Winnetka Local History Digital Collections

Winnetka Weekly Talk, 2 Jul 1927, p. 48

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re - n-- WL -- Sa LS --- A ---------- wm r-- | | | July 2, 1927 WINNETK A TALK DR. FRANK FREEMAN ADDRESSES COLLEGE "Influence of Environment and Training on Intellectual De- velopment" Is Subject "The child's present intellectual at- tainment is due both to his inherited capacity and to the influence of educa- tion, from the home and all the en- vironment that has been brought to bear on him from birth." This state- ment, made by Dr. Frank N. Freeman of the University of Chicago in a lec- ture on "The Influence of Environment and, Training on the Intellectual De- velopment" given before the students of the National Kindergarten and Ele- mentary college yesterday afternoon, and backed by his vears of study and research along this line, was of great interest to teachers and parents who] for several years have been confronted with the prevailing idea that neither environment nor education could af- fect the inborn intellectual ability of the child. Dr. Freeman opened his talk with a description of the old fashioned idea of educaton, which considered that the chief purpose of the school was to im- prove the child's general capacity, to increase his mental powers--the idea that the training or discipline received in a specific type of training or ac- tivity would be carried over and gen- eralized and enable the student to per- form other activities better than he could otherwise have done. Psychol- ogists of recent years have denied ab- solutely that this generalization takes place, and their opinion has been rein- forced by that of the educators who accepted the extreme view of the in- telligence tests as a measure of the inherent mental capacity of the child which cannot be changed by education or environment. "It seems to me that if this view is true it is rather discouraging," said Dr. Freeman. "It transfers the emphasis from training to testing, from trying to develop the child to give him some specific habits, from the improvement or increase of the child's inheritance to merely trying to classify the child and give him specific items of training to adjust himself to certain types of problems. According to Dr. Freeman, there is some generalization, some transfer of ability from one activity to another, and although this is not nearly as great as had formerly been supposed it is well worth working for. However, the criticism of this old-fashioned idea has resulted in the realization that it is possible for an activity to have speci- fic value as well as general value, and this should be taken into consideration. Dr. Freeman suggested that the psychologists have been handicapped in their study of mental tests by the fact that in most cases the natural en- vironment and training and the inborn mental ability of the child have gone together. Intelligent parents usually give their children a good type of en- vironment and education, and parents of low intelligence are unable to pro- vide these for their children. An ex- ception to this general rule is found in the case of foster children which Dr. Freeman has made. Most of the foster children were of comparatively low intelligence and the majority of the homes into which they were taken offered superior advantages in the way of environment and educa- tion. Mental tests were given to a group of 75 of the children before they went into the new homes, and again at the end of four years, and the in- telligence score at the second testing was several points higher than in the first. This and other tests carried on with the entire group of children seemed to prove conclusively that the intelligence of the children was affected by the homes--that it was raised in general because the homes were better than the children would have had with their own parents. "We cannot neglect inheritance or native individual differences," said Dr. Freeman in conclusion, "but we do not need to conclude that education is powerless to affect the child's intellec- tual growth or his conduct." lin, greatest hitter in the history of baseball and former idol of the New York Giants, Bob Meusel, "Irish" Meusel and Tony Lazzeri, stars of the recent world series and tamous Yanks; C. T. Twombley of Jersey City; Koupal of Pittsburgh; Bob Murray of Kansas City; Bill Ludolph of Detroit; Perry O'Brien of the Philadelphia Ath- letics; Golvin of San Antonio; Red Oldham of Pittsburgh; Wilkinson of THE VARSITY "The Read the Want Ads Zane Grey's latest story, Drums of the Desert," will be on the screen Friday and Saturday at the Varsity. Warner Baxter plays the leading role supported by an all- star | cast. | Beginning Monday, July 4, the at-| traction will be "Fast and Furious" with Reginald Denny in the leading role as speed annihilator in an auto race picture. Barbara Worth carries | the feminine lead. Wednesday and Thursday the attrac- | tion will be "Slide, Kelly, Slide," a baseball romance, featuring William Haines, Sally O'Neil, Harry Carey, Karl Dane and others. [ Notable among the professional ball players in the picture are Mike Don- | GRANITE FURNISHED AND ERECTED BY J. H. ANDERSON MONUMENT CO. FINEST DISPLAY OF MEM- ORIALS IN CHICAGO 5751 RAVENSWOOD AVE. Phone RAVenswood 3523 | ~ . snd : ANOTHER OLD-FASHIONED BS ON Yo DONT HEAR SO MUCH ABOUT IS THE WEDDING ANNIVERSARY: Listen, Cy! A man came here the other day and bought a radio to give to his wife on their wedding anniversary. He said, "We're going to have a dance tonight and shake off a few years." Radio has the spirit of youth about it. "Here's where your dollar gets distance." THE RADIO SERVICE SHOP 18 Prouty Annex Ph. Winn. 1840 WS beast you can an Sasily and quick- ALL your floors-- This marvelous new labor-saver bur- nishes wax on floors to a brilliant lustre that is hard to mar and easy to clean. Ten times faster and better than hand Floor Polisher for any day you wish. We also deliver and call for the machine. We carry Paste, Powdered and Liquid Wax--and recommend Paste Wax when using the Electric Polisher. RASMESEN'S PAINT STORE Painting & Decorating 556 Center Street Tel. Winnetka 344 IXXXXXXXXXIXXXXIXIXIIIIIXIX An Estimate Will Cost You Nothing Entrance Driveways: Whether your problem is building a new road or repairing an old one--you will want the best in workmanship and materials. The Following Surface Materials White Chips -- Red Granite Chips Bird's Eye Gravel (brown) Missouri River Gravel (yellow) "When You're in a Hurry" Winnetka Teaming & Supply Co. Lawrence J. Hayes Telephone Winnetka 32 .can be used with T arvia Road Pitch

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