The Psychology of ArithmeticThorndike, Edward L. (Edward Lee)
Science
The Psychology of Arithmetic
Thorndike, Edward L. (Edward Lee)
Arithmetic -- Study and teaching
(5) _A bond to be formed may be formed in any one of many degrees of
strength. Which of these is, at any given stage of learning the subject,
the most desirable, all things considered?_ For example, shall the dates
of all the early settlements of North America be learned so that the
exact year will be remembered for ten years, or so that the exact date
will be remembered for ten minutes and the date with an error plus or
minus of ten years will be remembered for a year or two? Shall the
tables of inches, feet, and yards, and pints, quarts, and gallons be
learned at their first appearance so as to be remembered for a year, or
shall they be learned only well enough to be usable in the work of that
week, which in turn fixes them to last for a month or so? Should a pupil
in the first year of study of French have such perfect connections
between the sounds of French words and their meanings that he can
understand simple sentences containing them spoken at an ordinary rate
of speaking? Or is slow speech permissible, and even imperative, on the
part of the teacher, with gradual increase of rate?
(6) _In almost every case, any set of bonds may produce the desired
change when presented in any one of several orders. Which is the best
order? What are the advantages of each?_ Certain systems for teaching
handwriting perfect the elementary movements one at a time and then
teach their combination in words and sentences. Others begin and
continue with the complex movement-series that actual words require.
What do the latter lose and gain? The bonds constituting knowledge of
the metric system are now formed late in the pupil's course. Would it be
better if they were formed early as a means of facilitating knowledge of
decimal fractions?
(7) _What are the original tendencies and pre-school acquisitions upon
which the connection-forming of the elementary school may be based or
which it has to counteract?_ For example, if a pupil knows the meaning
of a heard word, he may read it understandingly from getting its sound,
as by phonic reconstruction. What words does the average beginner so
know? What are the individual differences in this respect? What do the
instincts of gregariousness, attention-getting, approval, and
helpfulness recommend concerning group-work _versus_ individual-work,
and concerning the size of a group that is most desirable? The original
tendency of the eyes is certainly not to move along a line from left to
right of a page, then back in one sweep and along the next line. What is
their original tendency when confronted with the printed page, and what
must we do with it in teaching reading?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account