The Teacher: Essays and Addresses on EducationPalmer, Alice Freeman
Philosophy
The Teacher: Essays and Addresses on Education
Palmer, Alice Freeman
Education; Education, Higher; Women -- Education
Before leaving this part of my subject, I may mention a subordinate, but
still valuable, means of limiting choice so as to increase its
intentionality. The studies open to choice in the early years should be
few and elementary. The significance of advanced courses cannot be
understood till elementary ones are mastered, and immature choice should
not be confused by many issues. At Harvard this mode of limitation is
largely employed. Although the elective list for 1886-87 shows 172
courses, a freshman has hardly more than one eighth of these to choose
from; in any given case this number will probably be reduced about one
half by insufficient preparation or conflict of hours. Seemingly about a
third of the list is offered to the average sophomore; but this amount
is again cut down nearly one half by the operation of similar causes.
The practice of hedging electives with qualifications is a growing one.
It may well grow more. It offers guidance precisely at the point where
it is most needed. It protects rational choice, and guards against many
of the dangers which the foes of election justly dread.
II. A second class of limitations of the elective system, possible and
friendly, springs from the need of furnishing the young elector ample
information about that which he is to choose. The best intentions
require judicious aim. If studies are taken in the dark, without right
anticipation of their subject-matter, or in ignorance of their relation
to other studies, small results follow. Here, I think it will be
generally agreed, prescribed systems are especially weak. Their pupils
have little knowledge beforehand of what a course is designed to
accomplish. Work is undertaken blindly, minds consenting as little as
wills. An elective system is impossible under such conditions. Its
student must know when he chooses, what he chooses. He must be able to
estimate whether the choice of Greek 5 will further his designs better
than the choice of Greek 8.
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