The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-11
Department Sessions for Discuss
ion Of Many Important Quest
ions at San Francisco
Convention
HENRY Il. GODDARD SPEAKS
Prominent New Jersey Educator Says
Many Troubles Result from Mis-
placement of tho Children
In Glasses.

San Fra lcis, o, Calf. Itiv 11.-..ite
sec ond da! tf ne .oitV ninth conN en-
non OF the Nallvi.h f.oI cation \sso-
ciaiiOn. hi.'h cp'h.h acre yes Llsay.
was extremely busy nearly all thevari-
ing the day. preceding the general
session I'm the evening. The depart
ments of Kindergarten Education, Ele-
mentary and Special Education held "A
joint meeting and considered the sub
ject of THE School Laggard." Health
and sanitation, Fairgrounds and phys
ical training were also ably discussed
The department of Secondary Educa
tion received and considered the report
of the Committee on Articulation of
High School and College" and listened
to an address on the new Harvard plan
for college admission.
Other Questions Discussed.
The session OF the Department OF
Manual Training and Art was devoted
to discussion of various phases of
industrial training. The Department
of Child Study heard an interesting re-
port of test of two hundred children
by the Binet Scale, and also discussed
several other subjects closely related
to the subject of Child Study. The
Department of Physical Education held
a Joint session with the Department
of School Patrons and received and
considered several important reports.
Sex Hygiene and the physical training
of adolescent girls were among the
subjects considered. The Department
of Science Instruction held two meet
ings, one of which was devoted To ed
lucatlonal matters. while the second was
devoted To the discussion of the sub
ject of conservation of Natural Re-
sources" The Department of Rural
and Agricultural Education and the
Library Department also held interest
ing sessions.
Henry n. Goddard Talks.
The displacement of children in
schools getting them too high or too
low for their mental capacity, is re-
sponslble for much of the truancy and
incorrigibility according to Henry H..
Goddard, of the School for Feeble
Minded. Vineland, n. j., who spoke at
one of the section meetings today. The
speaker said that studies at the Vine
land institution have shown that sixty
five per cent. of feeble mindedness is
no Cnnalfar discussed
particularly the Binct Measuring Scale
for Intelligence, which has received
official sanction by the New Jersey
legislature. Mr.. Goddard said, In part:
"We are beginning to recognize that
many of our difficulties in school are
the result of differences i'm Unborn ca
pacity rather than In Unborn wicked
ness. IL is therefore necessary to have
some method of measuring that In
born capacity.
"The Research Department Of the
New Jersey Training School Tor Feeble
Minded children has carried out sys-
tematic testing of an entire school pop
ulation of 1000 children, using this
method. The results amount to al
most a mechanical proof of the accur-
acy of the Binct method. II shows
that there are per cent. of children
who are precocious or better I'm men
taiity than the average child. rs per
cent. are normal, 10 per cent. are
backward. and per cent are feeble
mindcd. This ratio probably holds al
most universally.
What Experience Proves.
"In this study of the entire school
population tested by the Binet method,
| Il is shown that some children are I'm
classes that are way ahead of the men,
| tai capacity of the children, these run
| all the way from the children that are
| In classes that are one year ahead of
them to three years. In other cases,
children are behind what they ought to
be from one to three years. Two ten-
denotes are shown to prevail. First,
To keep all children as nearly as possi-
BILE at the average, keeping those that
are 1rll up to the average. holding
those that are preeocious down. The
other tendency Is 10 let thosc Chhureh
that are very backward go, and not
giving them the attention they need,
they are as a result farther back than
their mentality really warrants, or on
the upper scale, children who are a
little precocious and encouraged and
spurred on and placed i'm classes that
are even higher than their mental at
tainments can reach. This is an In
Justice i'm both cases.
/ 'In this misplacement of children
getting them too high or too low for
their mental capacity, is to be sought
a large explanation OF truancy and in
corrigibIlity. also the fact that preco-
cious children often break down. II Is
not because they are precocious. but