The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1863-04-29

~
IN Wood$feld, IN the Spring of 1868,
by Prot. ". s. Alder, of Baresville,
Ohio. ss .ieA
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :--On the
present occasion 1 propose to invite your
attention to the consideration of the Phi
losophy of Education, and methods of
teaching. A knowledge of human nature
is the true basis of the Philosophy of
Education; and it is also necessary to the
discovery of the true methods of teaching.
By patient observation it has been ascer-
tanned that all the faculties of the mind
follow law of progressive development,
and that they are cultivated by being prop
|erly exercised on appropriate subjects, and
weakened by being overtasked, or by be-
ing exercised on inappropriate subjects.
Material objects and the phenomena Of
the world, are the subjects upon which
the faculties first exercise themselves.
The childs curiosity or desire to know is
awakened by the objects that he sees
around him--hence, when the child is
properly taught, the acquisition of knowl-
edge is pleasurable, and he delights in
'learing. Children have to be occupied,
and their occupation affords exercise for
the faculties of their minds and bodies,
and by this means they become strong and
vigorous. The faculties, in the course of
their development, act and react upon
each other; hence the complete develop
ment of any faculty depends more or less
upon the development OF some other fac
|ulty. The mind as a whole, admits of
cultivation at every stage of development,
for instance, the moral faculties may be
cultivated in connection with the intellec
tual facultie !, and the perceptiye aculties
in con. &c ION with the knowing d rea
soning faculties.
Children love to see things, hence they
learn most r,p.dly when models, poo
rial illustrations, drawings, &C.. are shown
them, as explanations OF the subject about
which they are learning. This fact is in
accordance with that philosophy of the
mind which teachers us that our simplest
conceptions are formed from objects. pic
lures. etc. and our abstract conceptions
from descriptions given without the aid OF
any illustrations or models-the eye being
more active and perfect sense than the
ear. the knowledge gained through this
medium is more thorough than that receiv-
cd by the means OF the ear alone. Teach
ers who would regard the philosophy of
education in their methods Of teaching,
should ever bear in mind this very inn
gortant Fact In remembering this, they
will make extensive use of the blackboard,
maps, charts, diagrams, models and appa-
ratus for illustrating the lessons Of school
instruction. -.
Our ignorance of the philosophy of the
mind and of education, has hitherto led
into erroneous methods of teaching, the
| teacher shows an ignorance of the wants
and capabilities of the infant or youthful
mind, whom he assigns his pupils dull
| dry details of technical learning, in the
place Of communicating to them that kind
! OF knowledge which is best calculated to
foster and develop their deceptive ane
observing faculties. AT one time teachers
I in their ignorance believed the first objects
of primary instruction to be the cultiva
tion of the verbal memory oftheir pupils
In accordance with this belief, the littl'
boys and girls had to commit to memor.
Hong paragraphs of Biography, abstrac
y grammatical definitions, conjugations o
q the verb to looe, until the word itself sig
q tnifed to shate--Grammar at least. Alon
with this, as a necessary adjunct, was tn
4 systcm of rewards and punishments. Th
: cultivation of the reasoning powers wa
4 entirely regardea-memorya alone in tn
Iamost limited sense was employed in thi
method of school keeping. The sam
class of teachers adopted the rote syster
of obstruction, by which. the pupils ha
to workout results by formulas and dog
mas rather than by the independent ez
crcise of his own reasoning powers
For example, if the pupil could nc
work cut. his question in Arithmetic, b
was asked ssWhat does the rule say
Read the rule" was the explanatio
given. Not many months since, thel
was teacher employed in one of tf
ID strict schools of this State, who, a
! Though he knew nothing Of the elemei
8. tary sounds Of English language, less
1Geography, for he could only bound OF
State in the Union, nothing about Gran
mar, except what he had learned in tv
weeks, received a license for nine month
Ibut when he went into his school, he four
i a pupil who had been through vulg
fractions, and was "cyphering in inte
lest,s while he knew nothing Of eithe
He reversed the order, read the rule hil
lself, and asked the pupil to work out t
1question, and thus the teacher was taugl
1although the pupil did not make the d
lcovery that he had changed places vi
n, the master
Of "a teacher who is ignorant Of hum
nature, is like an engineer who sets
,'s work to erect bridge before he has ma
himself acquainted with the, properties
the material employed in the structu
When his work is completed, he finds tt
1.-THE material is broken by pressure, or
= 1.-THE expansion by heat. 1t is true
might console himself with the reflect
!, that his plan would have been excelle
If it had not been for the peculiar pr,
- critics of the material used; but a "
= enginecr would first make himself til
~ oughly acquainted with the nature
a properties Of his material, and then knt
| ing the difficulties which he would h
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