The senses of children having revealed every object in
its true light,
they next desire to know its name, and then express their perceptions
in words. This you have to gratify, and from the time you tell them
the name of an object, it is the representative of the thing in the
mind of the child; if the object be not present, but you mention
the name, this suggests it to the infant mind. Had this been more
frequently thought of by instructors, we should have found them less
eager to make the child acquainted with the names of things of which
it has no knowledge or perception. Sounds and signs which give rise
to no idea in the mind, because the child has never seen or known the
things represented, are of no use, and can only burden the memory.
It is, therefore, the object of our system to give the children a
knowledge of things, and then a knowledge of the words which represent
those things. These remarks not only apply to the names of visible things,
but more particularly to those which are abstract. If I would say, shew
a child a horse, before you tell it the name of the
animal, still more would I urge it on the teacher to let a child see
what love, kindness, religion, &c. are, before it is told what names
to designate those principles by. If our ignorance as to material
things be the result of instructing the children in names, instead of
enabling them to become acquainted with things, so, on the other hand,
I believe we may account, in the same way to some extent, for virtue
being so frequently a mere word, an empty sound, amongst men, instead
of an active principle.
Our next endeavour is to teach the children to express their thoughts
upon things; and if they are not checked by injudicious treatment,
they will have some on every subject. We first teach them to express
their notions, we then tell them ours, and truth will prevail even
in the minds of children. On this plan, it will operate by its own
strength, not by the power of coercion, which renders even truth
disagreeable and repulsive; the children will adopt it from choice in
preference to error, and it will be firmly established in their minds.
It will no doubt be perceived, that for the promotion of the
course here recommended, it will be advisable to connect with our
alphabetical and reading lessons, as much information as we possibly
can. By so doing, the tedium of the task to the child will be
considerably lessened, as well as much knowledge attained. The means
of doing this in a variety of ways will, no doubt, suggest themselves
to the intelligent teacher; but as an illustration of what we mean,
the following conversational plan may not be useless.
We have twenty-six cards, and each card has on it one letter of the
alphabet, and some object in nature; the first, for instance, has the
letter A on the top, and an apple painted on the bottom. The children
are desired to go into the gallery, which is formed of seats, one
above the other, at one end of the school. The master places himself
before the children, so that they can see him, and he them, and being
thus situated, proceeds in the following manner:--
A.
Q. Where am I?
A. Opposite to us.
Q. What is on the right side of me?
A. A lady.
Q. What is on the left side of me?
A. A chair.
Q. What is before me?
A. A desk.
Q. Who is before me?
A. We, children.
Q. What do I hold up in my hand?
A. A letter A.
Q. What word begins with A?
A. Apple.
Q. Which hand do I hold it up with?
A. With the right hand.
Q. Spell apple.[A]
A. A-p-p-l-e.
Q. How is an apple produced?
A. It grows on a tree.
Q. What part of the tree is in the ground?
A. The root.
Q. What is that which comes out of the ground?
A. The stem.
Q. When the stem grows up straight, what would you call its position?
A. Perpendicular.
Q. What are on the stem?
A. Branches.
Q. What are on the branches?
A. Leaves.
Q. Of what colour are they?
A. Green.
Q. Is there any thing else beside leaves on the branches?
A. Yes, apples.
Q. What was it before it became an apple?
A. Blossom.
Q. What part of the blossom becomes fruit?
A. The inside.
Q. What becomes of the leaves of the blossom?
A. They fall off the tree.
Q. What was it before it became a blossom?
A. A bud.
Q. What caused the buds to become larger, and produce leaves and blossom?
A. The sap.
Q. What is sap?
A. A juice.
Q. How can the sap make the buds larger?
A. It comes out of the root, and goes up the stem.
Q. What next?
A. Through the branches into the buds.
Q. What do the buds produce?
A. Some buds produce leaves, some blossoms, and some a shoot.
Q. What do you mean by a shoot?
A. A young branch, which is green at first, but becomes hard by age.
Q. What part becomes hard first?
A. The bottom.
[Footnote A: It is not supposed that all or many of the children will
be able to spell this or many of the subsequent words, or give such
answers as we have put down. But some among the older or more acute
of them will soon be able to do so, and thus become instructors to the
rest. It may be proper to mention also that the information in Natural
History, &c. &c., displayed in some of the answers, is the result
of the instructions in Natural History which the children simultaneously
receive, and which is spoken of in a subsequent chapter. Mr. Golt's
simple arrangement of the Alphabet I much approve of, and no doubt it
will come into general use.]
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