In this section, James (1899/1962) discusses how all acquired reactions are either a “complication grafted on a native reaction, or a substitute for a native reaction” (p. 20), and that it is the teacher’s job to know what these native reactions are and how to complicate or replace them. He uses the example of a child snatching to illustrate how education can occur by manipulating native reactions.
I know that in the next talk, James is going to enumerate the different type of native reactions. However, he mainly focuses on those that are in children, and while there are many native reactions that are simply human nature, I feel that adult’s native reactions are often different, or at least some of the more fundamental ones (like snatching, for instance) have already been changed by the time the individual is an adult. Since I have an interest in adult education, I wanted to focus on the adult native reactions before delving into James’ next chapter.
One of the primary concerns with educating children is to motivate them to apply themselves to their studies. With adult education, this is usually not as difficult, since adults tend to have their own reasons and motivations to study and learn. These can often be driven by their grades, wanting to get a degree, wanting to further their career options, and not wanting to waste their scarce time and hard-earned money on expensive university education. These are all useful motivators, and can often help individuals carry on even when working on coursework is the last thing they want to do. However, I feel that just because adults usually are more motivated to complete their work than young children may be, is it sufficient that they are simply motivated by these more practical reasons? James (1899/1962) says that “the teacher’s art consists in bringing about the substitution or complication, and success [italics added] in the art presupposes a sympathetic acquaintance with the reactive tendencies natively there” (p.20). If the teacher simply realizes the reactions that the adult already has to be motivated to learn, is the fact that the adult does indeed learn really a success? Could there be something deeper there, such as a curiosity and desire to learn more, to remember what they have learned, and to continue learning? In his next talk, James (1899/1962) will say that adults do not have the ability to be curious, and that it is impossible for them to apply themselves the same way as young adults or learn new truths. Do we really agree with this? What reactions could be incited in adults so that they do not just go through the motions in order to get their degree or certificate, but rather delve deeper into the material so that it can more thoroughly affect their lives and careers?
I'm really impressed with your depth of thought here and so pleased with the thoughtful questions you raise. You are absolutely correct that motivation means much more than wanting to do. Well, at least in the sense of the learning outcomes that all teachers should care about in their students. How do we cultivate creativity and curiosity?
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