Scouting, Volume 57, Number 7, September 1969 Page: 12
52 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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SCOUTING: AIM
EDUCATIONAL
MOVEMENT
By ROBERT L. CALVERT
Director, Planning and Communications
Is Scouting still meeting the educational
aims of its founders? Is it a formula or a
game? A veteran Scouter and administra-
tor examines the educational significance
of the Scout program.
Frequently these days many Scout leaders are say-
ing with pride and conviction, "Scouting is an educa-
tional movement." Often we hear reference to Scouting
as a game or, better yet, a game with a purpose. Henry
Ford II has been quoted as calling Scouting "the only
really successful formula we have yet found for getting
the best from human potential through developing a vigor-
ous and wholesome youth in which that human potential
can take root."
Scouting often has been referred to, by casual observers,
as a recreational program. Ask a boy and he'll tell you
that Scouting is FUN. Such varied terminology seems con-
fusing and conflicting. Can Scouting be fun, recreation, a
formula, a game, and an educational movement all at
once? It depends on the point of view of the learner (the
boy) or the teacher (the Scouter). As Scouters, let's ex-
amine our own personal convictions.
What exactly is the purpose of education and how do we
know this purpose is being attained? "The Purposes of
Education in American Democracy," a commission report
for the National Education Association and the American
Association of School Administrators, has an excellent
observation: "Education seeks to encourage the mastery
of knowledge, the acquisition of such attitudes, and the
development of such habits as make a socially desirable
way of living likely to be followed by the learner."
Put another way in the traditional language of educators,
the purpose of education is fourfold:
• Self-realization on the part of each individual
• The cultivation of social relationships
• A concern for civic responsibility
• Achievement of economic efficiency and effectiveness
To accomplish these aims, we know that learning is
best and lasts longest when the learner is both physically
and mentally involved. Doing is logically at the top of
four levels of learning. Watching is the next most effective,
followed in descending values by responding in words and
listening (or reading). All are essential to learning.
Although education is typically carried on by groups
or in groups, its concern is still with developing the in-
dividual. Education starts where the learner is and takes
him sequentially to a preestablished goal. It's really a matter
of changing the future by producing a change in peoples'
behavior by what they know, how they feel about things,
and, most important, what they actually do.
Measuring up
In measuring up to educational goals. Scouting has a
three-phase program that takes a boy from 8 through 17
years of age in a sequential and developmental process.
Throughout the program, the Scout-learner is both physi-
cally and mentally involved. Emphasis is on "doing." The
learning outcomes are specific in terms of knowledge, skills,
and attitudes.
Cub Scouting is a year-round, home-centered program
for boys 8, 9, or 10 years old and their families. A Cub
Scout's achievements are approved by his father and
mother, rather than by outside leaders. Emphasis is on
strengthening family ties instead of weakening them as
in many other parts of today's society. Cub Scouting has
built-in features for developing citizenship, spirituality,
and self-reliance.
A challenging new group of activity badge areas has
recently been developed for Webelos Scouts (10-year-
olds). Fifteen badges such as Scientist, Scholar, or Traveler
provide an early look at fields for future exploration.
12
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 57, Number 7, September 1969, periodical, September 1969; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth331800/m1/14/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.