

I agree that as children develop, their characters are shaped through the formation of habits by either initiative or passivity.  These habits “naturally” become more and more settled—the “identical folds” (p. 33) of people become too entrenched to change once established.  Because of the irresistible power of habits, James suggested that teachers should recognize the importance of facilitating good habits in children while they are young, which could likely be accepted by most of teachers and parents.  He also indicated that children “can understand this (all our life is … a mass of habits) at a comparatively early age” (p. 33), which is a perspective that not all teachers and parents may share, but will definitely influence their instructional manner.  When teachers and parents believe that children understand the importance of building good habits, they will provide sufficient explanation about requests, more support and confidence, and act more patiently.  Correspondingly, children will be offered more opportunities to practice, to make mistakes, and then correct these mistakes.  However, if teachers or parents do not believe children can appreciate the power of habits, they might be inclined to order children to follow directions without sufficient explanation.  This approach of education might cause children building new habits passively.  

“The more of the details of our daily life we can hand over to the effortless custody of automatism, the more our higher powers of mind will be set free for their own proper work” (James, 1962, p. 34).  Systematically building habits conserve children’s energy for higher level cognition.  A child who understands that  homework needs to be finished before playing video games and practices this habitually saves time and energy from struggling with his parents, and makes big progress on the way to becoming an organized and educated adult.

The greatness of James is that not only did he illustrate reasons for educators to pay attention to habits; he also indicated ways to help students form new habits.  The maxims “don’t preach too much to your pupils” (p. 36) and “keep the faculty of effort alive” (p. 38) further confirm my position that educators can help children develop positive habits.  Instead of treating negative habits pessimistically, James maintained that there are opportunities to build new habits from old ones with strong will, determination, and persistent effort, even though building good habits “as early as possible” (p. 34) is so important.  By understanding such a thorough analysis of habits from James, I believe teachers and parents will perform well in facilitating “acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior” (p. 15) with children.

Weekly Response #1 for EDP 610

Question: How do we understand James’s definition of education?

Quotation: James (1962) described education as “the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior” (p. 15). 

Our course is studying the theories of learning, which is one of the most important elements of education.  During our first class meeting, we discussed the definition of learning and considered two key questions:  whether application or memorization is the only goal of learning, and how to prove the effect of learning.   For an immediate return on educational investments, some educators believe that students and teachers’ effort should be reinforced as soon as possible through application and memorization of new knowledge so that students’ learning can be tested and confirmed.   Students with higher scores on such tests indicate increased mastery.  However, one limitation of this view is that education would be constrained by this (standardized) results-oriented approach. 

James’ thoughts about education are illuminating and suggest another approach.  James (1962) believed that “man … is primarily a practical being, whose mind is given him to aid in adapting him to this world’s life” (p. 12).  Hence, education involves training improvements or changes in children’s behaviors that occur regularly and habitually.  He also pointed that “our education means … a mass of possibilities of reaction, acquired at home, at school, or in the training of affairs”, and these acquired reaction is “either complication[s] grafted on native reaction[s] or substitute[s] for native reaction[s]” (p. 20).  These ideas suggest that effective teaching begins with children’s native reactions, especially activities, knowledge, and materials that are inherently interesting to children.  James explained education is “an organization of acquired habits”, which suggested that educators are also responsible for facilitating students to organize what they have learned at school, home, or other institutes.  For example, reading is an ability that is highlighted in modern society.  Teachers’ responsibility includes enlarge students’ vocabulary capacity, mastery diversity of literary styles, improve their comprehensive skills…  It is a complicated work and should not be treated as single mission.  Without a professional and organized training of reading related skills, words memorization itself cannot improve reading skills significantly.

James (1962) further emphasized that “tendencies to behavior” is also important in education, which answers the questions raised during class discussion.  Although we are “practical beings” and all action has “practical results” (p. 13), application or memorization of new knowledge and skills are part of the mission of education.  We should not expect that the effects of teaching, learning, or studying would be reflected on children’s behavior immediately.  Learning is a process; teachers and students need to exercise patience with studies even if they do not notice effects immediately.  Practical results will occur as long as new knowledge is being gained.  James used higher education system in England as an example of building “characteristic,” which refers to descriptions of conduct and behavior.   Hence, the mission of educators is not only to transmit knowledge from one generation to the next, but also to build positive personalities and characteristics in young person so that they have the initiative to learn and to adapt to the world in which they live.

As James said, “a general view of psychology is enough (for teachers)” (p. 5).  His simple definition of education provides educators a thorough description of the essence and role of education.  A full understand of this definition may help teachers conquer difficulties such as a sense of powerless or lack of confidence in their teaching.