The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1868-07-16

to be true inmore than one scnsr; oTCourse
not in the full sense Of the word, there b.
ing, besides the teacher some more CON
stituents necessary for the full reality 81 L
School-as for instance, the pupils th3
building, the school system and :, ,,lnii:,-
istratioeL Bit ustt itile teacAa 1ougIIt u
be the textbook, is true in the pr pr ease
of the word. The best school j. l!l;,t
which makes the least use OF test d Ok.
the teacher filling their pface. tT
Tn4t4rlng teGt-bo6kfaoe's not a5llyi I,
reading BOOKS of whatever Kind; H. Iii yi
can do away with these But j, aDpl 80
to all other kinds Of books which arr
commonly used in schools III thcal se
hold that they ought to be replaced by
oral rcpetitions. 1t is no new theory which
we here proclaim it is the Pcstal)zzian
system, as spread ali over Germany and
Switzerland, and tried and proved - half
Q ptHyspracticeofthe reformal schools
there 8EN EF@#s@ 80
On the other hand, the Aik} 7axoa
system Of teaching, az practiccd ID Great
Britain and the United State is book
teaching. Whenever any Of the sciences
is to be taught in school, the teach crs sin
giles out chapter, Of the textbook intro
duced for learning by heart The better
class of teachers will, ON this OCCASION. eX-
plain the contents of the chapter, or they
will do the same thing attt recitation, viii h
Is worse yet. The pupil has to rtrite hts
task, and new chapter is committed t.
memory and 50 on till the -beoIsss il, o 5ne
through If there areiprsctieal esplnpes
given in the. book, as for instance IN all
books Of Arithmetic, the pupil hiss to
solve them, as we'll as lie can, with. or
without, the aid of the teacher--in few
cases i'll school, but on the whole at home.
1t strikes us that-t teacher play very
subordinate part, and a niaehine might be
invented to supplant him, in most cases /;
for hearing recitation, and pronouncing
a Judgment on its perfection or imperfec-
tions, might generally be just as well per
formed by the better pupils of tho class
The textbook here is almost everything
The teacher almost nothing or nobodv
The pupil is passive and merely receptive;
be is not guided to reproducing the mat
Ter to be mastered out of himself to be
coming active and independent. The
matter is not developed in his mind, nor
his mind developed through and with the
matter. It is only the best talent a very
small percentage Of boys and girls, who
will III this way become tolerabIy pro.
bclent IN the science to be acquired be
cause onlys very few have the mental cap2c-
ty which is self-instructive, which digest.
mental food in whatsoever sauce served
up. The balance of the pupils will, after
the lapse OF few months, have forgetten
every particle of the truths thus RECEIVED.
Tut not assimilated At lca.tth i. DIR tx
periencc. n
Ia that system which makes textbook
Of the teacher, the latter is of course, re-
CURED to be master ofthe science TO be
taught, to have it at his fingers ends
thoroughly understood, and ready for
communication. When he begins his ms
structien, he must begwell prepared, sant
all he says on the subject must be scalcu-
lated TO inspire the learners IwithSlovc
FOR the science to be mastered, and its obs.
jecis. Whereverit is possible to illustrate
ihe subject by presenting it to ocular III
spcction,he will do it ; each of his lessons
gisgmore or less an. object lesson. What
yer he can forego teaching himself by
"lcltlng 1t from the class through adroit
,Gestions,an by rendering thus the pupifs
>eif-actiye,he will extract from them. lie
will make them see, andsina gellerai, ex-
mine with their own senses, whit Il to
he seen or examined III the objects ORE.
,nted, and lead them to express their Oh
acrvations, when correct and complete, in
proper language. The less he speaks
himself, making his pupils speak instead,
sttte better. If he succeeds in this way, in
making them discover for themselves the
principles and laws underlying the
phenomena, he may depend upon their
never forgetting the chapter of science
nus presented and illustrated Thus he
sherpens theirperceptive powers quickens
ia 1r wits, their reflection presence of
lt.nd, and attention,-he interests them
- he objects presented to such degree,
Lat they acquire knowledge almost i'm
Pc fceptibly and without severe efforts.
Learning becomes pleasure, and is ac-
companled with the same intense salts
faction which accompanies every kind of
q }wth and perfect assimilation. Such a
cher IS sure to attract and advance
Iy single pupil of his class; and
although learning in such thorough
mtnncr must needs be slow and gradual
= 4 n the outset, a great dead oftime is
e med in thelend by the rapid mental
s-pWth of the pupils, and 10y their sclt-
acuYity. Beginning slowly, he may make
rapid strides i'll the end, because his pupils
ii ct him half way with keen mental ap-
petites and ready assimilating powers.
III re IS, OF course, iii every science ii num-
brf OF facts which are not mastered by
simple reflection, but must, ut the same
.ime, pc impressed upon the memory for
Immediate practical use. The teacher
viii further this work of debating. at the
end OF the lessen, short paragraph con
tanning those facts and by Repeating the.
saire with theelns properly !: or he will
set the pupils themselves when far enou0b
advanced, to commit these facts to writiT@
and have the contents properly repeated
or he will, If Il reading book Is ut hand
containing the facts, refer the class TO
their books, and repeat them from it.
! hus the pupils will in time become living
textbooks, like the teacher, and what
'ney have acquired will be their imperish
aole property, ready Tor any application
III practical life. The science aDDropri
ated IN. this way willbeyalive intbt tciial
afs andsh light on cogaat. subjects
his Is the the Postal ozzian system OF IN
sEructlon, as compared with tAe an,l.,
5; xon.
Vow il will be easily seen that de sy<
tc.--in which the teacheris sils texf-In'k
- great advantages over the other sv.-
Co. IN which the teacher hasa ssxt,bo5k
'',.'' the textbook is tie res. teacher
-ioH superior soever be the text h,,Es
~ lay devise, they are dead tas.f.rs
-l!I cannot engender life in the N. :.,ri.
81 yo1r pupils. Besides, the puoi.s, q
!: G advance materially by tie ais I'll
tier /, Zt-books, will be grateful for Lii
RS ! ! natto their teacher but to he, j
Do :. And if they do not advance II,
viii blame for this result, not the book /
tu- the ceacher. Thus the Anglo-SaxoIlI