“IDEALS IN INFANT TEACHING.”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 31, 28 May 1914, Page 2

“IDEALS IN INFANT TEACHING.”

(By F. J. Morgan, M.Sc.) Physical education, which formed no special feature of the older Froebeliau system, has an important place in the curriculum of a Monfcesprri scnool. By meaivs of special contrived gymnastic apparatus, Dr. Montesorri aims at » an all round development of the mus--1 cular system but more particular at- | tention is paid to those muscles concerned in grace of movement. Three things stand out prominently with regard to this kindergarten method: (1) The individuality of the child is considered, for all work is individual; (2) the spontaneous activities of the child are utilised—play can be with whatever is desired, for as long as desired; (3) discipline is self-taught-perfection comes through self-control. With large classes the question of individuality and individual teaching is ruled out of court, but more attention could and should be paid in schools in this country, to the spontaneous activities of the pupil, for free play, in building up forms of life, in modelling with plasticine and in color work, presents a large field that can be utilised by the skilful teacher. Kindergarten methods may be, by some, considered the peculiar property of the teacher of the young (3 —6), but it should ho borne in mind that the only ; natural and rational way of teaching i s hy extending the methods adopted by the best of infants’ teachers. This immediately silggosts more practical work than that undertaken at present. “Learn by doing” should he the watchword of every teacher. In the study of arithmetic, this kindergarten method is of especial value, for this subject is essentially one that concerns “things.” It is with the number of “things” that teacher and scholars are concerned and hence number must be taught through The concrete. There is no need to bother about the order of teaching the rules —they can he taught together. For example, if the pupil has mastered numbers up to 8 hy means of playing with blocks,- heads, coins, etc., the following will he known:—(l) 4 and 4 equal 8, 3 and 5 equal 8, etc.; (2) 8 less 6 equals 2, 8 less 4 equals 4 ; (3) two 4’s in 8, four. 2’s in 8; (4) times 2 can he taken from 8 equal 4 ; times 4 can he taken from 8 equal 2, and owing to continual association, the answer to any of the above will he forthcoming at once—the action has become automatic. In this way also the multiplication table as far as 20 can he built up, and if the teacher’s ingenuity has been exercised in extending the variety of concrete illustrations, an amazing amount of knowledge can be included in the teaching of numbers up to this limit. If the pupil has had the advantage of, say, a year's kindergarten training, the teaching of the written language, of number may proceed simultaneously with the oral, otherwise it may prove advisable to start the written work after a knowledge of numbers .up to 10 has been gained. The testing of the knowledge gained hy means of problems, for the three years has been is the m'eans by which the teacher can discover whether the necessary ideas can he obtained without the use of objects. If the answer can be obtained without the stimulus, the use of the concrete can he dispensed with on certain conditions, viz., that it is again in evidence when, any extension of the rules is being taught. The first three years of the school life should he devoted to the thorough teaching on these lines of numbers up to 100. If this were done, little would be heard of the difficulty of problems for the three years has been spent on the mastering of the relationship- of the number of things and a so-called problem is only an arithmetical example dealing with the number of things. Peculiar mistakes due to bad methods would not then be apparent, for problems would not be taught to patterns. For example, a child set out a particular sura in this

way : Money John had ... £ Money Jim stole from him £ Money John had left ... £ Unfortunately the question concerned “nuts.” A valuable exercise, and one co-related with language, is to allow the pupil to express orally and later to write" his own problems, for, in this wav, a further knowledge will be gained whether the scholar has the necessary ideas for the solution of any arithmetical example. Reading is the getting of thought. Oral reading as practiced in schools should lie the getting and giving of thought—intelligent reading certainly is this, but in many eases the child is allowed to give without first obtaining. The mode of getting thought, or at «H events of establishing the necessary conditions, is deteniiined by certain psychological principles, and advantage must be taken of the previous kindergarten training or of tbo selfeducation prior to school life. Impressions from without have, even in the case of a child of three, been the means of the formation of certain ideas, which have become related to such an extent that the child can be said to perceive, certain facts or has thought. These have been further associated with the sounds of words and sentences so that thought can ho expressed. Obviouslv, then, the teacher’s work is to build upon such foundations. The modus operand! of self-education must he followed—ideas must come from external stimuli —further associations must he established with the printed or written word. There is !no other method, psychologically so pro. | fitable as that beginning with the | word, and the business of the teacher i is to extend the known vocabulary. I Advantage can bo taken of various

