The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-11-13

due meaning and pronunciation OF every
word must be Immediately recognized by
the mind, without pause or hesitation, in
the act Of reading. But the word is made
up of separate characters, representing ele-
meniary sounds and hence arises d.
versity Of methods In teaching children to
pronounce words. The alphabe,ic method
or A, b, q method, requires that the child
should learn the names Of all the letters Of
the alphabet, and then,by means of spell
ing process, learn the proper pronuncia
tion of their combinations. This process
is condemned by most teachers of the pre-.
sent time, us long and tedious,a well as H.
logical. 1t is true that, by
long and diligent rote-teaching, children
learn TO read by the latter method but
the question arises, are they not to a GER
tain extent untitled for other instruc-
tion by so illogical process ?"
One of the leading educators of England,
in speaking of teaching reading, says, OF
what he calls the od-fashioned (alphabet-
ic) way at is true that the dullest teach.
er can build up every word, regular or ir.
regular, out Of single letters, and teach
children to read but at what an expense
of wasted time and intelligence Every
irregular word, which should be learned by
the eye more than by the ear, is presented
to the ear by series Of sounds, which con-
tradict the resulting sound. The greatest
proof of chld's faith in its teacher is the
touching confidence with which 1t declares
its belief that double. u. .aitch-i-see- latch
spells which,"
In one of the "Circulars of Information
of the Bureau of Education" at Washing
ton, its writer says 81 am assured that
many teachers cling to the A, B, G, and to
the a, b. alb, of the old primers as IL there
was divine JUNCTION in the sounds and the
symbols, and yet this is the method of
teaching reading against which nature pro-
tests, as do all teachers who are influenced
by nature or reason"
Horace Mann, nearly forty years ago, in
his report to the Massachusetts Board of
Education, SAID "If the child is bright,
the time when he recites his alphabet is the
only part of the day when he does not
think. Not single faculty of the mind is
occupied except that of initiating sounds {:
and even the number of these limitations
amounts only to twenty-six. A parrot or
an idiot could do the same thing"
N. A. Calkins, Superintendent of Primary
Schools of New York, says: "When the
child has succeeded in learning the names
of the 26 letters, he has gained no knowl-
edge of their real use as representatives of
sounds, and, consequently, little ability in
determining how to pronounce new word
from naming its letters. Besides, the
names of the letters constantly mislead
him when formed into words. /.
By this method the children begin to read
without underst anding what they read, and
thus is laid the foundation for the mechan-
ical, uninteligible reading which charac-
tclizes most of that heard in schools where
the A, B, G, method is used
This plan is in violation of fundamental
laws of teaching; it attempts to compel the
child to do two things at the same time,
aud to do both in an unnatural manner,
namely, to learn reading and spelling sim
ultaneously, and reading through spelling
Thus it will be seen that the
usual plans for teaching reading by the A,
b, c, method compel children to do that
for which their minds are not fitted, and
thus cause a loss of power by restraining
them from attending to the thoughts re-
presented by the words, ,and to other things
which would greatly promote their deve-
lopment. The results are love for read
ing is not enkindled good readers
are not produced. The few cases in
which the results are different owe both
the love for reading aud the ability in this
art to other causes the pupils learned to
love reading, and became able to read well
in spite of poor teaching during their first
lessons. There is consolation in believing
that this method, which produced so many
hating, stumbling readers, is now aban-
doned by all good teachers of reading"
Dr. Edward Brooks says: "The Alpha
bette Method is that in which the teacher
attempts to teach pronunciation by haying
the pupils call the names of the letters.
Thus in the word fight, the teacher has Il Q
pupil say eff, eye, ge, aitch, tee, and then
pronounce the word fight. The thought
was, if there was any thought on the part
of the teacher, that the naming of the let
ters of a word would enable the pupil to
pronounce the word.
The objection to the method is that the
name of the letters is not its sound. In
many cases, the name not only does not
suggest the sodnd, but bears no relation to
it. How, for instance, can any learner
know that the sounds represented by aitch,
eye, double. ell, spell the word hill ? If
we should pronounce words by uniting the
names of their letters we should haye quite
a different word from the one intended.
A method so evidently absurd should
no longer find a place in our schools"
Rey. DR.. Thomas Hill says "In teach