Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-20
PRONOUNCE CHILD
TEACHING FAILURE
Education Board Finds Stu
dents Are Burdened With
Useless Information

New York, Jan. 20.--The General
Education Board, founded and richly
endowed by John d. Rockefeller. finds
reason to believe that present-day
teaching in the elementary and sec
ondary schools--the teaching of chill
dren from to 19 years--is q failure.
1t finds that boys and girls are bur-
dened with useless information and
are not taught those things which
would assist them to take hold of
workaday life with q quick, sure grip.
1t finds that boys and girls bound TO
the present curriculum are not able
to get the true joy and zest of life.
Therefore the board announced yes
terday through its assistant secretary,
DR.. Abraham FleXner, that 1t will have
in operation by next fall an expert
mental school at Columbia University,
maintained by funds of the general
board in cooperation with the teach
ers college of Columbia In this new
school, a momentous experiment in
the history of education in the United
States, the theories of what modern
education should include will be tried
out slowly and carefully. The vast
resources of the foundation are back
of the project and among the possi-
bilities is a complete reform of edu-
cRtional methods in this country, for
the experiment is TO be worked out for
the benefit of the whole country.
Innovations and reforms that may
be startling to educators who retain
the historic traditions of pedagogy will
be given fair test, all in line with
the general boards theory that edu-
cation must be modernized because it
does not now make children effective
members of society. AS matters stand
children are turned out not knowing
how to use their eyes, ears or hands.
1 tne ,NA t.,,t n11 d.. ax.-
faculties are not developed. Useless
and obsolete subjects are emphasized.
| The necessities of modern life are
neglected.
The new school, which will open
with part of it's classes in the fall of
1917, will admit boys and girls from
| 3 years of age up. 1t is stated that
tuition fees will be moderate and that
there will be free and partly free
| scholarships.
Latin and Greek as languages will
not be taught. Modern languages will
be stressed and experiments will be
made to determine what methods of
teaching English, French, Spanish and
German give the most substantial
| practical results. New methods of
teaching literature, history and civics
will be tried, and in this connection
| efforts will be made to ascertain
whether the important ancient classics
| SaihoI pc uSeu SheCllNeIy III lTdiS-
| lations.
That bugbear of teachers, ''the
pony" will come into dignified place.
Science, industry and the domestic
arts will be prominent throughout the
school. and increased attention will be
given to music, drawing and the arts.
Mathematics will receive special con-
sideration in the hope of working out
a rational course of study which con-
meets the study of mathematics with
it's use, and which also makes special
provision for those who have special
ability or desire for mathematics.
Organized recreation, play and
games will be provided. Constant eff
forts will be made. by means of indi-
vidual, class and school excursions, by
means of pictures, lantern slides,
charts. maps, shop and laboratory,
special reading matter and discus
sions to give the pupils sufficient con-
tact with their natural Industrial, So
cial, economic, vocational and domes-
tic environment to familiarize them
with the uses and demands of the
! actual world in which they live. The
school will frankly discard that theory
of education known as formal disci-
pline" and will undertake to train in
the study of subjects that are them
selves valuable. 1t is believed that u
much more effective discipline can
| thus be secured.