School libraries for the reading which poor children get elsewhere is not likely to be very good or plentiful, and the reading which other children get elsewhere is likely to be more plentiful than good, and cannot be directed or controlled by the teacher. It is therefore advisable that every school, and essential that every poor school, should have a lending library. All the books in this should be interesting, as the main purpose of the library is to create and foster a love of reading. They should also, of course, possess high literary merit, and be suited to the capacities of children of various ages. When the authorities are not hampered by lack of means, each form or class should have its own library; and, when there is only one general library, the teacher of each form or class should superintend the distribution of the books among his own pupils. Knowing their individual needs and peculiarities better than anybody else, he can apply his knowledge in the choice of books and use his personal influence in encouraging reading. Public libraries If there is a public library within reach of the school (and in an intelligent and educated community the public library is more of a necessity than the public-house) the teacher should take full advantage of it. He should make himself acquainted with its contents, and post up in the school classified lists showing the authors, titles, and catalogue numbers of the books most suitable for young people 2; he should explain the routine for borrowing, and urge his pupils to borrow, and he should try to establish friendly relations with the librarian.3 In a well-equipped school there will be a reference library as well as a recreation library. 2 In some public libraries there is a 'Juvenile Department' with a catalogue of its own. Several copies of this catalogue should be kept in the school, and the teacher should not only urge the pupils to borrow, but excite their interest by talking about the books and reading striking passages from some of them. 3 This is generally easy, for what an intelligent librarian desires to see is not full shelves but a full catalogue. A READING LESSON The details of a reading lesson must vary with the age of the children and with many other circumstances, so that what is an excellent method for one class may be a poor one for another. A good lesson implies a judicious choice both of the ends to be attained and of the Means must vary with the end means to attain them. The ends The ends to be attained are: 1. Ready recognition of the printed symbols. 2. Clear enunciation and correct pronunciation. 3. Fluency. 4. Natural expression (involving an intelligent comprehension of what is read). 5. Mastery of the matter. With young children the teacher will strive chiefly to secure the first three; if his efforts are successful he will, with older children, have to strive chiefly for the last three. When the furnishing of the school-room admits of it, children should stand in a semicircle during the reading lesson, Standing allows the deep respiration essential for Standing good voice production, and is a relief from the sitting inevitable with most lessons. If the whole class cannot stand, the pupil called upon to read individually should always stand. Steps in a reading lesson I. In the typical reading lesson the following steps may be taken :— The books are given out. To prevent waste of time the teacher has seen beforehand that there is a book for every child, and that the pages to be read are not wanting in any book. 2. The page is announced. When children are very young it is well also to announce the title of the lesson, and to say what picture (if any) occurs on the page. A rapid walk behind the class assures the teacher that every one has found the place. Young children should be made to point to the word. The mechanical act helps to fix the attention, and is a proof that the teacher's labours are not being thrown away. 3. There is a brief talk about the matter of the lesson. Children will better understand the meaning of each part if they have a general idea of the meaning of the whole. 4. The teacher reads the first sentence and tries to make his reading a model of clear enunciation, correct pronunciation, and natural expression. 5. If the meaning of the sentence is not transparent he explains it. 6. He deals with each word the reading of which is likely to present any difficulty. The method of dealing with it will be the method employed in the school for teaching reading. Whatever the method, the word will be written (or printed) on the blackboard with other words presenting the same difficulty. In some reading books the hard words are placed together at the head of the lesson, and some teachers deal with these words together before beginning the reading. This does not seem the best plan; it is meeting troubles more than halfway. A list of hard words is useful for revision. 7. After dealing with the hard words in the sentence, the teacher reads it again, and the class simultaneously tries to imitate him. Mistakes of enunciation, pronunciation, and expression are corrected as they occur, and the simultaneous reading is repeated till it is as perfect as possible. One or two of the best and one or two of the worst readers are then asked to read the sentence individually. For every child to read every sentence individually would be impossible with a large, The teacher should reserve one copy of the reading book for his own use, and mark in it every word requiring special attention. The margins and blank spaces will be utilised for hints, notes, and exercises. and monotonous with any, class. Simultaneous reading is therefore a necessary device, but it should be employed with skill. The teacher must take care a. That every child is reading. (This is a point of order.) b. That the reading is really simultaneous. c. That it is reading, and not intoning or sing-song. 8. When the paragraph or section has been taken in the manner indicated it is read simultaneously and individually. The children who are not reading are kept alert by being made to point out the mistakes of the child who is. 9. When the whole lesson is gone through, questions are asked on the matter and on the meanings of the less common words. Too much SPELLING MANY people appear to consider bad spelling an infallible sign of defective education, and would rather have their conduct than their orthography called in question. Bad importance spelling may arise from want of reading or from attached to want of a sense for form. It may also arise from, spelling though it does not necessarily prove, want of ability. The combination of letters which shall represent a given word is decided, not by reason but by custom, which often sets reason at defiance.1 Nevertheless the very fact that the public (including parents and employers) attaches too much importance to what happens to be considered correct spelling compels the spending of too much time in teaching it.2 The power of spelling correctly implies the power of recalling rapidly and accurately the conventional images of words. This seems almost instinctive with some children. be aimed at They unconsciously learn to spell as they learn to read, but with their less fortunate fellows systematic instruction is necessary. The aim of such instruction is twofold-the What must Though many apparent anomalies, such as the silent b in debt and the silent u in honour, are justified on etymological grounds, other anomalies are retained in spite of etymology. With a proper regard for etymology island would be spelled iland and rhyme, rime. 2 Pharisaical adherence to one arbitrary form for each word is comparatively modern. Queen Elizabeth (whose great ability and great learning are undoubted) wrote sovereign in seven different ways; her favourite Leicester subscribed his own name in eight different ways; and Steele, in the first number of the Tatler, has, in addition to the title, fifteen spellings which would now be considered wrong. |