The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-06
MODES OF TEACHING
DR.. Rice's Lecture to the Teach
ers OH Scientific Education.
Methods Employed in This Country Con-
trasted to Those in Use in Germany
Radical Changes Advocated.

There was assembled in Plymouth Church
last evening a large number of the teach
erS Of the public schools TO hear the first
of series of lectures arranged by the
School Board for their benefit. Promptly
at s o'clock DR.. Lewis II. Jones, superin-
tendent of the public schools and DR.. j.
NJ. Rice known throughout the land as
one of the foremost men in the interest of
education In America, appeared upon the
platform. Professor Jones, in his introduce
tory remarks, said: 1T is my pleasure TO
announce that the Board of Education has
taken the Introductory steps for annual
course of educational lectures. They are to
be in no sense popular intended for
amusement They will be of subjects with
which teachers have to deal We are fortu-
nate to begin with DR.. j. NJ. Rice, whose
articles in the Forum attracted wide at
tention and whose lectures have been no
less successful" He then introduced DIR.
Rice, who spoke for an hour on Scientific
Education" and made exceedingly inter-
esting what promised to be something deep.
DR.. Rice said that the method of conduct
ing recitation was a science, and that
only in Germany was scientific teaching
found In contrasting the German schools
with the American schools, he had found
art Of making the schools attractive and
how to make a happy childhood, and that
he did not wish to condemn when he said
that We fail in conducting a recitation. 1t
is the desire of the speaker that the schools
Of America shall become the best. In show
ing the benefit of scientific teaching, DR..
Rice said he would give Illustrations of
teaching from the unscientific to the high
est form used to-day; the steps used, how
far progressed, how recitations conducted
by our teachers compare with the highest
In Germany. First, he said that to hear
recitation from text books Is an old-fash-
Toned. mechanical grind; ii simply crowds
the mind, and he once heard a teacher say,
Don't stop to think, but tell me what you
know" 1t is DR.. Rice's opinion that les
sons learned from text book are forgot
ten as soon as learned. AS an example of
some of the methods of teaching the speak
er had found, he quoted some lessons he
had heard, one Of a teacher who asked her
class How many kinds of literature have
dren could answer she told them Three;
poetical. philosophical and religious" When
they had repeated It after her the lesson
was done. The peculiar feature of this lies
in using the memory alone. and the scien-
tifc teaching is the natural. The difference
is that in the unscientific for new matter
they use the memory alone, and in the sci
entifc the new matter is first given in the
class. a good motto Is, Never tell child
anything he is able to find out himself"
Some of the old-fashioned people would
have been much aStoniShed to hear DR..
Rice advocate the Punishment OF class
books. In Munich the authorities have pro-
hibited class books for geography, history
and natural science. In Germany the chill
dren begin and make their own text books,
and in our country the text book is first
Proper development is a fine art, and a
teacher must have sympathy, skill and eX-
perience. teacher must have an idea of
what she wishes to advance, and not allow
the children to ask irrelevant questions AS
examples of this DIR. Rice told of two in
stances one in q geography lesson ana one
in physiology, where the children took the
lesson from the teacher by asking ques-
tons not of the lesson. The lesson fell
short and failed to leave a correct impress
sion on the mind OF the pupil In pursu-
ance of his plan, DR.. Rice said that "a
ing aim In order that something shall be
accomplished. The aim should be told to
the pupil in order that the pupil may walk
with open eyes: He wills to accomplish the
aim it gives him a title and gives him an
interest. He should have three things:
clear aim, definite development and thor
ough drill DIR. Rice then followed with a
verbatim report of a series of lessons he
heard given by Edmund Scholtz in Jena,
Germany. IT was in mathematical geog-
raphy. First he read a description of how
he had heard a lesson in America, when
all the pupils studied aloud from text
books, and in contrast gave the lesson of
Mr.. Scholtz. The pedagogue reviewed the
former lesson TO be sure that the pupils
knew it perfectly. then he took hem grad
ually sep by step from the common meas
urements of a small sphere by means of a
string to securing the measurements of the
sun, he acquiring the position of the Polar
star, seeing the star through the elescope
the distance of degree, the position of the
meridian circle and so on till the children
knew it perfectly. Only a little was done
at time, and at every new lesson the
old one was reviewed. When the children
were through with the series they made
their own textbooks of what they knew
the questions being put by the maser so
that the answers were uniform
The secret of teaching is in the natural
law of development, and it must be done
according TO rule a teacher should be al
lowed TO use her discretion, put she should
also know at what point liberty ends and
license begins. In conclusion DR.. Rice said
he would advise teachers in general and
normal teachers in particular to study the
works OF German writer's and to strain
point to study pedagogy in Germany. He
advocates the sending of teachers abroad
and salaries being paid them while there
and that America should not stop in the
matter of education TIL its schools are the
best in the world. At the close of the
lecture the friends of DR.. Rice were in
vited TO meet him at the front of the
church. He Will lecture in other places in
the State "