Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-11-28
Na5illn9ton : tandard'
Ouiucy Method of Instruction.

uiou established custom 80 tIuca-
iion.l matter : Size -.-r4.,i Gum
.y Ji1n a. instruction The cues
uuu L. asked. vt,r.,,. tie fame Of
this method LIS .,uc'.-'cl. What Is
it: Itc. lc at-",lcd. III a gen
eral vas. '..- O.. y~:tm involves
retutl natural processes, in Lar-
moi, v.... 'le law, # mental evolu-
tiou ..l -Ia,tt.-l plan Of impar;
IN instruction. upon those processes
az laws
/, originated IN Quincy, Massa-
oustti, ID the ytus l>73. and Chas.
FraIeis Adams. l. accredited With
the introduction Of lie system 1t
appear that the school committee
OF thu; year. in then annual report
referred to what they characterized
as the state cf sLmoiiliN al
which the schools had then arrived.
In Comparing the progress Of ten
years. It was found that the pupils
vic lad finished tie prescribed
school course, were practically in
the well-worn rut with those Of for
mer years. and unable TO read or write
their own language correctly. This
led to the inquiry, Why could not
the knowledge CLEANED from text
books find + ady application to the
everyday affairs of life? Why was
it that the pupil who had the rules
of grammer at tongues end, could
not speak correctly; or the learner
who had mastered the intricate rules
of geometrical progression could not
apply them 70 The ordinary affairs of
life? Mr.. Adams, and other close
observers of cause and effect, made
the important discovery that the
whole system of imparting instruc-
ton was radically wrong, and the
effect has been q new method, under
which textbooks are discarded, and
children are taught to read and
write without learning the letters of
the alphabet, or even knowing their
names, and TO speak correctly, with
out knowing anything about the
parts of speech or their relative sig
MITIGATION. The attempt to cram the
intellect was abandoned, and all
effort was directed towards build
ing up "A thorough groundwork of
the elements of knowledge by the
most practical means. The student
was made to understand that 4
times made 4, without being re-
4uired to give q cumbersome rule
why a sum of units must equal its
component parts. The result was
held to be the object sought for; the
rule by which it was attained was
deemed Just so much rubbish, of no
practical account. And when we
revert to the time spent in commit
ting to memory formula for re-
ducing fractions, or finding the I'M
known quantity represented by the
mythical 4, we can readily see that
there is much reason for this de-
parture from time-honored custom.
Words are but poor vehicles for con-
veying thought, at the best, and if
an idea can be implanted by any
other means more readily Or with
firmer growth, it will be readily con-
ceded that long stride has been
made up the rugged side of the
mount of Knowledge, Those accus-
toned to the old system will be apt,
without reflection, to declare such
a suggestion the height of absurdity,
but the gratifying success which
has crowned all efforts at object
teaching, and the results of the
Quincy system SO far, which are en-,
listing the attention of teachers from
other States, making Quincy literal.
"the Mecca of school teachers, -
will prevent it from being over.
whelmed with ridicule.
The examination under the new
system. are not the Transparent farces
enacted under the old. The O questions
are not propounded by the teacher,
and answered by rote from previous
instruction, but the committeeman
assume the task of questioners, and
. correct opinion is possible Of how
much practical information the
scholar has CLEANED from any partic,
ular branch of instruction. The,
PROFOUND no question from fext,