Blog

. . . when the child says There was an elephant at the zoo, he appears to be reacting to his past history rather than merely profiting from it. This is a verbal achievement brought about by a community which continually asks the child such questions as Was there an elephant at the zoo? The answer must be understood as a response to current stimuli, including events within the speaker himself generated by the question, in combination with a history of earlier conditioning. The neglect of this process is all the more shocking when it is recalled that most procedures in education presuppose it. (p. 143)