The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-03-22

cooperation or alQ. IL am referring W
all the children of all the people.) We
must admit that under this plan not
all pupils could do the best. For ex-
ample, the bright students could profit
by home work because of the fact that
they possess skill and ability to make
the right progress. But our schools
are established for the large number
who do not have capacity and energy
to sit down and apply themselves tc
mental tasks that require undivided
attention and individual effort through
a long period Of time. On the whole,
the individual youth cannot be expect
ed to do so. We cannot expect it from
the parents. Most of them are labor
ers who are working hard for living
and have not the time nor the ability
to give the attention. AS in the case
of the woman referred to above in the
Ladies' Home Journal, who had four
little children in school that came
home constantly and asked her for
help. Herself, tired and worn, came
home tired and worn from her daily
tasks and was forced to either take
her children out of school or else give
her time to their instruction. Finally
she wrote the principal and said that
if the school would give their time to
helping the children get their lessons
she would hear the recitations. This
was the birth of supervised study.
Whipple, in his book on GLOW tc
Study Effectively" says: "Students in
the high schools and colleges have
been studying for years, but too often,
they have not been studying effective
ly; have not formed the right habits
of mental work and indeed, do not
even know how to go about the devel.
opment of an adequate method or plan
for such work. They are often unable
to recognize as such, the problems Sc
before them, nor do they have clear
idea as to the methods by which the
problems should be solved"
Neither do they know fully how to
deal with those lessons that must be
learned more or less verbatim. How to
study effectively is the problem. Nc
hurry in his book, GLOW to Study
makes this point-"Do the teachers dc
the pupils function properly? Do the
teachers understand how to hitch uI
the problem found in the text boob
with the real life and activity of tn,
the child?" True, some of the teach
ers had the ability when they were
in high school, to do all the problems
with practically no assistance and be-
cause OF this, when it comes to teach
ing, they are short. True, some OF
the pupils have the ability to function
and make all the progress
expected, but the great majority dc
no..
We are forced to admit that even
though we made possible the change.
what will we have gained by super
vised schedule, if we have missed sup
ervised study itself? 1t is upon thl
point that the whole success hinges.
In giving out the assignment of a |
lesson several things are fundamen-
tally important. First, the limits of |
the new lesson should be kept clearly
in mind. Second, directions for study |
ing the lesson should be labeled. The |
teacher must have a clear plan in |
mind how to study the lesson. The |
frightened period gives the time TO:
-o~alzatlon and concentration of at
tention. You have made your assign
ment specific; the child should be held |
responsible for executing it; the teach |
er has given clear cut demonstra-
ton of the new problem involved. Sup
pose it is problem in mathematics;
it is worked out on the board, and in
detail; the merits of the sample COM
mented on. The pupils now think that
they have all the help and can get the
lesson without trouble. But when he
finds himself so engaged, un-
difficulties arise. The model
and the explanations were
clear enough, but how do they apply
to THIS problem, to this section O.
the lesson? The process of association
has been blocked for some reason or
other. At this point it is important
to supervise the pupils work. This can
be done during the supervised stud,
period. Explanations are now made
to individuals, not to the class. The
pupil and teacher apply the explana-
ton already given class, thus start
ing the pupil on the right method OF
attack.
Is this possible under the old method
Of assignment and doing the work at
home? No, because the teacher in this
case has failed to make the CONNEC-
TON between suggestions and as
signment which can only become eff
fective under this new plan.
In order to accomplish effectively
the supervision of studying, it is ne
cessary to break the class up into at
least three groups which for conven-
ence may be called the superior, the
average and the inferior. In the first
group, will be found those who do not
need any individual attention. They