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APPENDIX.
HINTS ON THE METHOD OF TEACHING HISTORY.
BY A. P. STONE,
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS SPRINGFIELD MASS
THE
object of studying History in school is not merely the
acquisition of a great number of facts, nor the largest possible
amount of historical information; for an extensive knowledge of
history requires far more time than is devoted to school
education. Children need instruction in this branch, that their
attention may be specially called to the attractive features of
history, and that they may early acquire a fondness for historical
reading; thus laying a foundation for a very important element in
their future culture. Few young people are competent to decide for
themselves what history to read, or how to read it to good
advantage; and they should early learn, from teachers or others,
that much history is written which is not worth reading; that
those who read rapidly, discursively, and without plan, can obtain
no available knowledge of the subject; and that persons who are
really well read in history are not necessarily persons of
extensive, but rather of thorough and judicious, reading. Hence
history should be studied, and not simply read; and the teacher
who fully recognizes this will not, surely, so far as his
influence is concerned, allow the study to be neglected in school,
on the fallacious plea, often made by pupils and parents, that
history is so well adapted to private reading that it can as well
be attended to at home, or after leaving school. If it is
necessary to give the youthful student a proper insight into the
workings of the human mind, and of human action, and thereby
develop his powers by that most important of all studies, the
study of mankind, -- if it is important that he shall early learn
to view himself in the great and truthful mirror of the past, and
to establish his principles and shape his conduct by a careful
study of living examples, -- then it must be conceded that history
is fairly entitled to a place in the school-room.
As the result of considerable experience and
much interest in teaching history, the following subsections are
offered for the benefit of the teacher.
1. In the assignment of lessons, it is a
mistaken idea to suppose that a uniform number of pages can be
profitably given out for a lesson, from day to day. Some portions
are vastly more important than others, and whether the text-book
is large or small, we should not dwell equally upon all parts of
it. To pass rapidly and superficially over the narrative of some
events, would be manifestly unwise; and it would be equally so to
devote any considerable time to such portions as are of little
interest or importance. Hence we may find portions of the
text-book where a page or two, with the necessary collateral
reading and looking up of topics, will be amply sufficient for a
lesson, or, perhaps, for several; while in other parts, less
important, there may not be found upon ten pages matter of
sufficient consequence to occupy more than a single day. The
relative importance of the subject-matter must determine the time
to be spent upon any given portion of the text-book; and the
teacher must, in the exercise of his good sense, have due regard
to the age and capacities of his pupils, the time they propose to
devote to the study, the character of the text-book, and the
number and nature of the other branches pursued at the same time.
It is probable that, its a general thing, teachers err in
assigning lessons of too great length, oftener than otherwise.
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2. Pupils need suggestions about preparing
their lessons from the text-book. They should not be allowed
to pursue the method, so often practised (sic), of preparing them
solely by the aid of printed questions. By this method, as is well
known, the lesson is "marked off" into words and short sentences
that seem to answer the printed question, and then committed,
parrot-like, each answer being associated almost mechanically with
its question, without regard to the connection of those answers in
the narrative, and omitting altogether such portions of the text
as do not happen to be called out by the printed questions; for it
is well known to teachers, that lessons are often thus learned,
without even once reading over the text consecutively. Now, such a
course is, as a mental exercise, highly injurious, and cannot give
the pupil an intelligent understanding of the subject upon which
he is occupied for an available knowledge of history does not
consist in an ability to repeat a few disconnected answers, which
have been learned merely for the purpose of being given in
response to a series of set questions. Although pupils often
consider the recitation as the end and object for which the lesson
is to be learned, the teacher must regard it as a test,
principally, of what the pupil has been doing in the way of
healthy discipline of mind, and the acquisition of useful
knowledge. No thorough, independent teacher will be inclined to
make much use of printed questions in the recitation; and the only
way in which they can be of service to the pupil, while studying,
is, perhaps, in calling his attention to some of the most
important points of the lesson. Let the pupil, therefore, be
directed first to read over the lesson one or more times, so as to
grasp the general scope of it, and to impress the mind with a
distinct outline of the narrative; after which, the different
portions should be learned so thoroughly that he can give a full
and connected account of it, as a whole, or by topic, with but few
questions or hints from the teacher. Pupils unaccustomed to this
method, will, perhaps, enter upon it reluctantly, and with but
partial success at first; but by a little practice, and by
judicious encouragement from the teacher, they will not only
acquire great readiness in recitation, but will pursue it with
satisfaction and success. As it is one of the leading objects in
teaching this branch to show pupils how to read and to investigate
history, it is quite desirable that they should early form the
habit of using, in the preparation of the lesson, other means
besides the text-book. Let there be frequent reference to such
biographies, classical dictionaries, maps, and other works having
a bearing upon the subject, as may be within their reach.
