The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-01
POINTERS FOR TEACHERS
DIR. Il. E. WHITE LECTURES TO CITY
SCHOOL MARMS AND MASTERS.

fundamentals in Teaching" His SUBJ
ject-A Large Audience Present at Open
Ing Lecture of the Teachers Course
Next Lecture to be Given by Rev. DIR.
Henry Van Dyke of New York.
The teachers course of lectures was
opened last evening in College street
hall by DR.. E. E. White of Columbus,
Ohio, who spoke on fundamentals In
Teaching The hall was we'll filed
with the preceptors Of youth. Superin-
tendent of Schools Kendall introduced
the speaker and announced that the
next lecture would be given by the Rev.
DR.. Henry Van Dyke of New York on
Saturday evening, December IS, on the
subject Democracy and Education"
In the course of his interesting lec-
ture last evening DIR. White said
There are but few fundamental and
simple rules to be applied in teaching.
1t is necessary that these rules should
be simple, as few can take philosoph-
ical position and follow it out in prac-
tica1 teaching. There are in teaching
three fundamental trinities; in other
words, three fundamental threes.
'The first question to be asked In
pedagogy is, what is the end desired
the result to be reached? 1t is not only
first, but it is absolutely essential in or
der to secure good teaching. ALI aim
less teaching is poor teaching. The
more clearly the end is seen the better
will the teaching be. The end is the
guiding principle in teaching, and the
teacher needs to have it clearly in mind
in every class room exercise. Not only
should an end be had, but a definite
end. Such an end is also important be-
cause it gives joy and solace to the
teacher to see the accomplishment of a
definite purpose.
Another reason why the end is an es-
pecial thing to consider is because Of
the multitude Of devices for teaching
to-day. Every teacher who has found
method helpful in her teaching has
written it out for the benefit Of others.
What is teacher to do with this null
titude Of devices? Shut her eyes and
not read the books? No! A teacher
needs to know what is the best way to
teach There is a tendency among some
teachers to experiment with each new
device upon children. / think that this
experimenting on children is some-
times crime and ought never to be
justified.
"The best test Of a device is that Of
end. Every device should be subjected
to three tests: First, what is the end it
proposes to teach? If you do not see
that it has any, end or result clearly in
view you can have no use for it. But
suppose you see that it has definite
end. Still, there is another questions
you must test it by, namely, has it a
true or pedagogical end? There are de-
vices that may have for their object the
amusement Of children, but are out of
place in the school room as having no
true end in teaching. And, again, you
must ask, is it the best end? Only the
best end is good enough for the child.
Zone needs to see also the Immediate
end to be obtained in teaching. I have
little confidence in philosophy as a
guide for teachers. heard an eloquent
man say the other day that it was the
teachers duty to put the child in right
relations to- the universe, but what the
teacher needs to do to accomplish this
philosophical end is to put the child in
right relations with it's parents, its as
sociates, it's teachers.
'What are the three ends to be att
tained in teaching? I will confine my
self to the consideration of the intel
lectual end, which Is pretty comprehen-
sive. In attaining 1t the three things to
be desired are: First, lead the child to
know something; second, development
of power in the child; third, skill in ac-
complishing special end.
"The object of teaching is not alone
for the child to acquire knowledge, but
to increase the power of the child to
acquire knowledge. In what direction
is the power to acquire knowledge to be
trained? 1t can only be done by train
ing the Child to know. And now come
to what is the weak point in the schools
Of the Mississippi valley, and that is the
lack of power to express clearly, intelli-
gently and, if possible, eloquently what
the child knows. In a condemnation of
the meGnOQS OF LeaCnlUB III LnG puDl1C
schools few years ago President Eliot
made this failure to teach the child to
express what it knows one Of the five
charges of his Indictment.
"The third end to be acquired in
teaching is skill. and to this end three
fifths of the time of teachers is devoted.
Skill should be the end in all the seven
arts usually taught in our schools. The
second fundamental trinity Of teaching
is, how can knowledge be taught q
child? knowledge is the result Of the
art of knowing. No error is 80 harmful
as the idea that knowledge can be COM
municated from one person to another.
1.-THE result of teaching depends not so
much upon the teacher as upon the at
titude of the pupil. knowledge can
only be taught by occasioning the prop
er activity in the mind of the one to be
taught. The idea must be taught OBJ
jectively and not by note or memory of
! words. Whatever is taught must be
taught by practice-if analysis, by prac-
tice of analysis; if synthesis, by prac-
tice in synthesis."
An Ecclesiastical Council.