A Study of the Principle of "Understanding" : Focusing on G. H. Mead's Interactionism

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study the principle of children's recognition, understanding focused on G. H. Mead's Interactionism. This study will be the starting point for clarifying the dynamism of teaching in "teacher-student" educational relationship. The theory of G. H. Mead in this paper is one in the early 20th century. Through studying Mead's theory, I may examine the scientific knowledge in the interaction between "experience" and "science", and draw suggestion about the principle of children's "understanding". Anyone knows that Mead was one of the American Pragmatists around the turn of the century and had great influence later on the Symbolic Interacionism. As yet one have researched on Mead's theory in the field of philosophy or sociology. In the pedagogical field, only Mead's self-formative theory is quoted a little. It's important to study early works for searching possibility of Mead's educational theory, because the self theory may be based on the early educational works of Mead. Then,in order to grasp the principle of children's understanding, this paper brings focus into, firstly, the criticism to the separation of "science" and "experience", secondly, the generation of meaning in the interacion of "science" and "experience", and of student and teacher. This aims to grasp the educational fundamental perspective and draw the suggestion for the principle of understanding.