3. The practice of requiring or allowing the
learner, as a general rule, to commit and recite the language
of the author, verbatim, is objectionable. It tasks the
memory unduly, and if pursued for any length of time, cannot fail
to impair the strength and healthy exercise of that faculty. It
also very naturally and necessarily leads the pupil to form the
habit of attaching more importance to words than to ideas. Those
who commit to memory with even the greatest facility, cannot be
expected to remember the exact language of any considerable
portion of the text-book much beyond the hour of recitation, or a
few days at most. Hence it follows, when undue importance is given
to words, that they will fail to retain the ideas of the lesson
when the particular phraseology with which they have been
associated is lost. It may be true that the language of the author
is better than that of the pupil; but that is no good reason why
the pupil should adopt it instead of his own. Good language in an
author is highly desirable, as it serves to present his ideas in a
clear and attractive form to the pupil, thereby aiding him to
incorporate those ideas more readily and fully into his own mind;
and when he has thus thoroughly imbued his mind with the ideas --
not the words merely -- of the lesson, he has not only added
substantially to his mental acquisitions, but he has also
strengthened and sharpened his intellect by the process itself;
and when, furthermore, he has clothed those ideas in language of
his own, and given utterance to them in the recitation, he has
advanced another step or great value to himself, in acquiring the
power and habit of expressing and communicating his ideas to
others -- one of the best fruits of a good education. Let the
learner, therefore, be encouraged to break away from the language
of the text-book as much as possible, and to grasp at the ideas of
the lesson and give them utterance in his own words; the result of
which will be, most profitable discipline of his mental powers,
and ready available knowledge of his subject.
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4. The remark of Dr. Watts, that
"Geography and Chronology are the eyes of History," is no
exaggeration of the importance of those two features; and the
method of teaching them judiciously is a matter of equal
importance, requiring good judgment and much tact. There are
certain features of geography which are best learned and
remembered in connection with history; for they have a mutual
relation to each other, and become connected by the laws of
association. The topography of a country, its waters, and its
climate, modify the founding and growth of its cities and
colonies, the development of its resources, its wars and military
campaigns, and its social relations and institutions. Hence maps
in a text-book for the special illustration of the lesson, are a
great auxiliary to a successful pursuit of the study. A good atlas
should be the constant companion of the student and reader of
history; and the geography of the lesson should be made equally
prominent in the recitation. If wall maps are not at hand for that
purpose, let maps of the lesson be drawn upon the blackboard -- a
most useful exercise for both teacher and pupil.
It is a grave mistake to require pupils, at
first, especially, to commit all the dates and statistics of
history, with the expectation that they will be retained in the
memory; or to suppose that they constitute, in themselves merely,
an acquisition of much value. No one remembers long a large number
of disconnected dates. It is useless labor, therefore, to burden
the memory with them alone. The facility which children often
acquire in committing and reciting such matter, not unfrequently
leads teachers to attach too much importance to it. The date of an
historical event is highly important when taken in connection with
a good knowledge of that event itself, in all its relations; but
otherwise its value is comparatively insignificant. The pupil who
can give the exact date of the battle of Bunker Hill, or of
Saratoga, or the amount of capital of the first National Bank
organized under our government but who has no further knowledge of
those events, of their nature and consequences, has no knowledge
of history to boast of. The teacher must carefully guard against
the tendency on the part of pupils to be satisfied with short
answers and isolated matters of fact, instead of the general scope
of the lesson. The habit of mind that aims too much at the former,
rather unfits the learner, in a measure, to grasp at the latter.
In the matter of dates and statistics, then, a few only, at first,
of the most important should be selected and learned in connection
with the events to which they belong; but they should be
thoroughly learned, with strict accuracy, and ineffaceably stamped
upon the memory by frequent reviews. Those of less importance will
afterwards easily take their places among the leading
landmarks.
5. A successful recitation depends quite
as much upon the teacher as upon the class. The teacher must not,
however, do the work of the pupils. The rule should be, that the
pupils shall do the work of the recitation, while the teacher
shall give direction to that work, and see that it is done
properly; and in so doing he will, of course, become equally a
worker himself -- but his spirit will give tone to the recitation.
