Living Teaches Us, The Classroom Reinforces
What We Have Learned
Noah D. Alper
[An excerpt from a 1961 memorandum written by Noah
Alper, during his years as Director
of the St. Louis extension of the Henry George School]
One idea has been of special influence in compiling the material of
these notes. This is the thought that people who come to our classes
know more of the facts that make up the factors and principles of our
course than is generally considered. By living they have learned. By
induction based on what they now know we try to, in a real sense, let
them arrive at the main general principle, or principles. (We say that
while they have the "makings" of these general principles
that it is not organized as a body of knowledge useful to them; that
we will help them place this in useful form.) This is illustrated
especially in developing our factors and definitions and in our
approach to the Law of Rent. There are other examples and these, we
feel, but suggest the ultimate potential of this method in using the
knowledge the student now has to help them see the basic underlying
principles.
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