The Delawarean., 1900-06-23

taught.
Joseph Payne says, "The principle
that the pupils own mental effort alone
secures the intended result is the Gem
tripetal force which is ever tending to
harmonize the details of the process.
Continually acting in opposition to this
are the centrifugal volatility,
Incidence, Indifference, etc, which tend
to disturb it's normal operation The
teacher who commands both these
forces, directing the centripetal and
controlling the centrifugal, is a master
of educational method, and preserves
unity of action amidst the endless di-
versities of his practice" Does this
not show that mere knowledge of the
subject to be taught is not sufficient?
Is it mot clear that the work of the
teacher is to assist the child in learn
ing in that way in which nature made
it to learn?
For instance, the knowledge that
should enter the mind through one
sense cannot usually be made to find its
way there through another, and the
teacher who attempts Ito force it in
through unnatural channels works at
a great disadvantage.
A child can learn color through the
eye only. Blindfold the child and YOU
may explain to it till its hair is gray,
and yet it will have no idea of color.
Why? Because 1T cannot learn color
from explanations through the ear
Nor can it learn sound through the eye.
Sound must come through the ear.
The child can learn the notes, the
songs of birds, the difference in differ
ent voices, etc, by hearing them. by
taking them in through the ear only.
Never through any one of the other
senses.
Now this will seem very simple to all
who read these lines but how about
the application of this principle to our
teaching Of many other things? Is It
always so simple?
A superintendent doesn't think SO
when visiting schools. He constantly
sees natures, law violated. The teacher
is making an eye exercise of an ear
exercise, or an ear exercise of an eve
exercise. or neglects altogether the use
Of the sense of touch when touch alone
AS the essential medium to the mind.
Now suppose we make the applica-
tion to the subject of spelling. Is this
an eye or an ear exercise? That is to
say, will You appeal to the ear or to the
eye in teaching your pupils to spell,
and in conducting exercises in this
branch?
Tt is plain enough that touch, taste
and smell cannot help here. Hence the
child must learn either through the
eye or the ear, but is it SO plain
through which it must learn? 1t is
necessary that the teacher should
know, else how can she help? If the
teacher is appealing to one sense and
the child is made by nature to learn
through the other, is it not plain TO be
seen that the teacher is no helper to
the child in its efforts to gain knowl-
edge?
Does this not show that in the case
of spelling a knowledge of how to spell
a word is one thing, and a knowledge
of how to aid a child in learning it is
quite another thing?
Now what kind of knowledge does
a superintendent seek in his candidates
for teachers certificates? A knowledge
of how to teach the word of course.
When pupils are tested by their teach
ers for promotion, knowledge of how
to spell the word correctly is the es-
sential requirement
The superintendent, however is test
ing for a different end namely. power
ITO teach. Therefore. his test must in
clude all that is required of the pupil,
and more Hence the test must be a
different one. A candidate might be
able to spell correctly every word
called for and yet be unable to tell
whether spelling is an eye or an ear
exercise. The superintendent tests for
that knowledge which the teacher
should have in order to be able to
direct the study of her pupils. Hence,
he no longer depends on the mere
spelling of a list of words.
This article must be. brought to a
close. The subject of spelling will be
continued in some future issue. In
the meantime let the readers of this
column examine their method of
teaching Ito see if they help their pupils
in the right way.
REDUCED RATES TO KANSAS CITY
Vic 10 Doi1,ood