The daily worker., 1926-03-09

has made such strides, that itst
influence before long will be
very far-reaching.
This school differs from the usual
capitalist school both in the subjects
taught, and in the methods of teach
ing. The professional lecture method
has been relegated to. the background.
The lecture method gives the teacher
an opportunity to make a fine speech
IF he is good orator-but it rarely
stimulates the student to any mental
process other than day-dreaming. The
Workers School has departed entirely
from the lecture system. It has sub
stituted the question method. The
teacher presents the lesson in the
form of few carefully worked-out
questions. The students do the re-
search work from the prescribed
books and draw from their working
class. experience, and then answer and
discuss the questions in class.
The function of the teacher is to
ask questions in order to bring out
the salient points of the lesson, and
to guide the discussion in the proper
direction This method not only.
makes for real democracy in the class
room, but helps the students to do
their own thinking and clarity their
ideas.
The aims OF the Workers School
are to teach working men and women
to see conditions as they really exist,
and to train the more capable work
ers to take up the cudgels in behalf
of the exploited working class. All
the courses which are given at the |
school have these aims in view. The |
courses in economics and politics deal |
directly with the origins and aspects |
of Marxism and Leninism. The trade
union courses present the growth and |
structure of the American trade union |
movement and correlate past prob |
lens with the present ones in the
unions. American history is studied |
not from the doctored and mythical |
capitalist textbooks, but from a real |
working-class standpoint The strug-
giles and role of the workers during
the various eras of American history
ere portrayed with startling devia-
tions from the usual history lessons |
of the usual school. There are many |
other interesting courses dealing with |
he vital problems OF past and present
iife, and In addition to these a well |
organized English department which I
helps foreign workers to overcome
the difficulties of our language in a |
live and vital manner.
The Workers School does not con
Germ itself merely with the theory of |
learning; it also believes in making |
its education practical This has been
accomplished in many ways. First |
II has a research course, where the
students get the facts for public |
speakers, unions, labor campaigns |
strikes, and any other organization |
which may call upon 1t for this mate |
rial. Then the School offers a public
speaking course, which trains stu
dents to talk to large numbers of
workers. II sends these speakers into
strike areas, such as the anthracite
field and Passaic, to point out to work
ers their true state OF serfdom.
Finally, there is the workers CORE
spondents course. This course gives
the students, briefly, the fundamentals
OF good working-class Journalism, so
that they can write articles about con-
litions in the factories. Students are
ent out TO areas OF industrial agita-
tion to get stories. or they become
self-constituted reporters to gatner