The record-union., 1891-09-15
EDUCATION.
Methods for Teaching Employed il
Southern California.
An Address Before the Sacramento
Educational Association by Prof.
Z. p. RowelI.

| at the request of the Sacramento Edu-
cational Association, Professor E. P.
RoweIl Of ofLosAngelesCounty delivered an
| address last evening on the subject Newer
| Educational Methods" at the office
of the Superintendent of Schools. There
were quite large number of members
| Of the society in attendance. Mr.. Rowell
was formerly Principal of the Sacramento
Grammar School, position which he
| held for several years.
| In introducing Mr.. Rowell, DR.. Sim
mons said he needed but to mention the
name, as Mr.. Rowell was a well-known
| exponent of education.
! Mr.. Rowell began by saying he felt
| highly honored in being asked to address
those present His address, he said
would be but an informal talk, and frag-
| mentary. Ae was not present to boom
Southern California, but simply to de-
scribe the methods OF teaching in some
of the Southern schools. He took the
Pasadena school system as an illustra-
! ton. He thought it had the most COM
| petent corps Of teachers of any city or
town in the United States.
In the south the teachers We're in the
| habit Of attending local institutes every
month, and some of the lectures heard at
| v
Of invaluable aid to the educators. Some
! times as many as three hundred and fifty
| teachers assembled.
! Continuing, Mr.. Roweli said in the
| Pasadena system the study of botany was
| begun in the lower classes with pupils
six years old or thereabouts. The study
was taught throughout the school career
/ of tie pupil, the higher grades Of the
work being taught as he progressed.
| Entymology was taught in the same way
| Even very Door effort of pupil was
! always praised. On the seventh year of
! the pupil in school the poem ''Snow-
! bound'' was taken up. and itEvangeIine"
studied in Sacramento until the pupil
reaches the High School.
| Very little attention was paid to tech
nical grammar. The time was given up
to perusing the poems of the prominent
| authors.
! The interchange Of thoughts and ideas
among the teachers was very common,
and he attributed this fact to the institutes
that were held so frequently. Thep strove
! to observe the powers of the different
pupils and to teach them accordingly.
Mr.. Rowell stated that with the assist
ance Of brother educator he had form ed
| a teachers school at Santa Monica. The
| first year it was not much of a success,
| but the last meeting Of the school was a
successful and important one. Lectures
were delivered by some of the most
| prominent men interested in the cause of
education in the country.
Mr.. Rowel said it was tho general
| effort of the people of Southern Cali
! fornia TO get the best in the way of edu-
Gators. The people there did not general
| ly ask what salary you demanded or
what support you had politically, but
| they wanted to know what you had in
| the way of recommendation as a teacher
I NJ Ill a-1y - II
| how the method of reading was taught
in the Southern schools.
He said the work was done by finding
! the kind Of reading that most interested
the pupils
In regard to promotions, Mr.. Rowell
said he had not examined in school a
piece of manuscript since he left Sacra-
mento. The promotions were made on
recommendation of the teacher.
In answer to a question by II. Vein
stock as to what was thought of the
Ling system of physical culture as
adopted III the Los Angeles schools dur
| ing the past year, Mr.. Rowell said it was
not SO great a success as was expected.
| The Delsarte system was much better un-
/ derstood than the Swedish system, and
/ was employed to better advantage in the
| Pasadena schools.
The special teacher in physical culture
| taught the pupils personally as much as
! possible, and then instructed the teacher
in the mode Of teaching the class.
Mr.. Rowell gave several illustrations of
| how mischievous pupils had been over
come by the teachers utilizing their mis-
chief as a leverage for instilling knowl-
! edge into them.
In regard to the teaching of music, Mr..
| Rowell said it was begun in the lowest
classes in the schools.
On motion the society extended a vote
of thanks TO Mr.. Rowen for his excellent
address.