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University Microfilms International 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St. John's Road, Tyler's Green High Wycombe, Bucks, England HP10 8HR 790 2103 COR ft I M * ST FPI-fEW JAY EARLY AN [' MIDDLE L H I LbHLiPD? CHANGING PAT TERMS FOR LEARNING. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, PH.D.* 1>>7* University Microfilms International 300 N. ZEEB ROAD. ANN ARBOR. Ml 48106 © 1978 STEPHEN JAY CORWIN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD: CHANGING PATTERNS FOR LEARNING DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Stephen J. Corwin, B.S., M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1978 Reading Committee: Approved By Herman Peters Frank Buchanan Charles Galloway Adviser/ Department o^Education Special Services The mission of every true knight . .is duty. Nay ...it is -privilege, Don Quixote i i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Herman Peters. During my graduate studies at The Ohio State University Dr. Peters has served as both my advisor and friend. For his guidance and trust I am most grateful. My thanks also goes to Dr. Frank Buchanan for the assistance he has given me in my work. His gentle manner and graceful way of communicating has allowed me to grow more fully and at my own pace. In addition, I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Charles Galloway who has inspired me and helped me to find more courage than I sometimes thought was there. My loving thanks goes to my mother and father. The love and support they have given me for so many years is immeasureable and I will always be grateful to them. With all my heart I would like to thank my brother Randy. He has loved me every day of his life and this is the greatest gift one human being can give to another. I am also grateful to my sister Andrea for sharing all her warmth and charm. My warmest thanks go to Linda Thornburg who has shown me the true meaning of friendship. This I shall always remember. ... 1 1 1 I would also like to thank Kenny Weiss. His concern, his humor and his friendship have helped me greatly. Finally, with my entire being I want to give my deepest thanks to Emily Rose. She is a home for me and always here when I need her. It is her love, beauty and good sense which is helping be to become complete.... VITA June 22, 1947...........Born — New York City, New York 1969 ....................B.A. , The Ohio State University 1970-1971............... Secondary School Teacher, New York, City, New York 1972-1973............... Elementary School Teacher, Waitsfield, Vermont 1974 .................... Secondary School Teacher, New York City, New York 1976 ....................M.A. , The Ohio State University 1976-1978............... Academic Adviser, The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Guidance and Counseling; Adviser, Herman J. Peters Minor Field: Curriculum and Foundations v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ....................................... iii VITA.................................................... v LIST OF TABLES..........................................viii LIST OF FIGURES ..........................................ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION................................. 1 C h a n g e ................... 7 Environment.............................. 9 Body Awareness .............................10 Quiet T i m e ................................. 11 M u s i c ..................................... 11 Art....................... 12 P l a y ........................................13 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE...................... 14 The Institutionalization of Experience . 14 Child-Teacher Relationship ......... ' . 20 Deschooling................................. 23 The Hidden Curriculum...................... 25 Physical Needs .......................... 28 Flexibility................................. 30 M o v e m e n t ................................... 31 Regeneration Through Music ............. 35 Music Therapy............................... 40 The Importance of Art...................... 42 Steiner Education...........................48 Chapter II References...................... 55 III. METHODOLOGY................................... 56 IV. FINDINGS........................................62 Field Trips................................. 74 Quiet T i m e ................................. 76 vi PAGE M u s i c ..................................... 77 A r t ........................................79 Free Play . .............................80 V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. ..... 82 Nature..................................... 83 Journey Into S e l f ........................ 97 Quiet Time................................ 101 Pleasure and P a i n ....................... 107 Seeing................................ 113 Implications and Recommendations for Further Research....................... 127 Chapter V References..................... 131 BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................... 133 vii LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Distribution of teachers by grade.... 65 2. Distribution of teachers by gender .... 66 3. Responses to all questions by grade. 67 4. Responses to all questions by gender of t e a c h e r ................................ 68 viii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Number of field trips per year........... 69 2. Number of minutes per day spent in quiet time................................. 70 3. Number of minutes per day spent in m u s i c ..................................... 71 4. Number of minutes per day spent in a r t ....................................... 72 5. Number of minutes per day spent in free play....................................... 73 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Children are very special people. There is a certain innocence in most children, a certain trusting and giving, that is done so much more purely than is the case with most adults. When children come into this world they love, they trust and they give, without asking anything in re­ turn. For the most part, they are not involved, in their early years, with attachment to results. They just do things with trust becasue that is their natural state. It is only later, once they have been indoctrinated by family and schools and churches and government, that they get in­ volved in reciprocal trade agreements; such as, I will do this for you if you will do this for me, or I will do this if it will get me the results I want. When children are young, they are in touch with their souls, the innermost spiritual part of themselves. They remember who they are and how beautiful that is, and they live this. Again, it is not a conscious remembering. Cer­ tainly, children could not rationally or intellectually explain to you what is going on. They are just doing it. They are just being there in the flow of that moment and giving forth their love. They do not have to consciously put forth effort. If we pay attention to children at play, so often we will see them running and running, jumping and playing, and yet they never seem to get tired or run out of energy. They are just doing this. They are not, once again, consciously thinking or putting forth any effort to keep going. They are just doing it because they have tuned in­ to the flow of the universe, of their own souls, as that flow comes through their own souls. One of the greatest tradegies of our educational systems is that what our children are being taught is not to pay attention to their own souls, to their own hearts, to their own intuition. We are teaching them to logically and rationally figure things