Interest-Gaining Devices by Edna S. Decker

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 1, 1907

Interest-Gaining Devices

By Edna S. Decker

SCHOOLROOM · life, in order to be rightly instructive, must be happy, or at least pleasant. Children will be children in the schoolroom as well as out of it, and rarely do we find a child who is happy unless interested in his work or his surroundings.

Often a simple change in the method of doing a daily task will polish away the rough edges and make it a delight.

To secure prompt attendance I have practised reading an interesting book immediately after opening exercises. Occasionally one of the older pupils may take the teacher's place in reading. They feel it an honor to be chosen.

A blackboard space may be reserved, and a red star placed after a pupil's name for each week that he is not tardy. After five red stars are earned, they may be displaced by a blue one. This is a simple device, but most children will work for it.

To secure neatly written work, an honor roll of white or colored bristol board may be constructed to adorn some wall space. Gilt stars may be placed after each name for a day's work neatly done. The penmanship class may need five minutes extra in which to finish, but it will be well spent. A gilt star may also be placed after each perfect lesson in the spelling blank. If one can not procure stars already cut, a sheet of gilt paper may be obtained for five cents, and the first or second grades, for busy work, can cut them after a pattern.

In arithmetic classes, third and fourth grades, where constant drill is necessary upon multiplication tables and problems based upon them, I have tried sending the class to the board. Then I dictate the problem, having pupils begin to work simultaneously. Suppose there are six in the class, let the one who first obtains the correct answer, write the number six at top of his board space; the next, five; and so on. Problem after problem may be given, and rapid thinking obtained. At the close of the period, each pupil adds his own numbers, and the one having the most may be allowed to dictate one more problem.

In fourth grade geography classes I have found this device to work well: Each pupil supplied himself with a five-cent composition book. Then, when we studied about northern North America and its cold climate, we secured pictures of fur-bearing animals, ice houses, or Eskimos. When we studied warmer zones, we selected pictures of orange groves, cotton fields, etc. Each pupil was allowed to paste one picture at the top of a page in his note-book. Below, he wrote a short story telling all he could about it. One day we spent the class time in talking about the lesson, and the next in reading the stories which were previously written. This method helped to fix the lesson in mind, as well as to make it interesting. It also correlated language work. At first, I feared that my supply of pictures would soon be exhausted, but the pupils shouldered this responsibility, and soon we had more than enough. They cut them from old catalogues, magazines, and newspapers. At the end of the year we had note-books worth preserving.

A teacher must be tactful at all times. If the pupil chooses to bring in butterflies or flowers, let her be pleased and ready to advise or assist in collecting. Or, if polliwogs are the victims, let it

be polliwogs. In fact, a glass jar of these little creatures affords both amusement and instruction for weeks. Language stories may be written about them. Number stories may be based upon them. Thus the teaching is objective; not arbitrary, but natural, following the development of the child.

EDNA S. DECKER.