On the Art of Reading · Chapter
Lecture III: Children's Reading (I) explained
The lecturer reflects on the nature of education, arguing that it should be a drawing-forth of the child's innate potential rather than an imposition.
What happens
The lecturer reflects on the nature of education, arguing that it should be a drawing-forth of the child's innate potential rather than an imposition. He critiques outdated teaching methods, such as block-reading, and the repressive moralistic literature of the 19th century that treated children as inherently sinful. Through anecdotes and examples, he advocates for nurturing children's natural curiosity and love of learning, emphasizing the importance of reading to oneself as the master-key to true education.
Themes in this chapter
Children and Imagination
The chapter emphasizes nurturing children's natural curiosity and joy in learning, contrasting with repressive educational methods that stifle imagination.
Education vs. Examination
The lecturer critiques the examination system and rote learning, advocating for education as a drawing-forth of innate potential rather than mere testing.
The Purpose of Reading
Reading to oneself is presented as the master-key to true education, highlighting the importance of independent reading over mechanical recitation.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The lecturer recounts personal experiences as a teacher in a Cornish school and as a child raised with strict religious teachings.
- Plato
Mentioned in the context of the Academy, where he walked and held discourse, contrasting with modern educational institutions.
- Wordsworth
Referenced in the phrase 'like dissolution in Wordsworth’s sonnet' to describe the child's climbing desire to learn.
- Bacon
Alluded to indirectly through the phrase 'Bacon of Studies' in the context of educational philosophy.
Key passages
“The meaning of 'education' is a leading out, a drawing-forth; not an imposition of something on somebody—a catechism or an uncle—upon the child; but an eliciting of what is within him.”
Education should be about drawing out a child's innate potential, not forcing external knowledge upon them.
This encapsulates the chapter's central argument for a child-centered approach to learning.
“But that natural eager joy is just what our schools, in the matter of reading, conscientiously kill.”
Schools systematically destroy children's natural enthusiasm for reading.
Highlights the critique of conventional schooling methods.