Show G 1 Communications cat ons s V VV AA s O e r IE LEARNING Br BV ROTE In times gone by the cultivation of the ui memory mory was held as the chief end of ed ed- The idea was to identify memory memory memory mem mem- ory and knowledge quantum To To-be To be able to recite the words of the was was the test of the learned lesson It mattered little little whether the import of the words were were understood or not but but- if the symbols symbols symbols sym- sym bols could be re repeated that was all that c could uld be desired W Words were repeated over and over a again ain until the recitation i became almost as purely mechanical as as the there re revolutions ol of the wheel wagon-wheel on its axle or as the beating of the pendulum of the clock the action tion being sim simply ply semi- semi reflex Pope satirizes this practice in one f hi his po poems ms when he says Since man from beast by words are known Words are mans man's province words we teach alone True to a great extent times have changed and so have the methods and manners of some school Many pedagogues have abandoned the old ways of instruction and much good has been accomplished ac ac- But might not some improvement improvement im im- provement yet be made Let every wideawake wideawake wideawake wide wide- awake teacher look around him and and- reflect upon the situation and I doubt not but that he will find almost all that he looks for When a teacher thinks that his school chool is perfect and that he knows all that there is to be known of teaching then is the time to drop him liim from the list of public educators Now let us come down to our our own schools and see if we we cant can't find out s some some me i. i M things which when we go go O in into the s school school- ol- ol room I we may improve upon A very important thing is to explain in thoroughly whatever we try to teach and to explain it so that it may be understood by all It matters not V whether hether it is prose or poetry singing reading geography or history history- the meaning the sense of the exercise is taught In Utah here we are very patriotic patriotic patri otic and take a great deal of pride in iri teaching the rising generation the love of country country country-by by having the children learn national na nay nayl l hymns patriotic songs and telling them stories of patriotic of our country's heroes But are the full meanings always taught or are the tunes times to the songs with but little attention to tol the l e thoughts conveyed by the words th the principal things retained by the children The following example will illustrate to a certain extent at least how this was carried out by one of our city public schools this winter the circumstances were these A AA friend in the country wrote to have the thes old 1 Hall Hail words of the glorious song Columbia sent to him a girl of twelve years who reads in the Fifth Reader and wh learned the song ong in the schoolroom schoolroom school school- room sat down and wrote the following to b be besent sent to her friend 1 r. Hail Columbia happy land Hail or here or sev seven n born band Who Vho fought and pled for freedom Scot Who fought and pled For freedom scot but when the Strife of war was done then listen Listen with a joyful ere let Independence be our bost host i Never mind for what it cost Ever for the prize Let our reach the skies 1 Furm united let us s be raley Round our our liberty s v i 2 Sound sound the trump of Faith let name Grave ring through the world withOut with Out a pose ring through the world r Without a pose let independent j Be our bost ever great ful for the j J Prize let our our reach the I w Skies furm united let us s 's be F I 1 Rale Raley r round und our liberty I The child who wrote this had practiced over oever over and and over time time and again the tle words of th that t song until they were rere learned by rote lote but it is almost needless to say she sheI I r knew sc scarcely anything of off the meaning they conveyed o I I hardly hardly- believe that this this' little girl gill is the o only y pupil of our our- district dis is schools t to whom has no not been f fully lly e explained ed the the meaning ning of f. f al all that t i is taught them h Learning by heart has fal fallen n i into to disfavor disfavor dis dis- f favor vor with some teachers teacher Lock says Learning arning by heart I know not what it serves for b but t to misspend their time and pains and give them a d dis disgust disgust dis- dis s- s gust and averson to their bO books ks Then you may ask sk But shall we not have our pupils learn gem tl thoughts thought's of poetry and arid prose by heart Are they niver never ver to l learn arn the words of another that jr they tey may my recite commit o t tI to to- I memory memory 1 mor rul rules lule's s of any any kind By all iI means eans yes It is undeniably true t that at education d is helped by bythe the mem memory ry to to- toa a avery very vC very great extent and as as- as s such ch the cultivation cultiVation of f the memory is is of vast import import- ance In childhood od the aptitude of oin- oin woi- woi words wois s to men ory is very strong and it would be folly for the teacher tomake to tomake tomake make no use of it But the fault is with the pernicious practice of learning g words instead of the facts and truths they represent with the making the symbols and not not the the understanding understanding understanding under under- standing of them the te test t of the learned lesson In training the memory the teacher should exercise the judgment at atthe atthe atthe the same time in the selection of what is really important tant In this way overloading overload overload- load loading ing the mind will be avoided and the understanding understanding un un- will be improved Teaching is now a profession and no one who is not qualified should be p permitted r in our public schoolhouses es to train frain up the minds of our future men al and d. d w women women om N NIEMAND IEMAND 0 1 r 1 J A |