knowledge we already possess in order to attain some end that is set
before us." "In geography, for example, so long as we are merely
learning the bare facts of the subject, the size and contours of the
different continents, the political divisions, the natural features, we
are at the acquisitive stage." "But when we go on to try to find out
the reasons why certain facts that we have learned should be as they
are and not otherwise, we pass to the constructive stage. We are
working constructively when we seek to discover why it is that great
cities are so often found on the banks of rivers, why peninsulas more
frequently turn southward than northward." You readily see that this
constructive method of study involves the setting and solving of
problems as its distinguishing feature, and that in the solution of
these problems we make use of reason.

A little reflection will show that though there is a distinct
difference between processes of acquisition and of construction,
nevertheless the two must not be regarded as entirely separate from
each other. "In acquiring new facts we must always use a little reason,
while in constructive work, we cannot always rely upon having all the
necessary matter ready to hand. We have frequently to stop our
constructive work for a little in order to acquire some new facts that
we find to be necessary. Thus we acquire a certain number of new facts
while we are reasoning about things, and while we are engaged in
acquiring new matter we must use our reason at least to some small
extent." The two overlap, then. But there is a difference between them
from the standpoint of the student, and the terms denote two
fundamentally different attitudes which students take in study. The two
attitudes may be illustrated by contrasting the two methods often used
in studying geometry. Some students memorize the theorem and the steps
in the demonstration, reciting them verbatim at class-hour. Others do