The Rhythym of Education - Chapter 2

 This essay discusses the question: 

At what age should students undertake different 

subjects and different modes of study?

 Whitehead believes that the purpose of education to stimulate and guide each student's self-development. 

It is not the job of the educator to simply fill a child's mind with information.

  “a pupil's mind is a growing organism… it is not a box to be ruthlessly packed with alien ideas”

 Very similar to Jean Piaget's theory of stages of mental development, who supported the idea that children and adults think alternatively and there were important milestones in a child's development.

‘The principle that different subjects and modes of study should be undertaken by pupils at fitting times when they have reached the proper stage of mental development.’

Whitehead attains that children may develop through three stages within education which are as follows:

1. The Stage of Romance - The pupil begin with something they are interested in.

2. The Stage of Precision - The pupil develops the interest and therefore gains knowledge and skills. 

3. The Stage of Generalization - The pupil synthesizes what they have learned and apply it to new contexts.