If he is confined to the text-book, and to formal questions, the
pupils will follow in the same mechanical routine, and the
recitation will be as lifeless as it is unprofitable. He should be
thoroughly familiar with the lesson in all its particulars, and
stand before his class a living teacher; independent, but not
discursive; enthusiastic, but not boisterous; and ready to
communicate all desired information when needed and properly
appreciated. All questions proposed, and topics stated, should be
in language easily understood, and so worded as to make the pupil
think before an answer is attempted. Leading questions, which
suggest their own answers, are, of course, injurious, and to be
wholly avoided. As before intimated, the pupil should be required
to give, unaided, as far as possible, a full and connected account
of the lesson. The teacher's questioning will then more properly
have reference to a further illustration of the subject, its
practical bearings, and to testing the pupil's thoroughness and
his understanding of the lesson. The method of the recitation may
vary with the nature of the subject, but the teacher should strive
to avoid routine, and to make it fresh and attractive. As all
example, let one pupil be required to state the general subject of
the lesson; another, to give its lending divisions and topics; and
others, still, to give the particulars of those several divisions,
and so on. And even this method way be reversed, or greatly
varied, according to the ingenuity
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and skill of the teacher. The attention of the whole class may
be secured by frequently interupting the one reciting, and
requiring another to take up the subject at the same point, and to
continue it without any break in the narrative.
6. Let the pupil have an occasional model of
historical investigation and research. For this purpose
select an event, or topic, and dwell upon it for a length of time
and with a degree of minuteness that shall allow the subject to be
seen in every possible point of view. Collateral aid of every kind
must be called in, until the historical picture shall stand out
before the mind's eye like a panoramic view, distinct and
complete, not only in outline, but in the minutest (sic)
particular. These topics maybe various, such as battles, marches,
sieges, settlements, discoveries, political measures, historical
personages, &c.; but whatever the topic may be, let it be
expanded and treated with a thoroughness that will completely
exhaust the ingenuity and resources of teacher and pupil. By such
a course, repeating, reviewing, dwelling upon particulars, and
generalizing, there will be awakened a wonderful degree of
interest on the part of the class. Their perception of the whole
subject-matter of study will, at every recitation, become clearer,
and a life-like picture will be formed that will never fade from
their minds. Such a method is, of course, slow; a single topic may
occupy several days. But its slowness is its greatest
recommendation; for it insures an impression upon the mind that is
clear and distinct, and one that will be lasting and valuable. It
is not, however, expected that the whole text-book will be dwelt
upon In this manner. The exercise is given to show the pupil how
to investigate a subject thoroughly and completely, that he may
apply to his future reading, as occasion may require, the same
method of careful examination and rigid inquiry.
7. Reviews, judiciously conducted, are
deserving of special attention; for more is often done in the
review to make the contents of the lesson the pupil's own, than in
the first learning of the lesson. Topical reviews are preferable
to those which are periodical. The principal objection to the
latter is, that the review which occurs regularly once a week, or
once a mouth, must oftentimes begin or end in the midst of a
chapter or subject, and thus prevent the narrative from being
impressed upon the mind as a whole; while topical reviews,
covering a whole chapter, period, or topic, give the pupil a
complete idea of the subject, with all its associations unbroken
and in their proper connection. As it is by this principle of
association that much of history is retained in the memory which
would otherwise be lost, the practice of grouping and
generalizing events, in reviews, is one of the utmost
importance. If, for example, the American Revolution is the
subject of the review, let all its causes and preliminary
incidents be reviewed together. Then all the events which occurred
in New England may form one group or campaign; those about New
York, Long Island, and New Jersey, a second; the expedition of
Burgoyne, a third; the campaign of Philadelphia and its
neighborhood, a fourth; while the occurrences in the Southern
States would constitute a fifth. The same subject may then be
varied by reviewing the period chronologically, or by classifying
the different battles and expeditions accordingly as they were
successful or otherwise to the Americans. Settlements may be
reviewed geographically, chronologically, or according to the
nationality of those engaging in them. The success of such reviews
will depend much upon their being made frequent, thorough, and so
varied as to keep up a lively and fresh interest in the class.
There must be some philosophical method observed, that only those
events may be brought together which have some kind of connection;
and care should be exercised that the several topics and groups
are distinct and independent of each other.
The aim of the teacher, ever to be kept
in view in this branch, should be to inspire the learner with a
love for the study, to give all reasonable assistance needed, and
to draw out before the mind such a view of history as shall make
it a real panorama of the past. If we can thus furnish the minds
of pupils with a few vivid historical pictures, that shall allure
them on in this attractive study, -- if we can teach them how to
read, and how to study, in the most profitable manner, the annals
of the past, -- we shall accomplish a good
work.
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