News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-03-20
Number Work.

who has numbered the most years,
but he who has been most truly con-
scious of what life is"
He who teaches the child best is
not the one that is best acquainted
with the branches of knowledge that
he is to teach, but he that Is best &C.
quainted with that complicated and
mysterious thing, in its plastic forma-
tive, and growing stages, upon which
he is to Work-the child. 1t is re-
quired OF a sewing girl that she know
something of the structure of the ma
chine she uses.
He who neglects the loving study
of this Giving epistle" will never be-
come very wise in the knowledge of
the correct teaching and training of
children, no matter what else he may
study. Very much valuable time
is lost in the first year in trying to
impress on the child's mind what it
already knows.
What child at five that ever enter
ed a school-room that does not know
a cat or a dog, or even picture of
one, and yet a teacher will spend 15
minutes to be sure that the child
knows that and one minute on the
word cat, the very thing that is not
known.
The same thing is true of number
work. Won't the child say to you
at home, "give me two apples? Give
me three of 'em?"
Why not begin at once and make
the connection of the illustration
with the thing it doesn't know. OBJ
jects should be used until the child
has clearly defined connection be-
tween the figure and number.
Numbers one, two, three and four,
with illustrations and variations,
should consume some time. 1t pays
just here to make haste slowly. The
formation of the digits with illustra-
tons must continue until the child
knows them throughly. Developing
ideas of numbers by using illustra-
lions should be continued in connec-
ton with learning to form all figures
to ten. By using objects in groups,
pupils will soon become quite apt in
distinguishing, at glance, the num-
Der. This aptness will be an aid in
more advanced work. Disarrange
the order of the figures one, two, three,
four, ETC., so as to be sure they know
them.
No attempt at addition is made
until the child has learned thoroughly
to read, to write, to count, and to
| understand the numbers from one to
ten. This is the foundation and it
pays to lay it we'll. The timeit takes
varies according to the age and de-
velopment of the pupil.
That of which | am to speak more
in particular is the how in teaching
addition and her twin sister multi
plication-in connection with the 45
combinations. 1t is, in fact, word
method in number. Its main points
are, first, the ready recognition at
sight of the necessary combinations.
Second, the announcement of results
only, and these in the shortest posi-,
BILE terms. Third, the leaving out OF
all unnecessary work by signs.
A child need not comprehend the
value OF two digits in order to recog-
nize their sum. He need not drag
through detailed expression by for
NAL signs and a full statement in
words in order to know that two and
two is four, not two plus two equals
four. He is not to know any other
form of oral expression for two and
two than simply "four," then he is
done. Anything further is as I'M
necessary as that a child in learning
to read should be taught plus a
plus equals Gao.
Teachers who pride themselves
upon the word and sentence methods
of teaching reading are teaching
numbers by a worse method than
reading ever knew.
When pupils begin column addition
they are expected to throw all this
aside, but why should they waste
valuable time andtgain bad habits oil
thought in learning it? 1t has been
asked in several Institutes, GLOW
many of you can solve a problem in
multiplication without mentally re-
peating bits of the multiplication
table in the form in which you
learned it?" Take for instance 5S4xe
Who can give the result in units col
umn of the answer without mentally
saying Eight times four are thirty,
two?" Who can state the result fol
tens without going through with
eight times eight are sixty.four, and
three are sixty.seven?"
How many are able to multiply
the figures of the multiplicand with
out looking back each time to the
figures of the multiplier? In no case
has it been found that over 10 pei
cent could vote for affirmative upor
any of these questions. Not many
if any of us, could stand the test.
There is generation that can bt
helped. If John is saying 4 plus &
equal 7, 4 and 3 are Z. Writing 4
plus 3 equal 7, or 4 and are 8 or re
peating six times six are thirty-six
and writing 6x6 equal SO, stop hin
now.
What would you have him say