The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-04-19

laws OF pedagoglcs, nancy, ,nat III
struction in all branches should be in
ductive-that children should be led
to discover their own definitions, laws,
rules. &c. The Pollard method re,
ouires the children to learn ready
made rules with which to discover the
pronunciation of words. This is
serious objection, and alone sufficient
to condemn the method in the minds
of competent educators. Who, for
instance, would want to go back to
this method with arithmetic, the
method of forty, fifty years ago, when
all problems were solved by rules
Such a mind bunting method would
be an insult to the children's intelli
gence.
2. 1t violates one of the generally
accepted and leading principles OF
modern psychology, namely, that
mental activity is developed by
thought, and that thought, the minds
food, must be the chidren's experI.
ences, their past mental life. Any
artificial method, like the Pollard,
that violates the laws Of the evolution
of mental growth is erroneous and, In
the end, harmful.
q. The Manual says the children
, should print their exercises instead OF
writing them. Such suggestion would
y readily have been accepted by the
teachers of the past age, but no
y thoughtful person of the present day
would think of demanding such
time wasting and useless performance
; of children.
4. The method is loaded down
& with a useless "burden of encum.
II; brances," all intended to keep up the
q courage-interest they call it-of the
g. children until the dry and tedious
G. sounding has been learned. The
'e children's so called interest is not
s. centered on thought getting, but on
'e the hummery, the incidentals, the
e. things that captivate the unwary.
TX The value of a method System
would perhaps be better name) can
&C be determined only by experts, no
" by povices.
ny Below l will give what some OF tht
" leaders in the educational councils o
y the country say of the Pollard method
~ Col. Francis w. Parker, Cool
~, County Normal" The Pollard sys
y ~ tenn is purely mechanical, for machln
w teachers only. 1t would be grea
misfortune to introduce it."
~ E. E. White, L. l.. D." 1t reache
~ wrong ends by wrong means, and TIT
&c greater the apparent success, tn
Of greater the mischief"
he L. H. Jones, Supt., Cleveland, ONO
-"I have no sympathy whateve
with the Pollard method as l belleV
it great waste OF time"
Supt. Geo. ]. Luckey OF Pittsbur
,fe, -" 1t is machine, and with its a
Hat comparing gewgaws is likely to plea'
the young and thoughtless teache
e" but the experienced educator W
have nothing to do with it,"
Supt. ]. M. Greenwood, Kans
- City, MOI. 1T does not teach Il
oil children how to read. 2. 1t does n
teach them how to spell many wor
v except by sound. 3. 1t misdlrects t
pupils energy. a. 1t introduces t
much foreign matter that has no re
al vancy to the subject OF reading
aims spelling"
four DR.. Irwin Shepard, Pres't. Vino
the Normal, Mimi" 1t had temper;
ort." trial in the schools of Winona, /
ica," was very soon discontinued. KIN
ome, of no competent or prominent edu
the tors that recommend it."
Our DR. Larkin Dunton, Prin. Bost
Mass, Normal" There is too mi
5oing artificial machinery connected with
the DR.. John w. Cook, Pres't Nor
n, by University, Normal, ILL.," 1t see
II the to me too pathetically mechanical
thus is not used in any State Normal Sch
of my acquaintance"
Inual. The late Supt. Geo. Howland
nlllar bid its use in the schools of Chici
In SO, have not learned the names
RS OF any leading educators that recomm
sN1 it. D..
is ac- Teachers who have the curloslt
then examine the method should write
the Manual and the Speller. i
us Oh are published by the Western Pub
paper ino House, Chicago.