The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1882-11-04
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
WHAT Is TEACHING?


known many teachers who were
brimful of information, and were
good takers, and who discoursed to
their classes with ready utterancs
large part of the time allotted to
instruction; yet an examination Of
their classes showed little advance
mcnt in knowledge
There are several timc-honored
metaphors on this subject, which
need to be received with some grains
OF allowance, II we would get At an
exact idea Of what teaching is.
Chiseling the rude marble into tho
finished statue; giving the impress
sion of the seal upon the soft wax;
pouring water into an empty vessel;
all these comparisons lack one e.
sential element Of likeness. The
mind is, indeed, in one sense, empty,
and needs to be filed; it is yielding,
and needs to be impressed; it Ia rude,
and needs polishing. But it is not
like the marble, the wax, or the yes
sci, passive recipient OF external in-
fluences. 1t is itself living power.
1t is acted upon only by stirring up
its own activities. The operative
upon mind, unlike tho operative up
on matter, must have the active, vol
untary cooperation Of that upon
which he works. The teacher is do.
ing his work, only so far as he gets
work from the scholar. Tho very
essence and root Of the work are in
the scholar, not in the teacher. No
one, in fact. in an important sense,
is taught at all, except so far as he
ia self-taught The teacher may he
useful, as an auxiliary, in causing this
action on the part of the scholar.
But the one, indispensable, vital
thing in all learning, is in the scholar
himself. The old Romans, in their
word education educere, to draw
out), seem to have come nearer to
the true idea than any other people
have done. The teacher is to draw
out the resources OF the pupil. Yet
i even this word comes short OF the
exact truth. The teae her must put
in as well az draw out. No process
of mere pumping will draw out from
a child's mind knowledge which IL
not there. All the power Of the So
cratic method, could it be applied by
Socrates himself, would lie unavail-
ing to draw from child's mind, by
mere questioning, knowledge, for
instance, of chemical affinity, Of the
solar system, Of the temperature Of
the Gulf Stream, of the doctrine OF
the resurrection.
What, then, is teaching?
Teaching is causing any one to
know. Now no one can be made to
know a thing but by the act Of his
own powers Of reason, perception,
and judgment must be exercised.
The function of the teacher is to
bring about this exercise of the pu-
| pills faculties. The means to do
this are infinite in variety. They
should be varied according to the
wants and the character Of the indi-
vidual to be taught. One needs to
be told a thing; he learns most read
lily by the ear. Another needs to
use his eyes; he must see a thing,
either in the book or in nature. But
neither eye nor any other sense or
faculty, will avail to the acquisition
Of knowledge unless the power Of at
tention is cultivated. Attention,
then, is the first act or power of the
mind that must be reused. 1t IL the
very foundation Of all progress ia
knowledge. and the means of aWAk-
ening it constitute the first step in
the educational art.
When, by any means, positive
knowledge, facts, are once in posses
sion of the mind, something must
next be done to prevent their slip
ping away. You may tell class the
history Of certain event; or you
may give them description OF
certain place or person; or you may
let them read it; and you may secure
such degree Of attention, that, At
the time of the reading or the de-
scription, they shall have fair, in
telligible comprehension of wat has
been described or read. The facts
are for The time actually in the pos
session of the mind. Now, if tho
mind was. according to the old notion,
merely vessel to be filed. the pro-
cess would be complete. But mind
is not an empty vessel. 1t is a living
essence, with powers and processes
of its own. And experience shows
us, that in the case Of class Of IN
disciplined pupils, facts even when
fairly placed 10 the possession Of
the mind, often remain there about
as long as the shadow Of passing
cloud remains upon the landscape,
and make about as much impression.
| The teacher must seek, then, not
only to get knowledge into the mind,
| but to fix it there. In other words,
the power Of the memory must bo
strengthened. Teaching, then, most
truly, and in every stage Of it, 10 :
strictly cooperative plosess. You
cannot cause any one to know, "
merely pouring out stores Of knowl.
edge IN his hearing. any mnre than
yon can make hts body grow by
speeding the ontents 81 yoalfmsrkrtr.
coatiaued on second pags'