The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-02-03

interval between learning and recall can be most al.
vantageousy filed then the arrangement of the school
program of studies be worked out on psychology
ical basis and the more or less haphaard pass
which seems to be the present plan
Among other problems in this field of applied psy-
choogy which the department has undertaken or pro
poses to carry the future may be mentioned
the following:
l. What are some Of the most advantageous condi-
lions OF learning to spell correctly?
Q In learning is II better to give all or the ume 10
study OF the subject to be learned or is It bet
ter to devote q portion Of the time in the attempt to
recall material that has already been mastered?
8 IL It better. in learning, to attempt to memorize
the material by commencing at the beginning and run
ming through the end consecutiyey and by repeating
this process until the whole has been mastered or II
better to learn part and then another part and so onf
T. What method OF presentation is more advanta-
in learning? BY this is meant specifically is II
better to to the child material TO learn orally
usually, and Is It better present the material stimuli
tNrcously or successyoly-that is, should the whole
,hng that he is to learn be given is he to
study part and then the next and on?
In considering the first Of these problems may be
said that results AT Illinois clearly point the fact
the method Of teaching children spell by giving the
word whole and not breaking It up into syllables
is not the psychological method and that the old method
OF syabcaton with some Of It's obvious faults had dis
tnct advantages Of the extreme methods OF
today
Apropos the second problem It ia clearly established
by experiments at Illinois that there is great advantage
in not spending the entire period learning on study
ing the material presented but that is of very great
advantage to spend part of this time in attempting to
recall what has been shown. Train the pupil to look
at the page that he Is trying memorze for period
and then to turn his gaze away and in his minds eye
recall the printed matter.
II is generally held by investigators that the best
method OF memorzing is TO learn the material by COM
mencng at the beginning and running through the whole
process to the end. The Illinois experiments brought
ont this fact that in such consecutive learning there are
certain parts that are mastered quickly than 9th
and that Is advantageous go over the whole
material consecutivey until the more easily acquired
material is mastered and then to spend some time in
learning those parts that difficult and to finally
relearn the whole consecutvely
experiments have been carried on at Illinois which show
rather clearly that the most advantageous way TO pre
sent material to little children is usually and in success
sion The reason for this In part least ia because
successive presentation better attention than
simultaneous presentation and that the word when seem
especially II 1t Is difficult be better comprehended
than II It is merely heard.
The foregoing account gives n statement of soma nj
the most typical and important experimental nvestga.
lions now in in the psychological laboratory AZ
the University of Illinois As has already been said tho
main emphasis being placed upon the psycholoev of
learning more specifically technique and economy in
our processes Of acquisition. At the same time annie
scope Is given for the theoretical aspects of the sub
toct so that the field in general way may be covered
and that those who wish obtain higher deRrees in the
subject may find ample opportunity for research in the
direction which interests them most