The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-08-18
Exhibit of NeedIeWork From the
KaIua School,
DIR. DREssLAR'S PEDAGOGY CLASS
Effect of Divided Attention u Teach
ing The Class in Methodology.
How Children should be Taught.
Application 81 Formal step, Etc.


of the reception room in the High
School. 1t is the work Of twelve-year
old girl in the Kailua, Hawaii, school.
Next year the Summer School Will
probably have regular department Tor
exhibitions from various schools.
The class in Nature Study this morn
ing were called upon TO report the
growth of the seeds they had planted
the drawing class has left vacancy
as there is no one to take Miss French,
place. Miss Duncan was absent this
morning and Mr.. Townsend took her
class in methods of teaching reading.
The afternoon work began as usual
with DR.. Dresslar in the class in Peda-
gogy. In the pedagogy the subject OF
attention was considered and illustrat-
ed by some very interesting expert
ments. Dr. Dresslar held up pointer
and requested the class TO hold their
pencils to one side and look at the
pointer while the attention was to be
fixed on upon the pencil his was
found TO be difficult. The tendency was
to turn the eyes to the pencil. He then
had the class shut their eyes and listen
for taps on the table. AS the taps were
few and far apart, most or the class
found themselves bracing against the
desk, pushing against the floor ana
some even held their breath. rms
illustrates said DR.. Dresslar, the
close connection between muscular ten
sion and affection. You would soon tire
if kept at this strain. But you are
much stronger than the children under
your care. Good attention requires
good, strong, rested muscular system.
Yet we must have attention. thirty
five teachers requested to stand up and
ioin hands. Then hidden TO. shut their
ewes. DR.. Dresslar touched the hrSr,
the first squeezed the hand OF the sec
ond, the second squeezed the hand or
the third and so on around to the last
who held up his free hand. The oper-
alton was timid and took IL seconds.
Almost one-third of second TO per
son. 'Too slow You did not give
your full attention. The second repe-
tition reduced the time to seconds.
You see what a difference IT makes
when you give your whole mind TO II.
The value of education to the indivldu-
al is the power it gives. Much Of this
is right along this line Of concentra-
ton. Now relax all of your muscles
and try to think. Just as soon as you
begin to think your muscles siffen up,
let your classes lop around"
In the last experiment Mr.. Dumas
and Mr.. Townsend each tried to null
tiply a row of figures and repeat at the
same time the first verse of Mary had
a little lamb" Each gave it up after the
first figure.
This illustrates the effect of divided
attention. A girl goes to a party at
night and tries to STUDY geography the
next day. The party takes the place OF
the lamb" and the geography lesson
is in the same condition that the multi
plication has been in this experiment.
This principle of muscle tension eX-
plains mind reading also. The reader
simply notes the muscular activity OF
the one whose mind is read. We see
by this how our thoughts, if they be
strong, affect our muscles. The think
ing of a good thing tends toward work
ing it out"
Methodology began with the pre-
sentation" of history.
History should be presented by a
topical method" said Dr. Dresslar.
You, however. are or ought to be bet
ter Judges of the method suitable TO
your class than l am. l can only help
YOU to help yourselves. Here are some
hints:
BE careful that your questions lead
the child 20 think of the right thing. 1t
is easy to ask questions; it is hard to
question educationally.
Lead, but let your pupils be free.
Give broad but clear directions, so
that each pupil may know what is eX-
pected of him.
use oral method at first, but not too
a
to read and must learn 70 love reading.
afterwards have them read and
then tell you the substance of what they
have read.
THE next of the formal steps is COM
parison Suppose 1 were going to COM
pare Oahu and Molokai. l must be
y we'll acquainted with the char
acteristics of each, must | not? 1t IS
| a much more difficult thing to compare
characters or peoples. Therefore COM
parison in history teaching will come
much later than in science teaching.
Don't hurry the child. Many things
that are easy for you are beyond his
reach.
The next step is abstraction. In
| finding the greatest common divisor OF
liz. IS. "a and So, 1 first divide them
| into their prime factors. then find which
| factors are common, and then combine
these factors to form the greatest com
mon diviSOr.
Proceed the same way in history.
AnalyZe your characters, compare the
clements find those common to both or
all. as the case may be, and combine
| these common elements. II is a dit
| fcult thing to say Washington is like
LinconI in just such and such con-
ditions:' Hamlet is like sO-and-sO in
| lust such a way. 1t requires deep
thought Don't try it too early. Yet
when the pupil can stand it, give it 70
| him. 1t is the best kind of strong food.
application is the fifth formal step.