The New Student's Reference Work/Education, Modern

Education, Modern. Perhaps no phase of social activity has undergone so radical a development in modern times as that of education. This evolution may be outlined under the headings of aim, subject-matter, method and organization of education. In regard to aim, four points may be noted. First: The ideal has come to be more and more progressive. Education no longer regards itself as confined to the task of fitting the child to live contentedly the life of the parent, but consciously labors to inspire the young to strive for better conditions and to prepare them to attain these. Second: Education no longer, as in ancient times, aims to train the individual merely in the interest of society nor, as in medieval and comparatively modern times, for individual culture or development, but rather for what may be called social efficiency. Third: Such an aim includes not only the religious, ethical and cultural training toward which attention was formerly almost solely directed in the education of the school, but vocational training, whether along professional or industrial lines, and such political training as fits for citizenship in those advanced nations where self-government prevails. Fourth: All this involves the extension of education to all classes, so that no general phase of culture is peculiar to any social order.

The subject of education has been affected by all of these modifications in aim. Science, history and modern literature have been added to mathematics, theology and the classics. In general the curriculum has been enriched by subjects giving interesting or valuable subject-matter, and the disciplinary subjects have been reduced in importance. The elementary school has developed geography, nature study, literature, manual training and art in addition to the three “Rs.” The subject-matter of the various vocations, from engineering to medicine, has been organized and taught.

In method the most important reform is due to the growth of the now well-established belief that mastery of method is quite as important to the teacher as knowledge of subject-matter. Psychology has been appealed to as a source from which correct method should be derived. In general, mechanical memory-work has been replaced by such as appeals to reason and stirs interest and spontaneity. The inductive method, involving the idea of development lessons (see Method of Teaching), library-methods, laboratories, workshops, illustrations, all rouse self-activity (q.v.), excite interest (q.v.), involve the constant application of what is learned, and aid in producing a progressive, alert and adaptable rather than a mechanical and passive character. The idea of formal mental discipline (q.v.) has been discredited by psychology, and more and more abandoned for that of discipline through valuable and interesting subject-matter. The course of study has been organized to appeal more to the powers, instincts and interests of the child at various stages in his development. Finally, trained psychologists have been to some extent employed in connection with school-systems.

In organization the most marked advances of modern times have been the development of state-systems of popular education (practically the creation of the 19th century), the transfer to a large extent of education from church or private control to that of the state, the expenditure of enormously greater funds for educational purposes, the development of supervision, very close in the advanced states of Europe, professional training for teachers, the differentiation of schools according to the aim of the instruction, and the better organization and unification of national systems. In all these directions an enormous amount remains to be done.

See Apperception, Correlation, Child Study, Interest, Method in Teaching, Mental Discipline, Psychology for Teachers, Self-Activity and Schools, Elementary. Consult Text-Book in the History of Education, Monroe.