The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-04-27

progress Systems Of education have ex-
banded and at the present day there are
ten colleges and higher institutions of
| learning TO every one of fifty years ago.
/ Some of the city high schools of today
| are not inferior to Harvard college of
century ago, and perhaps of even fifty
years ago. In the hour of such marvellous
| progress Of the arts and sciences and ex-
| pansions of educational ideas and lofty
ideals is it not pertinent to inquire why
methods of teaching arithmetic have not
kept pace. for the average teaching of
| arithmetic IN the public schools of the
| present day are in some respects inferior
| to that Of thirty years ago or even fifty
years ago, 1t must be admitted that the
| public school is far superior a whole
| to that of any other period in our history
| and that there has been great stride in
methods of teaching all Of the common
| branches with the one exception and
| fear that il must be generally admitted
| that entirely too much time has been de-
voted to arithmetic by the average pupil
| for the results obtained. And that the
| cause of such failure lies in the method
used by the teacher.
procedure or process; a regular manner
of doing anything; a way of reaching a
given end by series of acts which tend
to secure it Method in the present day
means much more than this. To be meth
odical implies a wise choice of methods.
\ task can be accomplished by half
score of different methods which may
stand the test of the definition. all Of
them perfect in themselves, yet all of
them practically useless. Our forefathers
harvested their wheat with the reaping
hook. threshed with the ground hog
thresher" ran it through the fan mill
and obtained results. Today the sickle
goes against the standing grain and the
threshcd wheat runs into the wagon
driven at its side but the result is no
better in kind than that secured by the
old fashioned process. Why then has the
old process been discarded? 1t is said
that the latter is thebetter method. BY
what standard must method be judged?
In other words what is good method?
The underlying principle is that method
should always seek the highest good. 1t
is not enough that method should SIM
ply seek the best quality of results To
obtain the best results in the least posi-
BILE time ana with the least possible eX-
penditure of mental and physical energy
is the handspring of advancement in ev-
cry phase of active life and any method
that tends in this direction is good meth
cd. If il is possible for boy to learn TO
accomplish a task in three hours upon
which the unthinking person might easily
spend ten hours there can be no shadow
of an excuse for the loss of the seven
hours. Economy of time. as well
economy of effort. is an important ele-
ment in the worlds work.
Teachers of arithmetic who use cum
brous roundabout unphilosophical meth
DDS and fail &c teach direct methods
which can he applied easily to the prac-
teal affairs of ltfe--and mathematical
calculations enter very widely into the
practical affairs-are most certainly fall
ing little short OF committing a crime
against childhood The broad general
method sometimes must be taught first,
in order that the child may thoroughly
understand the subject under investiga-
ton. but he should be led Immediately
TO use The best methods Of applying the
knowledge gained. If long process IS
neither the best practical method itself
nor the foundation of the best practical
method ii should not be introduced. 9TH
erwise the pupils mind may eventually
be filed with rubbish which Will interfere
with his thinking processes In teaching
arithmetic and 70 some extent in all educa-
ton the teacher trains for three things:
power. accuracy and speed. otherwise he
does not have good methods. for the ease
with which the child gains power. accur-
acy and speed. and the accuracy and
speed with which he gains power. accur-
sCy and speed depend upon the methods
used by the teacher and child: that is, II
a child be taught by the use Of good
methods he not only economies time
and EFFORT in the practical Affairs Of life.
but he gets better education and in a
shorter time than does the child who IS
taught by awkward round about meth
DDS. The long process. II a rational pro-
cess. viii give power and IT may give ac-
curacy: that is a pupil may use long
process and be accurate but he can never
become speedy The short process. II
rational process. viii give the same or
srester degree Of power and must lead to
both accuracy and speed
both accuracy and speed since 70 obtain
results with the minimum Of time and
effort is the handspring 81 advancement
in active life. To gain power. accuracy
and speed should be the highest aim o.
educational method.