The Portland daily press., 1878-04-27
TEACHERS CONVENTION.
Second Day of the Session.

Second Day of the Session.
Yesterday morning the teachers who are in
attendance upon the Teachers Convention
spent several hours very pleasantly in visiting
the several city schools. At O'Clock the
second meeting of the session was held al
Reception Hall. The President G. G. Rounds
called the meeting to order.
The president appointed Messrs. Woodbury.
Merrill and Talbot committee to nominate q
list of officers at the evening session.
The first paper of the afternoon was one
prepared by Mrs. Kate N. Rounds of the
Pennington Normal School, upon Arithmetic
in the Primary School, The author of this
paper being absent it was read by Mrs. Wood
bury of Pennington. The paper WIS very
interesting ont, snd 10 Closing summed up in the
following points:
1-Arithmetic should not be taught abso-
lutely in the primary schools.
2-No more should be taught than the
pupil can comprehend.
3-The eye, ear and mind should bs trained
together.
4-No new step should be taken until the
previous steps are well understood.
5-Much time should be spent on numera-
ton as foundation for future work.
Gin all operations, the child should be led
to reason and use his own Judgment on his
work.
F. E. c. Robbins of Deeripg next took up
the teaching of arithmetic in the grammar
schools. His remarks were not prepared and
the first notification he had that be was to
speak he read in the morning PRESS His idea
was that the first and indispensable thing to be
taught was the fundamental principles of this
very important science. He cited cases of
pupils who knew every rule in the arithmetic
by heart but who could not measure piece of
land to save their lives. He said that many
discussed what were the more essential parts to
be studied, and claimed that it was impossible
to tell that You want arithmetic in every day
life much as the man in Texas wants
revolver. 1t is not economy to cut out any
subjects. The only way to economic is to be
more thorough and thus save time. The
reason why more do not succeed in learning
this science is that they do not understand that
it is necessary to connect book arithmetic with
every day life arithmetic. In short they do
not learn to apply the rules to every day prac-
tice and when slightly different proposition
than what is familiar comes up they are lost.
The work should be more practical. He
thought there was chance also for great
deal of incidental work without loss of time.
Thus, when custom house business is brought
up, there was a chance to explain free trade
and a prote ctive tariff. 1t was question
whether it was profitable to teach mental with
written arithmetic.
E. s. Morris of Biddeford followed on the
same subject He said that in the Biddeford
school the pupils finished arithmetic when they
left the Grammar schools. This is about IA
years of age. When pupils enter the High
school they do not touch that hood. He said
he had found that in teaching he got the best
results when he used the fawest rules. Almost
every part of any study can be reduced to
few principles, al lof which will be direct
and to the point. There are but four principles
in fact, addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division. These four principles he illustra-
ted in their bearing upon fractions. decimals,
discount, interest, sc. He then related how
he taught the several rules for measurements
to class. They procured tape measure and
he set them one at a time measuring the size
of the school house lot and dozen others
similar quantities. He thought that the
simpler the method the better both for the
class and teacher.
Mr.. Burr of Hallowell said he was much
pleased with the remarks made and said he
should like to hear Mr.. fash views on the
su beet
Mr.. fash believed with Mr.. Morris that the
most direct route the best He said it was useless
to use large number when small ones would
illustrate the point much better. If the
school teachers will have but little trouble.
The foundation is of great Importance. Object
teaching he thought was worthy of attention.
If teachers would make arithmetic more of a
study many of the troubles they now find
would disappear. He thought long and in
volved methods should be discouraged because
they not only waste time but confuse and
retard the pupil.
Mr.. Lamb, of the Water7il!e Classical Insti.
tute, spoke at some length on the same subject.
He would teach facts first and philosophy af-
forwards. he thought it was absurd to try and
teach arithmetic if you do not know it, but ne
more absurd than to pretend that there is no
need of studying that branch in the high
school. You should give it a part of the high
school term even after algreba has been taken
up, or even geometry. First teach the fact
and then illustrate the philosophy. There is
an idea that any one can teach arithmetic cas-
lily enough, but to the speakers mind it is
study of which there is yet much land to pos
sess. Every teacher in this as in other branch
es should watch for new thoughts and ideas in
- kAo st,,d, IN he
neve should be q text book allowed In the re-
citation roo M, no more for the teacher than for
the pupil. The questions should bs written on
slips of paper and handed to the scholars, who
should be required TO 60 to the board and Illus
trate the principles involved This would give
a practical knowledge Of the subject in hand.
Miss Leland, bright appearing young lady,
urged object teaching strongly. She had met
with great success with it.
Mr.. Woodbury. of Pennington, said that it
was all nonsense about pupils finishing up
arithmetic at the age of IA and having any
knowledge of it at II or IS. He had examined
lots of just such scholars and was convinced
that IA was too early to finish up the study.
There is positive necessity of reviewing it af-
forwards
Mr.. Morris was of the same opinion and he
said it was his idea that pupils were getting
through arithmetic too quickly.
Principal Chase, of our high school, wished
to place Portland right in the matter and stat
ed that our school committee had provided for
review of arithmetic in his school.
Mr. Robertson, principal of the Augusta high
school, read paper upon the subject of arth.
metic. He said that the high school is to so
many their last school that it was highly i'm
portant that the instruction should be thorough
and practical so as to fix them for the active
duties of life. Not only teach them how, but
give them an idea Of the methods which will
give them . practical knowledge of the sub
iect. The pupil should also be mentally trained
as we'll. A part of each recitation should be
spent in adding columns of figures, for only by
constant drilling can this be done correctly and
quickly, and thus when he leaves school
be ready to fill position in counting room.
Tell the pupil that per cent signifies humid
reds and when that point is understood the
whole subject of per centage is understood. To
illustrate the ignorance of many teachers who
study simply by rule, he told an amusing story