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with the best interests of the individual,

5. Teaching material and method should be as natural as possible.
By this is not meant that there should be no direction or organization
of the teaching, but that the activities used and the method of presenting
them should be such as to make maximum use of the original nature of the
individual. To this end, the following items might be emphasized:

(a) The "racial activities" should be used where possible to the
exclusion of the artificial activities. Neuro-muscular skills that have
innate elements should be stressed to the exclusion of those entirely
lacking these elements.

(b) The various parts of the body should be used according..to.their
So. so far as possible. This would eliminate much apparatus
‘Work, and the most of formal calisthenics.

 

(c) The posture of the body should be dynamic, not static. That is,
the posture should be the posture of action, not of “attention,” of effic-
iency, not of rigidity. There is absolutely no educational or physiological
value in doing movements in the posture of the soldier,

(ad) There should be every attempt to conserve the reciprocal innervation
of the antagonistic muscles, and to avoid resistance of antagonists and
general rigidity. It is the not uncommon experience that a few years of
gymnastics ruins an individual for athletics. It can hardly do otherwise
when the movements are done under tension, and with resistance of antagonists.
There should be every effort to secure grace and economy of effort and to
eliminate stiffness and inefficient neuro-muscular habits.

 
  

 
   

 
  
 

    

6- Physical education dhe adapted and graded to the vidue
The curriculum should be devised to fit the age, the sex, and the bodily
and psychological development of the individual as definitely as the gen=~
eral mental curriculum. At present, the mental curricula of the
country are roughly standardized. A pupil from a school in one state can,
at the end of the school year, go to another school in amother state and
fit into the next grade without having to make too great adjustments.
This is not even remotely true of physical education. Not only has there
been no attempt at national standardization, but many school systems are
without such activities altogether, with the result that in any high
school freshman class pupils with physical "educations" and skills ranging
from the kindergarten to the college are combined in one large, ungraded
group, with no possibility of getting any appreciable educational results.
This situation is not at all flattering to our national pride in our
alleged educational efficiency.

It would seem that, having in mind the objectives to be attained, the
activities most valuable in attaining them should be selected. As these
will be largely the more highly organized athletics, games, and dances,
demanding mich skill to secure the best educational result, these skills
should be taught systematically, usually presented as simpler games or
contests, but also in massed=class calisthenic type of coaching, one thing
leading to the next step, until the whole educational value can be secured.
When the value has been secured, drop that thing and go on. (When the in-

dividual is physically educated, stop requiring exercise of him, but pre
sent electives and let him carry 6n himsélf with encouragement. If he —