| Summary: | "The release of atomic power can become one of the greatest blessings or one of the most devastating curses for mankind. Which it shall be depends upon the will of man. If men and women the world over continue to be divided in thought, feeling, and action as they have been in the past, there is little hope of avoiding a future holocaust, which, in self defense, freezes one's imagination. If, on the other hand, enough of us rededicate ourselves to the task of building a world grounded upon a revivified faith in the essential dignity of and respect for the human being, there is still a fighting chance that man can create an orderly world of his choice. How? There is a need for expanded international trade, to rid the world of insane racial prejudice, and the need for planning on a national and international scale as merely a few examples of the general direction in which the peoples of the world should move. To a degree, a pitifully small number of leaders realize these needs and are working in these directions. Unless and until masses of the citizens of each country share this realization and assume some responsibility in working for it, the atomic age of peace and plenty cannot be brought about. It is the creative and united will of men and women which can give mankind control over its destiny. How can people be helped to understand the world in which they live and be motivated to undertake the planning of their destiny? There is no simple or single answer. Leaders in every area share the responsibility. I happen to place my unshakeable faith in the value of democratic professional instruction as one of the chief means of social change. I am convinced that ten to twenty-five thousand highly skilled, professional teachers on all areas of education, placed in strategic, administrative and supervisory positions could redirect the thinking, feeling, and willing of millions of children, young women and men who are to become the adults of the next generation. The Dynamics of Learning is an analysis of what is meant by a "highly skilled, professional teacher." It also tries to answer several basic questions. What happens, realistically, when living students and living teachers meet together in a classroom in the teaching-learning process? Do teachers really help students to develop or do they increase the fears and anxieties and timidities the students bring to the classroom? Does not most traditional teaching occur in a wilderness of waste logic and does not most "learning" consist of verbal ping-pong? What, precisely, is the source of the terrible confusion in education and the restless dissatisfaction felt by so many teachers, parents, and students? I believe that the analysis of the techniques of teaching and the closely related problem of the psychology of learning presented in this study will help to illuminate what is wrong. The points of view represented in this study are a radical departure from traditional methods of instruction. Their acceptance, I am convinced, will lead to the only kind of genuine education there is, self-criticism, self-discipline, self-motivation, and a willingness to be responsible for one's own decisions." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).
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