教育是获得运用知识的艺术。这门艺术非常不易传授。即使是一本具有真正教育价值的 教科书，可以断定，也会有书评家说它教起课来不容易使用。教起课来当然不容易使用。教 起来不费功夫的书是没有意义的；只配烧掉，因为它根本没有教育价值。教育就如同其他领 域，宽阔的樱草路是通往绝境的。这条害人之路就表现在一套书或讲义上面，凭借这些资料 ；学生往往简单背诵可能会在考试中出现的问题便了事。我想提一下，这样的教育体制是没 有任何出路的，否则就必须做到：允许授课的老师亲自去组织和修改考试中的问题；提问自 己的学生……
我们再来讨论我上面提出的观点，一定要把理论概念具体地运用到学生的课程之中。这 条原则在具体运用中十分困难，因为它关系到教育的中心问题；必须不断地更新知识；使知识 保持生命力；防止知识僵化。
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我呼吁那些奋斗在一线的教师要，经受良好的训练。这样，把死板知识灌注到学生们的 头脑当中是没问题的。给学生一本书就让他们学；这样就万事大吉了。于是学生就学会解二 次方程了。但是教会他去解二次方程的目的又何在呢。按照传统的回答就是：人的头脑就是 工具，要想好好利用就必须先塑造它，学习解二次方程就是塑造头脑这个工具的一部分。这 种观点也有道理；否则不会经历这么久远。但是这个片面道理却包含着一个根本『性』的错误， 它抑制了天才智慧。我不知道是谁提出头脑是一个工具的。对此我一无所知；也可能是希腊 七智中的哪一个或者他们七个商量后共同弄出来的。到底谁是始作俑者先不管，由于受到名 流们的推崇，这种说法毫无疑问已经获得了很大权威。但是不管它的权威有多大，不管它能 援引的称赞有多强大，我都毫不犹豫地肯定，对教育理论而言；这就是一个最要命、最错误 和最危险的观念。头脑从来都不是被动的，它一息不停地活动，非常灵敏，富于接受事物， 对刺激感觉敏锐。你不能等你把它塑造后再去使用它。不管你的题材会引起什么兴趣，这种 兴趣必须此时此地就召唤起来；不管你如何培养自己的学生，他的能力必须此时此地就运用 起来；不管你会对学生的思想产生怎样的影响，这些倾向必须此时此地就展示出来。这就是 教育上的规律，一条很难把握的规律。
困难就是这样：一般概念的理解，思维活动的习惯，精神收获的愉悦，即使安排得恰如 其分；也不好用语言形式确切地表达。从事教学的一线教师们都懂得，教育是个耐心的过程 ，要掌握具体的细节；一分一秒也不能中断。学习不会是轻松的；这里没有精美概括的坦途。 谚语所说的“只见树木；不见树林”，这正是我这里要强调的困难。教育的问题正是如何使 学生通过树木而看见森林。
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再有，不是每一门学科仅仅提供专门的知识和内容。大众教育也是一门专门的学科。从 另一方面讲，培养一种专门爱好也是进行综合教育的一条途径。学问的综合『性』是毋庸置疑的 。教育所传授的就是要建立对思想的力量、思想的美和思想的结构的亲密感觉，此外还要有 所专长，作为谋生的手段。
对思维结构的理解也是智慧的一方面，只有靠学习专门知识才能培养起来。这就是那种 通观全局、善于把握各类思想之间联系的慧眼。只有学习专业知识；才能充分理解一般思想 的形成，它们彼此间的关系以及对于人生的用途等。经受这样的训练；思维势必既能更为抽 象，又能更为具体。这是在抽象思想的领会与具体事实的分析的基础上训练出来的。
on education
alfred north whitehead
education is the acquisition of the art of the utilization of knowledge。this is an art very； difficult to impart。whenever a textbook is written of real ed ucational worth； you may be quite certain that some reviewer will say that it wi ll be difficult to teach from it。 of course it will be difficult to teach from i t。 if it were easy； the book ought to be burned； for it cannot be educational。 i n education； as elsewhere； the broad primrose path leads to a nasty place。 this evil path is represented by a book or a set of lectures which will practically e nable the student to learn by heart all the questions likely to be asked at the next external examination。 and i may say。 in passing that no educational system is possible unless every question； directly asked of a pupil at any examination is either framed or modified by the actual teacher of that pupil in that subject …
we now return to my previous point； that theoretical ideas should always fin d important applications within the pupil’s curriculum。 this is not an easy doc trine to apply； but a very hard one。 it contains within itself the problem of ke eping knowledge alive； of preventing it from becoming inert； which is the centra l problem of all education。
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i appeal to you； as practical teachers。 with good discipline； it is always p ossible to pump into the minds of a class a certain quantity of inert knowledge。 you take a textbook and make them learn it。 so far； so good。 the child then k nows how to solve a quadratic equation。 but what is the point of teaching a chil d to solve a quadratic equation。 there is a traditional answer to this question。 it runs thus： the mind is an instrument； you first sharpen it； and then use it； the acquisition of the power of solving a quadratic equation is part of the pro cess of sharpening the mind。 now there is just enough truth in this answer to ha ve made it live through the ages。 but for all its halftruth； it embodies a rad ical error which bids fair to stifle the genius of the modern world。 i do not kn ow who was first responsible for this analogy of the mind to a dead instrument。 for aught i know； it may have been one of the seven wise men of greece； or a com mittee of the whole lot of them。 whoever was the originator； there can be no dou bt of the authority which it has acquired by the continuous approval bestowed up on it by eminent persons。but whatever its weight of authority； whatever the high approval which it can quote； i have no hesitation in denouncing it as one of th e most fatal； erroneous； and dangerous conceptions ever introduced into the theo ry of education。 the mind is never passive； it is a perpetual activity； delicate ； receptive； responsive to stimulus。you cannot postpone its life until you have sharpened it。 whatever interest attaches to your subjectmatter must be evoked hele and now； whatever powers you are strengthening in the pupil； must be exe rcised here and now； whatever possibilities of mental life your teaching should impart； must be exhibited here and now。that is the golden rule of education； and a very difficult rule to follow。
the difficulty is just this： the apprehension of general ideas； intellectual habits of mind； and pleasurable interest in mental achievement can be evoked by no form of words； however acomurately adjusted。 all practical teachers know that education is a patient process of the mastery of details； minute by minute； hou r by hour； day by day。there is no royal roads to learning through an airy path o f brilliant generalizations。there is a proverb about the difficulty of seeing th e wood because of the trees。 that difficulty is exatly the point which i am enfo rcing。 the problem of education is to make the pupil see the wood by means of th e trees。
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again； there is not one course of study which merely gives general culture； and another which gives special knowledge。 the subjects pursued for the sake of a general education are special subjects specially studied； and； on the other ha nd； one of the ways of encouraging general mental activity is to foster a specia l devotion。 you may not divide the seamless coat of learning。 what education has to impart is an intimate sense for the power of ideas； for the beauty of ideas； and for the structure of ideas together with a particular body of knowledge whi ch has peculiar reference to the life of the being possessing it。
the appreciation of
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