Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-05-07
Gouratlonaf Galunru.


The time Is approaching for our usu
al Teachers Institute. and we thful
that a word or two, just now. In GU
educational column, will be of interest
We will say at the outset that the bus
iness of the normal school is the train
ing of professional teachers; where
| the intention of the Institute, is to pro
| vide some training for non-professiona
teachers. The Institute assumes tha,
very many who propose to teach have
never received a normal training; and
so its special function is to supplement
this normal school; that is to do lit.
tie of the work that the normal did
not have an opportunity of doing. In our
day there is such ipsistance on method.
that we are in danger of underestima-
ting the Importance of high scholastic
attainments. In the earlier day schol-
arship was everything, and method al
most nothing; and the recoil from this
error has induced an exaggerated be-
lief in method as a substitute for schol-
arship: But after scholarship, the
thing next of Importance is method.
Teachers of equal attainments may be
to each other as twenty to one, the diff
ference being due to quality of method.
There is not single method in the
schoolroom that has not suffered
marked improvement in the last twen-
ty-five years. The course of instruc-
tion in normal school covers period
of three OR four years; but the Institute
must do its work within period two,
three, or four weeks. From this cir
cumstance it is apparent that a choice
must be made between extension and
depth.
If class work be the rule, then the
subjects taught will be few, and the
progress slow. If instruction be given
by lecture, the range of topics will be
greater, and progress more rapid; but
the effec. will be light. The whole
question is recuced in general terms to
this: Shall the instructor teach or
shall he lecture? 1 do not propose to
answer this question.
The utmost that an Institute of two
to four weeks can do is rapid review
of the typical or more important topics:
While the final purpose of the school
is instruction, it is nevertheless true
that the real efficiency of the school is
chiefly related to the mode and degree
of its organization and discipline.
Teachers should be taught to aspire TO
high type of school organization and
government, and the principles and
rules of this art should be expounded
with all possible clcarness, in the
teachers institute. Our efforts should
be directed mainly to teaching, how
to instruct, how to organize, and how
to govern.
To do such work inteligently and
we'll is high accomplishment, OF
which only a comparatively few are
capable. TO organize and grade q
public, and to provide it with a suita-
BILE course Of study, believe to be one
OF highest feats OF pedagogic skill.
The most satisfactory Institute work
have seen done was in a session of two
weeks, where the conductor had three
assistants. The first hour In each ses-
sion was devoted TO lecture on some
professional subject by the conductor,
given to the whole body OF teachers.
The Institute was then broken up into
three sections, and these passed In sue
cession from one assistant TO another.
So that, besides the general lesson,
each division, In every session. had
been instructed In three topics, as
Arithmetic, Grammar, and Geography.
1t seems TO me this IL very near the
ideal mode OF conducting two weeks
Institute, as 1t preserves the equal
proportion between the two methods
OF instruction. The aim Of the Insti-
tute should be rather TO communicate
the best methods Of organizing, gov
erning, and instructipg. In short ses-
sions instruction by lecture and note
taking is preferable, but recitation
should form part OF every exercise.
In longer sessions, classwork should
be brought into creator prominence.
The best work Of the Institute should
be regarded as the creation Of the
scholarly and the professional spirit,
desire to reach high scholastic at
tainments, and an ambition to attain
to artistic excellence in teaching.
Hoy p.