Evening star., 1939-03-22
Keep a Child
Interested
In School
Lessons That Are
Too Difficult Do
Definite Harm
Nv ANGELO PATRI.

Recently came across an ex-
ample in long division that had a
dividend so long I had difficulty in
reading it. a divisor Of four figures
Every difficulty that long division
could offer was in that example.
The fourth grade child who was
struggling with it was crying. He
had had that example for week.
The teacher had given 1t to the class
and said that 1t was all the arith-
metic she was going to give them
until each OF them had the correct
answer. If they got that example
right she knew they could do any
example in long division, which was
the ultimate in the grade work.
think it likely that any child
who could work that example with
out mistake could do any example
in long division. But what of it?
Long division is the most difficult
arithmetical process that elementary
school children have to learn. They
learn that process. They are not
expert at it. That requires years
of practice. What they need is
practice in the various forms of diff
culties.
The first example should be so
easy it can be done at a glance.
The class does these so they learn
the process and succeed in doing it.
Success. feeling Of ease in dealing
with this work, is essential to the
success of the learning process. If
the child finds it hard to get the
first steps right he is going to be
afraid of the work and so have a
hard time overcoming its difficulties.
All examples should be short.
There is no need of setting long
ones that stretch to the edge of
the paper These long examples give
the child too many opportunities
for making mistakes. The very
length of them frightens the child
at the start He gets tired soon.
After that he is confused and can
not go on. He wastes time. He
learns to dislike the work. He gives
up and tries to get by with any an
swer that comes. And some of them
learn to hand in the work of some
quicker, more experienced pupil.
Arithmetic is not the only sub
ject that is misused. Sometimes
busy or weary teacher tells the
children to take out their readers
and copy pages. Sometimes they
order words written many times
each. Or tables that cover pages
and pages of paper. This keeps
the children busy and quiet, for
a time, while the teacher gets some
clerical work done or rests after a
hard session.
1t is bad practice in any light.
Children do not have to use their
minds when they copy monoto-
nously. They learn nothing. They
soon write automatically. Words
are misspelled, punctuation omitted,
capitals disregarded, in copying
from books. Mistakes are made in
tables. Errors are rewritten many
times in spelling lists used this
way. Penmanship is ruined Worst
OF all. the childs attitudes toward
school work and toward the teacher
are set the wrong way.
School lessons should be set to
make the child's mind stretch
little in achievement. Without ef-
fort there is no interest and no
growth in power. Work should be
so nicely adjusted that the pupils
have to do enough work to keep
them active mentally, and yet sue
ceed in getting the results de-
manded. Neither too hard nor too
easy, neither too long nor too short.
Just right to be interesting and
keep the mind active.
Mr.. Patri will give personal
attention to inquiries from par
ents and school teachers on the
care and development of chill
dren Write him Il, car> ~ <h;s