The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-07-21
Teachers COnsulted.

Teachers from every part of the
group sent outlines and suggestions as
to the revision of the course of study,
and, after over six months of work in
volving a large number Of conferences,
the present, course of study was pre-
pared and authorized. The aim of the
superintendent was to establish har-
mony between the developing of the
subject matter on the one hand, and
the needed drill on forms of expression
on the other hand.
Today, large proportion Of the
schools of the Territory are using
modern methods in their teaching.
The Royal School-Before and After.
In 1910 the Royal School was organ
lied. The methods used were the ira
ditional ones-the method of the three
| RS. Under these methods hardly a
single pupil succeeded in getting into
the high school. When the revised
course Of study was authorized, the
principal of the school undertook to
carry ont the spirit and intent of that
course, with the result that for the
first time in fifty years, full class of
| sixteen pupils entered the high school.
What Back to the Three RS Means.
Back to the three RS" in arithme.
tic, means back to method of teach.
ing arithmetic that consists in drilling
the child on the addition, subtraction
multiplication and division tables, with
out being sure that the child under
stands what he is memorizing
The new method advocated in the
schools today, is simply this-deyeloI
the tables until the child understand
] their meaning, and then drill on the
tables until he has a ready command
of them. Briefly, today in the schools
we plan To explain daily SO that the
child may understand, and then W,
drill for ready use of that which has
been developed. Why should anyone
oppose this when they can only offer il
the stead deadening drill on a thing
that the child may not understand anC
! possibly may never use9 The onl,
argument in favor of such course il
that it permits the teacher to res
quietly in his chair, while the boy il
drilling on his tables. Why not aid tn,
boy by explaining that which seem
difficult and possibly purposeless7
Reading.
"Baek to the three R'sD in reading
lmeaps back to time when the teaehe
taught the child to pronounce the word
of the. book, and trusted to his knowl
| edge of the oral language acquired il
the life of the home to enable him t
function the words Understand thei
meaning). This OF necessity, implies
: the fact that the mother tongue wa
the tongue Of the scho0lrOom. Thi
condition does not exist in Hawaii,
land of many tongues, and consequently
a method adapted to homogeneous poI
J nlatiun can not be used with the bes
advantage with a population Of differ
ent tongues. (Why use the fur Goa
. and cap Of the north temperate zone
ia the tropiesf) Is itrnot better tina
! We should nse a method adapted 10 on
) needsf
The new method used IN the school
!, Of Hawaii, and the one that has th
approval Of such men a. Doctor Dres
!. ier, Doctor Brown, former commissions
! o. education ~ Washington Colon,
: Parker, Dr. John Dewey, ana other
) h briefly 90 hiloWsi Tho ieaehs
!, teaches the child 10 task about M
3 ihlnRs the father does % support n
I family, what the mother does ln III
care ~ The fhildron and fhe h0mal n
} teaches them ~ fhlk about he forms (
J Nfei sad Industries, fuainfe aluly
!. about ihe nelghboFha0d THE 3 n
3 hFGi fffn Iht second aifp Il ~ go
ola aHHII aE. a.sI.HaM .......l..H ~. III