Weekly Response #3 for EDP 610

R3

Question:  Based on the association of ideas, James discussed a series of educational concepts, including interest, attention, memory, the acquisition of ideas, and apperception.  These concepts remind us of the importance of “building up useful systems of associations in the pupil’s mind” (p. 42).  What messages do these discussions send to educators in practice?

            In educational practice, teachers strive to interest students in the subject matter, to maintain students’ attention, and to help students learn concepts, principles, and other knowledge.  These goals are especially difficult to accomplish when the content is abstract or challenging.  James addressed these concerns.  “It is astonishing how many mental operations we can explain when we have once grasped the principles of association” (p. 42).  The habitual patterns of people’s associations constitute their “nature” or “character” (p. 42).  The associations that form when students progress from natively to artificially interesting objects illustrate how interest in a neutral subject develops through voluntary attention.  The quality of memory from instruction differs mainly in terms of the “persistency” and “number” (p. 60) of associations.  Understanding and applying the ideas of association would provide a solid foundation for teachers to reach their instructional goals. 

            Interest and attention are closely related.  Children naturally attend to the subjects in which they are interested.  Their focus on the materials teachers present is the necessary condition for their “reaction” or “correlative expression” (p. 17).  Without attention, what children perceive in class passes away quickly without leaving an impression.  Teachers understand the importance of maintaining student attention, however, “the accomplishment is difficult in the extreme” (p. 55).  The artistry of teaching resides in teachers’ ability to make subjects interesting and to transform children’s passive attention to voluntary engagement.  To provide additional help for teachers, James presented some practical suggestions, such as illustrating abstract concepts with graphs, diagrams, or examples.  Teachers implement these recommendations to different degrees in practice.  As James implied, not all teachers have the talent to make subject matter interesting. As with painters, only a few become famous, and an extremely rare number achieve the level of mastery as did Monet or Van Gogh.  This reality does not stop many artists from becoming painters, nor does it prevent many teachers from entering the field of education! 

Passive attention may be desirable at times, but can sometimes distract children from their learning goals.  Voluntary attention with effort is necessary in some circumstances.  “Effort always has to go on” (p. 55).  For subjects that are less interesting, teachers can show their enthusiasm in the subject in order to gain students’ voluntary attention.   Creating interest in a topic is not the final goal of education.  The formation of “diverse and multiple associations” (p. 60) is more important for children on their life-long journey of gaining knowledge.

            On several occasions in his writing, James demonstrated his unique thinking that distinguished him from genetic determinists and behaviorists.  He believed that not all people are natively interested in a variety of topics, or are “highly focalized and concentrated,” (p. 56), or have excellent general memory, but students can learn as long as they have desire and passion to succeed.  “In almost any subject your passion for the subject will save you” (p. 67).  I agree with his statement for both students and teachers.  I also believe that while free will may operate in a small part of our daily lives, the ability to choose has incredible power for education in all areas.