(1) When we use comparative terms to explain development, that is, from the characteristics of children's and adults' lives, the so-called development is to guide abilities to special channels, such as forming various habits. However, the comparative point of view is not final. Normal children and normal adults are growing up. The difference between the two is not the difference between growth and non-growth, but each has different growth models suitable for different situations.
There are three wrong ideas: first, only regard the immature state as underdevelopment; Second, regard development as a static adaptation to a fixed environment; Third, about the rigidity of habit. These three viewpoints all think that growth or development is a movement towards a fixed goal. They regard growth as an end, not an end. The corresponding mistakes of these three ideas in education are as follows: first, children's instinct or innate ability is not considered; Second, there is no initiative to cultivate children to cope with new situations; Third, over-emphasis on training and other methods, at the expense of personal understanding, in order to develop mechanical skills. These three things regard the environment of adults as the standard of children, and let children grow up according to this standard.
People either ignore the instinct of nature, or treat it as a disgusting thing-as a disgusting feature that should be suppressed, or they should obey external standards anyway. Because obedience is regarded as the goal, the personality of young people is ignored, and obedience is equated with uniformity. It leads to young people's lack of interest in new things, disgust at progress and fear of uncertain and unknown things. When an educational method is slandered as a mechanical method, we can be sure that it relies on external pressure to achieve external goals.
(2) Since nothing is related to growth except more growth, nothing is subordinate to education except more education. After a person leaves school, education should not stop. The purpose of school education is to ensure the growth of various forces through organization, so as to ensure that education can continue.
When we no longer try to explain the immaturity by making a fixed comparison with the achievements of adults, we give up the idea that immaturity is regarded as lacking the required characteristics. To abandon this view is to abandon teaching as a way to fill this defect by pouring knowledge into psychological and moral caves and waiting for loading. Because life is growth, a person's life is equally true and positive at any stage. These different stages of life are equally rich and important internally. Therefore, education is a career, which provides conditions to ensure growth or a complete life, regardless of age.
We were impatient with the immature state at first, and the sooner we got over it, the better. Therefore, the adults educated in this way look back on their childhood and adolescence with endless regrets and only see the sight of lost opportunities and wasted ability. This ironic situation will continue until we admit that life has its inherent quality, and the task of education is to cultivate this quality.
Realizing that life is growth enables us to avoid the so-called childhood idealization, which is nothing more than laziness. Don't confuse life with all superficial actions and interests. Don't think that the superficial phenomenon is the end itself. They are just signs of possible growth. Paying too much attention to superficial phenomena (that is, using occupation and encouragement) may fix these phenomena and hinder development. For parents and teachers, it is important to pay attention to which impulses of children are developing, rather than past impulses.
Respect for immature choices, educator Emerson put it best: "Respect for children. As parents, don't put on airs. Don't invade the lonely life of children. Respect your child, respect him to the end, and respect yourself. ..... About the cultivation of children, we should pay attention to two points: to preserve the child's nature, except the child's nature, everything else should be done through exercise; Keep children's nature, but stop them from making trouble, doing stupid things and fooling around; Preserving the child's nature and arming the child's nature with knowledge is just in the direction it points out. " This respect for childhood and adolescence "immediately puts great demands on teachers' time, thoughts and life." "This method needs time, frequent use, foresight, fact education and all the lessons and help from God. As long as you think about using this method, it means that your character is noble and knowledgeable. "
The ability to grow depends on the help of others and your own plasticity. These two situations peak in childhood and adolescence. Plasticity or the ability to learn from experience means forming habits. Habit enables us to control the environment and use it to benefit mankind. Habits come in two forms. One is the form of habit, that is, biological activities and the environment achieve a comprehensive and lasting balance; Another form is the ability to actively adjust activities to cope with new situations. The former habit provides a background for growth; The latter habit constitutes continuous growth. Positive habits include thinking, inventing and actively using one's abilities for new purposes. Because growth is the characteristic of life, education is continuous growth; There is no other purpose than itself. The value of school education, its standard, depends on the extent to which it creates the desire to continue to grow, and the extent to which it provides the means to realize this desire.