The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-14
TEACHERS BEGIN
INSTITUTE WORK
Large Attendance at YeSter-
days Meeting
SYSTEMA TIC ARRAN CEMENT
superintendent Phillips Delivers Lucid
Lecture on Fundamentals In Teach
lns-Mrs. Phillips viii Be
Heard Today.

the High SenOOl DQllu1nS. Alter rev
words of greeting from Superintendent
j. H. Phillips the assignments were an
nounced by grades
Principal Brown of the Henley school
then took charge of the teachers insti-
tute and directed the organization Of
classes. The instruction was given by
grades. as follows:
First and second grades teachers Miss
Todd and Miss Bradford; geography
grades, three four, five and six, Principal
Cunningham; arithmetic and grammar
grades six and seven. Principal Young
language and spelling, grades three to
five, Principal Glenn drawing and man
ual training all grades, Mr.. Dinwitte and
Miss Hood; vocal music. all grades. Miss
Kits and Miss Boyles; arithmetic and
reading, grades three to five, Principal
Brown; history, all grades, Miss Annie
Bradford; reading, grade five and history
grade seven, DIR. Phillips; reading, grade
six, Miss Chambless
The work of the institute will resume
this morning at $3.50 O'Clock. This work
will prove helpful to the teachers as
they enter upon their duties Monday
morning. when all the public schools
open.
Or. Phillips Lecture.
The lecture in the auditorium by Dr..
Phillips yesterday was a lucid statement
of the fundamental principles underlying
the work of the schools 1t was of especial
interest to the teachers.
In speaking of Fundamentals in
Teaching" DIR. Phillips said in part:
while thousands of books have been
written upon the methods of teaching the
several subjects of the school curriculum
many teachers find difficulty in graspng
those essentials that unity the work of the
school room In one organic whole. When
these essentials are understood the de-
tails of method will find their proper
place.
I'm the first place the child is the center
of all the agencies of the school. The
| child must be dealt with as a whole,
body, mind and soul. The thought ele-
ment rather than the formal or mechani-
cal elements must dominate in all phases
of classroom work. We must bear in
mind the idea so we'll expressed by Pro-
fessor James that all thought is dynamic;
that ideas naturally tend to pass into
actions. Every thought in the human mind
naturally seeks to express itself concrete
| ly. This expression is often along the
| lines of least resistance.
Words are ideas crystalized; language
has been defined as frozen thoughts"
Architecture and other works of art, me-
chanleal Inventions and social institutions
are crystallizauons of great ideas.
| at Of civ
the mind of the child seek appropriate
expression. This accounts for his UNI
ceasing activity. In the adult the ideas
through reflection and judgment and
through greater will power may be
checked or repressed before they find the
expression. These ideas in the mind of
the child need the guidance of the teacher
in opening up the right avenues of ex-
preston.
Two Methods.
These are two hypothesis on general
methods that may be considered Accord
ing to the first the child Is to be taught
the technical forms of expression, such
as writing, language, drawing and arith-
metlc, in order that at some future time
he may use them to express thought. Ac-
child may acquire skill in the technical
! forms of expression under the immediate
impulse of some intrinsic thought. The
presence of the thought, and the desire
to expires sit are essential in determining
the form of the expression.
There are two fundamental aims in
teaching, getting thought, or ideation, and
giving thought or expression. These aims
are two phases of one great purpose. As
the thought tends to find expression, the
expression in turn reacts as a stmulant
to thought. Thought Is developed by the
cultivation of the senses, perception i'm
agination, attention, reason and will.
Thought expression may be reduced to
four fundamental modes, or the four
modern languages of the school.
THE first of these is the objective
method or making. Thought may be
embodied in objects made by the child.
This is the basis of manual training and
the laboratory of the school and college.
Thought may. also be expression pic
torially. in the Language of drawing and
map making This is the representative
method. Thought is also expressed In
oral speech and BIZ the symbolism of the
written or printed form. These four forms
include all the modes of thought express
sion and are the foundations Of all
method.
I'm primary reading the teacher begins
with the objective. then passes success
sively through the representative and the
oral to the printed form. In geography
the actual physical form must be the
point of beginning. Then will follow the
expression by picture and map, oral de-
scrption and written definition. The
child must be trained to give expression
to the elementary concepts of each sub
ject in these four fundamental and es-
sential forms.
Stages of Development.
I'm this development there are three
distinct stages; the first is the stage
of imitation In the first and second years,
The dominant characteristic of the child
at this >stage is the exercise of the imita-
ton instinct The second stage is charac-
terized by the process of translation. The
thought is transferred from one form to
the others successfully. Object making.
Illustrative drawing, oral description and
pose of obtaining skill in the use Of each
form for the purpore of giving adequate
expression to the thought. In the text
books In use this process Is generally
called reproduction or Interpretation, but
it serves in the elementary school the