The Dickinson press., 1896-06-06
Teachers Institute.
MONDAY A. NJ.

Teachers Institute.
MONDAY A. NJ.
The teachers institute opened in
the grammar room Monday morning.
Organization and enrolment occu.
pied the first period.
Lessons we're given in reading and
in mathematics.
MONDAY r. NJ.
Singing-"The Star Spangled Ban.
ner."
Prof. Clemmer conducted the read.
ing lesson, with especial reference to
diacritical marks and pronunciation.
He said that, while the most careful
work on the part of the teacher may
not insure correct pronunciation on
the part of the pupils, c~arelessness on
her part is gross neglect of duty.
Miss Mary Crowley conducted a
teachers class in physiology; subject,
"The Circulation"
Geography was taken by sections,
descriptive geography by Supt. Clark
and physical geography by Prof.
Clemmer. The habit,o Of putting phys.
ical geography early in a course is all
wrong, since it in u measure includes
other sciences.
Intermission.
Supt. Clark conducted u lesson in
civil government, taking for the sub.
ject the government and civil town.
ship. Too much stress cannot be laid
upon the duty of voters to exercise
their right of franchise 80 that the
will of the people may really be done.
Teachers should teach this duty.
After a few minutes intermissi on,
Conductor Clemmer addressed the
teachers upon methods Of teaching.
He said: lin ungraded schools you are
also principal and largely superin.
tendent. Philosophy must underlie
all your work or there can be no true
and lasting success. There is no
chance success. Mark the vast differ.
enc between teaching q book and
teaching a subject. When pupils
come to you, ask yourselves why they
are sent to you and what you are to dc
with them. Too often children are
regarded as elevators, into which SO
much information s,to he poured each
day. A practical education should
sharpen the intellect, and this can be
done by drawing out and developing
the child's powers, not by examining
his mind with a mass, of facts. Edu.
cation is three.fold, moral, physical
and intellectual. Intellectual educa.
tion is perceptive, expressive and re-
Elective. The child does not reason al
first, he percelves. Curiosity is the
impelling force and results in knowl
edge. Teach sensation, perception
attention and observation by object
lessons, by exercises in color. form
and measure. by every drawing, read.
ing, writing, language and natural
science lesson. If every primary les
son on every subject has not taught
these four things you have not taught
at all. Give your pupils exercises ir
observation. comparison, discrimina
ton. analysis and classification, re.
membering the fact that a child
learns faster through the eye than
through the ear. Primary pupils
should not be in school more than foul
hours per day, and for a child from
five to seven no lesson should exceed
ten minutes in length. Bear this in
mind in making out your programs
Give frequent short lessons to the lit
tie ones"
TUESDAY A. NJ.
Singing and roll.call.
The conductor gave a lesson il
Snow.Bound, teaching especially fig
ures of speech, and calling attention
to the beauty these lend to literature
1.-THE Skin and Its Functions" wa
taught by Miss Crowley.
Primary numbers. Teach by thu
objective method. Let the pupils SEE
and handle objects and make all til,
combinations. What seems easy t.
teachers is new to the little ones
great unsolved problem. Pupil
learn more in a few minutes of tn,
number two by handling objects thai
by weeks of talking about the at
stract number two. Each numbe
lesson should be a language lesson
Teachers should discourage incom
plete replies and avoid doing all tn
talking themselves.
After intermission arithmetic wa
taken up in two divisions.
TUESDAY p. NJ.
The afternoon session opened wit
singing "The Battle Hymn of the RI
public"
Personifcation was especially COZ
sidered in the reading lesson whic
followed.
Geography was taught in two d
visions.
Supt. Clark, in the section devote
to civil government, taught TIL
school township. He said: "Lay tn
foundation for the child's knowlede
of civil government by %interestin
him in things he has seen or hear
about-the building of a new schoo
house, a school election. Be Jul 20
know a thing thoroughly yourself b.
fore you attempt to teach it.
Prof. Clemmer occupied the closin
hour with q continuation of his tai
of Monday afternoon. While wit
primary pupils curiosity is the impel
ing force and knowledge the resul
obtained through sensation. perez
tion. attention and observation, in i
termediate grades, the expression
the impelling force and the resu
communication, attained thr0ue
emotion, imagination, fancy. init
tion, language and taste. While tt
perceptive teaching of the primal
grade should not cease. the aim in al
the lessons is now to develop pow
of expression. In higher grades tt
reflective power must be develope
The force is now inquiry and the I
suit should be truth. All the lessor
in higher grades should be given
such a way as to develop thought.
WEDNESDAY A. NJ.
Singing and roll.call.
Reading and a study Of rhetoric
figures.
Physiology lesson by Miss Crowle.
with an interesting discussion on Il
effects of alcohol.
After intermission, Miss Slack CO
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