1866-1867 School Committee Report

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i 8 9 i full regular course of four years; to one who had completed earlier. This would allow of the addition of some farther the course in three years, according to a special provision mathematical study, either practical or theoretical; or the made for such cases; and to one who had omitted two of "` substitution,for each of the treatises now used in this branch, the required studies, the omission being noted in his di- of one more extended and comprehensive. This subject, ploma. however, belongs to the future. i THE COURSE OF STUDY. r. Four years ago, the Annual Report contained a full state- METHODS OF INSTRUCTION. ment of the required course of study,from the pupil's first Under this head, a few remarks on one point have sug- entrance to his leaving the schools. But few changes have gested themselves to us. It is now many years since the prac- been made since that time. The most important is the ex tice of examining pupils by topics instead of precise questions change of Eaton's larger treatise for his "Common-school came into vogue, as a remedy for a mechanical and memorizing Arithmetic;" and, instead of requiring pupils to be examined way of study and recitation. We have no doubt it was .in a part of the larger, to require examination in the whole needful as a corrective. But the reined brou ht its own evils. of the smaller, treatise, as a condition of enteringthe Hi h y g b g r r It is not the natural way of young minds to think precisely; School. This change was made in pursuance of the idea, and the liberty allowed in reciting by topics always tends that the Grammar Schools should afford to their pupils a to looseness, incoherence, and defectiveness in statement. complete elementary course, such as has been usually consid- The teacher says, "Tell me something about"—whatever it ered essential in all our common schools. In respect to the may be,—and the pupil tells 11 something about it;" but course preparatory to the High School, we see nothing we seldom exactly and coherently what is true, or what the book would change. Yet observation shows, that there is a tend- he has studied says. Now, we consider habits of careful and ency among the pupils to concentrate an undue share of exact thought and expression very important. And these attention upon arithmetic, to the comparative neglect of habits are better cultivated by requiring a strict, though not other things, particularly of writing, spelling, and grammar. verbal, repetition of the statements of the text-book, than by We think it important to insist, that those who are to enter the often loose and indefinite method of reciting by topics. the High School should,have considerable facility in the use In the much-discussed question between reciting by pre- of the pen, and practice in spelling by writing. A certain cise question and answer, according to the text-book, or by portion of the "Elements of History," which is studied in topics, we think, therefore, that both sides are partially right; the High School, might also be required to be learned before and that thorough teaching must use both methods, each for its entering that school; or an equivalent in some form of his- own ends: one for precision, accuracy, logical correctness, as torical study. well as to insure thorough study; the other for mental.,ex- The change just mentioned leads to one in the course after ercise in independent thought, and to insure an intelligent, entering the High School. Formerly, that portion of the first instead of parrot-like, learning. year devoted to mathematics was used in finishing and re- For the former uses, we regard translation from a foreign g g viewing arithmetic: now the pupils begin algebra as soon as tongue, if carefully done, as one of the most useful forms of they enter,—thus bringing the mathematical course one year mental training; and, in such a course as that of our own 2