Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1922-07-21
For Reform of Teaching Methods.

The following splendid article, an
ad6xess made by the safe Suparln-
,esaant of Education Of Louis.an~,
before the body OF state teachers, IS
printed III TIE Beacon by request Il
Is full. Of sound doctrine, and we'll
bears re-printing and ~re-reaoing. ana
VIII be found interesting 70 aiI-p2r-
EMS and teacher AXE There Is an
ever-forward move in education, and
the "old order changeth", bringing IN
new and in many cases better methods
of interesting the child in his work,
and facilitating the labor of the teach
er. Believing that when one gets a
good thing he should pass 1t along,
the Beacon gladly geproduceSeithlS
address.
Il am firmly of the opinion Mr..
Harris says in mis- address that many
pupils fan to get along IN school be-
cause we do not teach children how
To attack their studies. | do not re-
call that any teacher ever made a sug-
gestion to me as to how l could pest
prepare a particular lesson, and am
sure that in all my teaching eXper-
fence | made no effort to point out
to pupils how they should attack their
lessons, and | am afraid that this m
dictment can be brought against the
majority of us teachers today. We
hear lessons and do but little teach
ing. The recitation period is used to
test the children in knowledge which
we hope they have acquired at study
periods or at home. Frequently, not
much learning takes place during that
period.
"A mother suggested to a certain
principal that he do the teaching OF
the lessons during the day and let
her hear the lessons at night. She
said that she really did not have time
to do the teaching but she could man
age to hear the lessons. There was
Justice in her demand. The recitation
period should be a learning period.
81 can best illustrate what | NEAR
Some years ago / was visiting vh>
country schools oil q CERTAIN parish
ne teacher Of a oue-room acnoo.
called up an elementary class III geo
Elaphy and proceeded III the usual
way 70 lombard Jne class with rapid
IRE questions on lhe lesson. 1t Ce'
yeloped that the mothers must have
been busy the night before, because
the children's knowledge OF the les
son was zero. The teacher said PLAN
Nv and emphaticaily that she was hu
initiated and to show how mad shl
was she told the children that the.
would be required to spend the recl
tation period studying the lesson.
!; glanced over the lesson and PLACED
on the blackboard the ten or lively
/ important facts which the lesson con
, tanned and | asked the children t
f note these facts as they studied tn
- lesson and fix them in their minds
= At the end of a study period of fiji
teen minutes, the children proved i
a test of five minutes that they kne'
the lesson perfectly. When the teach
y er attempted to apologize for the 81
! uation ! told her that that lesson wa
n the only good one | had seen in tn
parish and ] hoped that she wouI
q manage somehow, to conduct all c
a her lessons in some such fashion,
"Note what took place in this re
= citation period: The children were d
, rected to the important points in tn
- lesson; they were told to locate thes
, in the text, and to fix them definite
=. in their minds. They then proved
!" a test Of a few inmates that thay kne.
= the lesson. The period was spent
: learning instead of in flounderin
~ around in a sea Of useless question
i and answers.
Il saw a teacher last session
a seventh grade arithmetic A PUP
f would read a problem, state VIII;
q was given, the result that was d
n SIZED, the principles involved ,ar
then outline the method OF procedur
Il No made any figures, no one wei
to the blackboard. There was e
hibited a fine type of thinking al
clear logical eXpreSsion-it was OF
Of the best lessons in arithmetic
had ever seen-and not a figure mad
= If we would teach children how
think in arithmetic and have the
manipulate figures just enough