The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1874-04-02
Published by request.
Teaching Hecin ners 90 Resa.

schools.
The 4lpha6etic method of teaching
children to read. has so firmly rooted
itself in the minds Of many teachers
that it seems almost an impossibility
for them to lift themselves out of the
old rut. They have gone on from
year to year hearing lessons from
books, instead of teaching, that the
process has become, as it were, part
of their nature. Having had their
own inquisitive powers deadened by
the same process during their school
days, it is not difficult TO understand
why they have inuocently continued
to infiict the same torture upon their
own pupils A method which makes
slaves Of its subjects is the most per-
nicious that can be imagined
No other method Of teaching chill
dren to read is so Objectionable as
that which begins with the names of
the letters of the alphabet. No 9th
er method either requires so long to
teach pupils to read, or makes such
stumbling readers of them. The
reason is, that the process is orrone-
Gus II is irrational and unphilosoph
ical. j. Russell Webb, the author
of Webb's First Lesson in Language
and Drawing, says when was boy,
! was literally put through the al
phabet. beginning Mt A and coming
out at zed (Z). This was the uniyor-
sal practice at that time, so far as /
know. and this was the frs, st,Jp tho
child had to take in book lealning. y
II was n land tedious task for the
little ones to perform, taking often II
whole year TO accomplish it, and
sometimes two of them II task then
thought necessary, but No'e known
to be useless"
n. 4. Calkins, the author of Oh.
joct Lessons for Parents and Teach
eis, says, by the oiphdbe,ic method
the child begins TO read without IN.
dcrstanding what he is reading, and
the foundation is laid for that me
chanical process which characterizcs
SO large II portion of the reading ox.
erciscs heard in schools.
The first association with books in
the school by this method call
up no familiar ideas of things, and
afford no development Of the child's
faculties. This method does not us.
ually lay the foundation for II love of
reading, to be continued during sub
sequent years. It is not only m
philosophical and unnatural, but il is
unsatisfactory in its results, and
produces halteiing, stumbling read
ors. 1t is now abandoned by dHy,od
teachers"
Many otherand better methods have
been adopted by progressive teachers,
some have followed the Germans in
teaching hoir language, and taught the
sound II the letters ,irst, and then led
;hc children 10 perceive that by com
hiuihg those Of II word. they could for
themselves learn i,s pronunciation. q.
thi' method many notifications hay,
been adopted.
Instead Of commencing with letters
teaching the names Of whole words at
once. Ai,er 4 few words have been
learned they are combined into phrases
and sentences. which the children learn
to read. The advantages Of the wori
m,thod." say the authors Of the Aualyt-
lead Readers, are many among which
may he mentioned the following:
!. The child becomes familiar with
.Ir looks ofwOrtls
.. He is thus enabled to spcal; them
without hesitation or drawlng
3. The child recognizes the meaning
Of the words whenever he sees them
4. Being able To name tie words at
sight as readily as he could speak the
names of the things nj sight, and know
ing their meaning, the child is able To
read with ease and naturalness-as he
would talk"
The same authors say, "By this
method il will require no more time To
teach the word, its spelling, and letters,
than the letters alone by the old way OF
teaching the letters first
All the late primary Readers have
been arranged chiefly with reference Ia
this method oftcaching.
In the March No. of the Pa. School
journal, two articles appeared, recon-.
Imending the WOrd method of teaching
reading. The first of them comes from
/ the Illinois Convention Of county super.
intendcnts and the second, from Supt
/ Binford. of the schools of Richmond
Va. Only so much of their articles ms
| has direct bearing upon the recon-
mendations made by our own county
superintendent, will be given.
"The word M MOd is recommended in
teaching children to read. But little
effort, if any, will be required to teach
the names of the letters after the child
once gets started in reading. The slate
and pencil should he much used. At
first each little word should be printed,
20 as TO fix the forms OF the individual
letters. As soon as may be, however.
the child should learn the srintform of
letters, and thereafter the exercises
should he wriHGi. And thus, with pen
oil or crayon in hand, and an OCCASION
al suggestion from the teacher i'm re-
gard 10 the lesson to be prepared, or
the picture or map TO be drawn, the
child will he proiitably employed, and
will scarcely find time TO give the teach
er trouble.
Drills i'm spelling by sound should
constitute large proportion Of the
daily exercises in the primary grade.
Pupils should spell by sound every word
learned from the chart (black board or
reader.
Spelling hy letters should begin soon
after the reading and no word should
bc passed, in any branch studied, until
its sneilinpais mastered. Names of