Proceedings of the National Vocational Guidance Association Being the Fourth National Conference on Vocational Guidance Held at Richmond,

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915 Excerpt: ...the statement still holds true, the training for specific jobs is a responsibility of industry. Undoubtedly, the extension of continuation school methods into our secondary schools might help in this particular field. I believe that the basic curriculum of elementary schools should be general in nature, but rich in vocational content. Vocational guidance in the educational sense virtually is bound up in the curriculum. The only other type of vocational guidance is job finding, and job finding is not necessarily vocational guidance. Those who place the greatest stress upon this phase of economic assistance largely possess the idea of guidance from without, but I believe the essentials of vocational guidance must come from within, from the school system and the child itself. Vocational guidance virtually means the direction of a child towards his life work. Hence, the function of the school curriculum is not for the purpose of developing jobsters, much less the turning out of children trained for occupation along only a few lines of employment. It is better for the school curriculum to inculcate the principles underlying vocations, to give a wide training in the fundamental processes common to various large industrial groups, rather than to specify training in a few trades. In order to establish school curricula scientifically upon this basis, it is important that further study be given and investigations be made of the fundamental processes existing in various broad lines of industry. Far greater educational value for the purpose of vocational guidance is secured through the understanding of the principle of the lever and the pulley than the ability to know how to operate a punch press or a power machine. The demonstration of industrial principles through an...