Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-12-27
now TO TEACH TiIETEACnERs.

The College Of Swarthmore, about ten
miles by rail west of Philadelphia, has
adopted method for the training Of school
teachers which, II successfully carried out,
will furnish model on which the whole
system of training instructors fof youth
may ultimately be shaped The present
method OF Normal School instruction in
the ten school districts which, out Of the
twelve in Pennsylvania thnvs State Normal
Schools, is, as is we'll knSwU, a carefully
arranged course OF instruction in the
highest grades OF common school study, to
which are added the theory Of teaching
aud the study of school economies. Prac-
tical exercises IN teaching nlallel school
are given to each scholar in the last term Of
the last year, and are set down as occupy
ing iOriy-fve minutes dayfor each school
day throughout the course of twenty one
weeks. The State Normal Schools are
open not only to students who desire TO be-
come teachers, but to cerihcated teachers
also, from any school district, who may
enter for a short space OF time to take up
any branches, or such part OF the prescrib-
ed course MS they are competent to take, If
they are not able to occupy themselves
with the full course The State pays fifty
cents week to such pupils by way OF en-
couraging them to take as much OF the
course as Is possible, MS ii is not necessary TO
be n graduate Of a Normal School to obtain
school certificate in all of the districts OF
the State. The Girls Normal School OF
this city also places its practice lessons III
the concluding portion-say the last tw o
months of the pupils course. II is recog-
nized, il not implied, In the administra
ton Of our public schools, that n certain
grade of proficiency as teacher enables n
candidate to get position in the grammer
schools, and that lower grade is sufficient
ior place in the primary department
This altogether ignores the fact that the
primary department il the only one
through which majority of the children
go, drafted off from it into early work, and
that as it is therefore the only grade IN
which they have opportunity to learn, the
highest order Of talents, instead Of the lower
should be employed in teaching them
Added to this il the related fact that in the
primary department the whole foundation
Of future sludS, habits Of thought and men.
tai clearncss is laid.
Starting ont from these considerations
the new method Of Normal teaching IL
based on the idea that the teacher should
be learning to teach, Ivy practice, n portion
of ever day in the school week through the
whole four years, and c0nsecutively i'll Ov
cry class OF the primary department.
The plan proposed by the Swarthmort
College, aud already begun in that excel
lent institution, so fully explains the meth
cd, that short statement OF its working il
probably the best way of arriving at a TAI
understanding. The study OF teaching i
made an elective study OF the entire col
lege course, and in connection with all tn
higher studies room is made for it, not il
one term, but in ere,y day of erery term 9
the course. There is at this college n prep
aratory department OF four classes, frou
which, as Exeter feeds Harvard, the col
lege classes are largely made up. This is
| rightly considered, such an important fea
ture that the college professors teach o
superintend the teaching in all its classes
and it is under these professors that tn
Normal class will get at its work. Tw
Normal pupils sit in each class an hour
day for specified term, observing hoy
the professor teaches. They watch th
drift Of every question, see its response i
the class, note his method OF getting a
what the scholar knows, see what it is tha
keeps the class in order and gives the pow
er of control; MS well as all the traits, mer
tai and moral, displayed by each child dun
ing the lesson. They are put to criticis'
and, as the looker-on in chess sees all OF tn
game, they get practial lesson in teachin
very different from that Of taking clas
in charge with no such previous observe
ton. Sitting two together, they can CON
pare and Suggest each to the other, and al
mutually assistant in the lesson OF observa
ton. One hour of each week each Of thes
pupils is required to take charge Of til
class, during which time the professor ma
or may not be present to supervise. Thu
in every week the Normal pupil spends 81
hours in the study OF teaching, four houl
OF observation OF the professors methot
one hour OF practice, and one hour, eqna
ly instructive, OF witnessing the practice |
the companion pupil.
Another feature of the new method
applied to teaching the teachers how to al
the class in preparing the lessons for tn
following day. To most parents who al
their children in "getting their lessons,
the whole school system seems wrong sid
out. They teach the boy and girl the le
son, and the next day the teacher "heal
it," Conscientious parents are often il
clined to think that hearing recitations
the easiest part of the work, and woul
be willing to contract, themselves, to hes
all the lessons, provided the teacher woul
teach them first, and prepare the schola
as they are now prepared at home. I'll
new plan proposes to do away with tn
parental tax entirely, and give a certai
portion of each day to the preparation
the next days studies, which the teachc
will direct and explain, answering que
tions and giving such assistance RS may
required over difficult portions. There
an approach to this now in the study-hou
which all schools make portion of the
routine, but the improvement lies in Il
presence of the teacher, who goes over Il
lesson with the class and assists in advan
with the preparation OF the lesson whic
next day, she is to hear reciled.