.helps to the powers of recall, viz., modelling in plasticene, conversations, pictures, drawings, can all bo associated with the' sense impression of the object, the sound of the word, and the form of the written word. Later there is another link to be added, the motor activities called into play when the word is written, and hero Dr. Montesorri’s method of teaching to write !could with great profit, be applied. In fact there is no reason why this method, dependent on the development of the tactile sense, should not be adopted universally, providing of course, the word is substituted loi the letter. This would naturally entail the disappearance of suck things as the formation of copper plate letters—the nice discrimination of spacing, together with an accurate appreciation of slope, hut in the place of (hose relics of bygone age would spring up rapidity and legibility. Sentences are taught on the same lines, and a modern teacher can easily sug-

gest ways of using tbo concrete to teach simple sentences. At a later stage great use can be made of the principle of association by similarity—both of sound and form—in building up a vocabulary. For instance, rat, mat, etc., follow naturally from cat. As the written words become more fixed in the mind other links may be set up, viz;, the separate parts of the word may be associated with the separate articulate sounds so that ultimately new words may be pronounced and known at sight. The change from script to print is quite an easy one, and most children will’ make a comfortable passage in less than a week. Rules for spelling are, the invention of the devil.

They are generally the recommendation of cranks who have no knowledge of child mind, of psychological principles, and of tiro meaning of spelling. Spelling is an appreciation of tho form of the word. To bo able to spell correctly one must be able to form a correct visual idea of the word, and this can only bo obtained, by seeing the word. The best way of seeing a form is to draw it, and the most economical way of learning to spell is to writ© words until they can be written automatically. As soon as possible the words should be written in sentences—the written form of thought expression for the stimulus of the thought enables the pupil to recall the word form. dust as in arithmetic, where the aim was to encourage the obtaining of an answer to a simple exercise, instantly, so in spelling, the word should be fixed by continual writing until it can be reproduced: at once and with accuracy: Time will admit of only briefly mentioning the teaching of one or two other subjects. Modelling and drawing should be correlated with most, if not all, oral lessons, and modelling should precede drawing. Hie child Vfilht impressions Are these gained through the solid— knowledge of the flat comes later —bench the need for reproducing or copying a solid

form. . . , The first lesson in drawing should je of man— a rough attempt to represent on the flat, by shading, the form of the solid. For example, an apple i an be represented in this system by shading with colored chalk from a centre and gradually extehding from this point by circular movements. Outlute should be attempted later, and always, of course, from the object. The days of reproductions of £ llat copies are, it is hoped* gone for .ever. One sees the evil “effects of this old system in High Schools, where the pupils taught in this pernicious way, have absolutely no idea of drawing simple apparatus.' The results, iudicious as some of them aye, tell a very lamentable story of the previous training in (drawing, whereas no difficulty would bo experienced if the methods adopted had been on correct linos. j No education can bo termed complete unless due regard is paid to the development of the body. Modem i reformers have adopted the recom- | mendatiou of one of the earliest great expositors of any system of education Plato. This eminent Greek laid great stress on the value of rhythmic movements, and to-day no cuixiculum is up to date unless it includes sonnw such form of physical culture. Such exorcises tend to cultivate grace of movement; they take advantage of the spontaneous activities of the child, on which Hr. Montesorri lays so much stress; and the influence of the music, iu increasing the happiness of tho child and in developing appreciation of tlio beautiful, is of vital importance | to the education of the young. Lastly there- is the moral aspect of education. All education must he moral first—intellectual secondarily. If our whole system of education does not bear fruit in character and conduct, of what avail is it? The teacher hy fostering and guiding the sympathetic impulses of the little child, by seeing that the necessary conditions are present for the extension of the sympathies, can indirectly impart more or loss definite ideals of conduct, and lead to tho establishment of self-control. But the right atmosphere must be always present, and this can only bo provided by the personality of tho teacher—the influence is more by example than by precept. The teacher must know that in every act of life, no matter how trivial, the foundations of all future conduct is laid. “Every generous feeling that has not been crushed, every wholesome impulse that has been followed, every just perception, every habit of unselfish action will he present in the background to guide and to restrain.”