Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-12-31
THETEACHERS' ASSOCIATION
An Interesting and Profitable Session
Brought 10 a Close.
REPORTS or COMMITTEES, ETC.


The seesIon Of the Utah Teachers
Association was brought to close yes
ietday afternoon. one Of tie chief ioa-
lures Of the day being Prof. Henry
Montgomery paper on the subject OF
elementary Science In the fuohc
schools.n From 1t we take the follow
Ing extracts:
The first thing to be considered IN
tho ,eaching OF science l. the stage OF
,hs d,yelopnient Of the faculties Of the
child. Let this he hrst diagnosed, anu
than let no mistake be made IN pre-
,crlblnR tho Kind Of material suited 70
his condition, ami the character OF Nhe
methods OF instruction 10 be empioyeu
in his particular case. -
m M. uuestlou, ''Should science De
taught In the public OF common
schOolsp" answer In the alhtma,iNe'
which OF tho scicnces2 should IL Ne
chemistry or physics, or Zoology OF
minerniogy, OF botany, or pnyslolosyl
OF geology? answer, all Of theni ns
one subject, the study OF nature. Ohly
I'm the maturity OF manhO0u anu
womanhDod Ia II possible 70 ~ eeialize'
IL l. not possible In childhood. Ihe
youthful mind Ia not capable o. special
ization. All aystems Of cfh--ihcntion,
even 20 the division OF the sciences, ar
artificial. These sciences come natur.
ally together, aud Therefore are most
reality understood anu remembered by
the child when studied In this way.
lei Inc child sec the Dish swim In the
water. the blri ifs through the air, the
river erode It's banks, and the waves
a ..WN..A L.t taashllaa UAHulnE
another on the beach. Let him be led
10 use his senses In observing the soil,
eand, gravel, trees, insects, crOI'r, birds,
snow, raip, stones, rocks and fossils,
lust ~ they occur In nature. In every
ease, even 10 adult persons, the asspoi'
ations are Of vital Significance. Many
a time II happens that n mineral, n bit
of rock or n fossil, by Itself isoi little
use In helping ~ 10 understand some
question Of moment. Again, an cx.
tract fiOm n book may he uuintc!ligihlc
or amhIguOuf. But, Ia this on. Instance
permit us ~ zee the associated minerals
nnu associated rocks In position, aud,
In the other, To- read the context, and
what Hood OF Hight l. let In upon ~!
The relations that objects oi tue three
kingdoms of nature bear towards one
another are " tue utmost Importance.
But, In addition 10 the lm portan Co Of
the association and relations, the case
with which children are enabled TO
comprehend the characteristic stree
ture, habits anu uses Of anything when
studied Us II occurs in nature, Ia some.
thing the teacher aud parent canuot
afford to ignore. II l. not Il question
then. OF dividing and classifying the
ssiences. aud choosing one or more q
he placed on the curriculum ~ the
common schools. II II not "A specialist
ia any particular branch who ia needed
20 teach children. reRchrrs should be
chosen with reference 10 their Illness
for teaching children mt u certain stage
OF mental development. This Is the
natural standard. IL IL absolutely
necessary that the teacher be possessed
Of good common.sense, be- nblc TO see
cleary the things around him, TO nc.
curate ~ far NJ his work extends, and
be full Of love for that work.
The teaching Of science TO children
implies practice In drawing, writing,
composition and arithmetic. An after.
moons, or better s,ill, forenoon's
Tgmble over the fields, upa canyon,
upon the side u a mountain, or along
the shore u lake or bank Of river,
OF NlHlN ~ KNpl HlhHNNNlt wiz
ordinarily afford abundance Of material
and opportunity for penmanship, letter
writing, drawing, measurement, cal
culati0n and oral and written language
lessons.
Asto methods Of instruction In ele.
mentnry Science, the iudioiou- use Of
hooks, pictures, charts, mars and
models II proper. Hut, the Instruction
should be largely by open air excur-
sloas Of two or three hours each, and
taken twice or thrice week. In the
school room the material collected by
the teacher and pupils In their ram
bles may bc examined and studied.
In comparing the system Of teaching
by neld'exCutslOnH with Instruction
given wholly In the schooroom, Pro.
fesror Montgomery said. "Under these
circumstances what aTo the teachers to
do? Simply stay shut up In the school
house during the finest weather, and
he Obliged four 20 six hOura u day, to
teach as best they can, perhaps with.
out maps, globes, models or other pro.
per appliances. This would he some
what besrable, aye, even profitable,
were the pupils 10 10 30 Year, I'D. But
Il IL n terrible thing for children, AMI a
terrible lhiuy for their teacher, 10 he
expectcd 10 endure. II such there are
in Utah they have my sympathy. |
sincerely pity them. Think Of trying to
hold In quietness and attention In n
school room, for hour at time, forty
or my children, whose tender grow.
ing bodies aud minds call loudly for
mir, for sunshine, for exercise and free.
dom. What II the use Of talking about
teaching science 40 long Ms In our very
attempts to teach II we continue 10 net
In Opposition TO the laws Of nature?n
Tho speaker recommended that per.
manent collections OF natural and
manufactured objects be- made by each
school, aud pointed out the way In
which the Descret University museum
could be mad. usefui 10 the pupils aud
teachers OF the public schools OF Utah.
A tier emphasizing the necessity for a
teacher NJ science being himself an On,
thusiastic student Of nature, he called
attention 10 the fact that, partially oil
altogether, three systems Of organs oI
the human body are, for reason. OF
delicacy, omitted from the course Oi
instruction In nil the schools. He he
leved that something could and would
he done 20 provide proper instruction
upon these portions OF pnysiology anC
hygiene.
Professor Montgomery concluded hi
paper In these words: 81 know ,hl
public schools OF this country hav,
done and are doing a useful and .
noble work. The nation cannot dc
"a