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Two key points of Piaget's psychology are developed and illustrated. The first is that sensory data are interpreted through kinds of knowledge which themselves are not proven or disproven by sensory data. The second is that children's thinking is often characterized by difficulties in decentering from striking aspects of a situation.

In Open Education and the American School, Roland S. Barth wrote that “one central idea differentiates the open educator's concept of evaluation: in the open school, evaluation is primarily for the benefit of the learner, and only secondarily for the convenience and benefit of parent, teacher, or administrator…. The teacher's intention … is not to judge but to reflect back to the child the consequences of his behavior. As judge, the adult's best interests are served: he asserts his power and influence over the child. As facilitator, the child's best interests are served: he becomes aware of his difficulties, the need for improving his performance, and ways of doing so.” In this next article, evaluation by the music teacher is discussed by Eleanor Duckworth, a Canadian educator who has served as a translator for Jean Piaget during his United States lectures. She is senior research associate at the Atlantic Institute of Education, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and coordinator of the Institute's “Lighthouse Learning Program.”—Ed.