4. Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of
attitudes. Emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect
the behavior of most people.
"The burnt child fears the fire" is one instance; another is the rise of
despots like Hitler. Both these examples also point up the fact that
attitudes stem from experience. In the one case the experience was direct
and impressive; in the other it was indirect and cumulative. The Nazis
were indoctrinated largely by the speeches they heard and the books they
read.
The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in a strategic position
to influence attitudes. This is true partly because children acquire
attitudes from those adults whose word they respect.
Another reason, it is true, is that pupils often delve somewhat deeply
into a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has
possibly ever occurred to them before. To a child who had previously
acquired little knowledge of Mexico, his teacher's method of handling such
a unit would greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans.
The media through which the teacher can develop wholesome attitudes are
innumerable. Social studies, science matters of health and safety, the
very atmosphere of the classroom ... these are a few of the fertile fields
for the inculcation (反复灌输) of proper emotional reactions.
However, when children come to school with undesirable attitudes, it is
unwise for the teacher to attempt to change their feelings by scolding
them. She achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain constructive
experiences.
Finally, a teacher must constantly evaluate her own attitudes, because her
influence can be deleterious (有害的) if she has personal prejudices. This is
especially true in respect to controversial issues and questions on which
children should be encouraged to reach their own decisions as a result of
objective analysis of all the facts.
1). The central idea conveyed in the passage is that _____.
A. attitudes affect our actions
B. teachers play a significant role in developing or changing pupils'
attitudes
C. attitudes can be changed by some classroom experiences
D. the elementary school is a more effective milieu (环境) for developing
wholesome attitudes than high school or college.
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