One feature of a Normal School which distinguishes it especially from
other schools, is the opportunity given to its matriculants for
practising their art under the guidance and criticism of an experienced
teacher. This practice-teaching is done in a Model School, maintained
for this purpose in connection with the main school. Such is the theory.
But serious difficulties are encountered in carrying the plan into
practical effect, and these difficulties are so great as in some
instances to have led to the entire abandonment of the plan, while very
rarely have the conductors of Normal schools been able to realize
results in this matter commensurate with their wishes or with their
views of what was desirable and right.
Some of the difficulties are the following: Parents who send their
children to the Model School object to have their children taught to any
considerable extent by mere pupil-teachers. The teachers of the Model
School, having little or no acquaintance with the Normal pupils sent to
teach under their supervision, do not feel that entire freedom in
criticising the performance which is essential to its success. The
irregularities produced by these practice-teachings have a tendency to
impair the discipline of the classes in the Model School.
For these and other reasons which I need not dwell upon, I at least have
always been obliged to be somewhat chary in regard to the amount of
practice-teaching that was done in the institution under my care, and
have never felt quite satisfied as to the result. At the beginning of
the year 1867, I determined to try the plan of having a considerable
portion of the practice-teaching done in the Normal School itself, the
Model School still holding its place in the system as furnishing an
unrivalled opportunity for observation, and to some extent of practice
also. The effect of thus extending the opportunity for practice by
including the Normal School in its operations has been most happy. The
pupils have attained a degree of freedom in the exercise which is
working the most marked and decisive results. They enter into it with
more zest than into any other exercise of the class, and derive from it
in some instances as much benefit as from all their other exercises put
together.
Some detailed account of the method may perhaps be of interest to other
laborers in the same field. The method is substantially the same as that
followed in the Girls High and Normal School of Philadelphia, from which
indeed I borrowed the idea.
Once a week I make up a programme containing the names of those who are
to teach during the following week, and the classes and lessons which
they are severally to teach. The practice-pupils are thus enabled to
prepare themselves fully for the exercise. It is an indispensable
condition in all these exercises that the lesson be given without the
use of the book. When a pupil enters a room to teach one of these
assigned lessons, he is to bring with him only his crayon and pointer,
and is expected to assume entire charge of the class, maintaining order,
hearing the pupils recite, correcting their mistakes, illustrating the
subject, if necessary, by diagrams or experiments, giving supplementary
information drawn from other sources than the text-book, and acting in
all respects as if he were the regular teacher. The regular teacher
meanwhile sits by, observing in silence, and at the close of the day
writes out a full and detailed criticism upon the performance in a book
kept for this purpose, and gives the pupil an average for it, the
maximum being 100. These criticisms, together with the teaching
averages, are read next day by the Principal to the pupil in the
presence of the class to which he belongs, with additional comments in
regard to any principles of teaching that may be involved in the
criticisms.
An essential element of success in this scheme, is that the teachers
should be thoroughly faithful in the work of criticism, and point out
the errors and shortcomings of the young practitioners, not with
harshness, but with unsparing truthfulness and wise discrimination.
Practice-teaching under such conditions cannot fail to have a powerful
effect. The pupils are stimulated by it to put forth the very best
efforts of which they are capable, and the talent which they often
develop is a surprise equally to themselves and their teachers.
I cannot better give an idea of this practice-teaching, and especially
of the criticism which is its vitalizing principle, than by quoting a
few of the actual criticisms made during the last year. I feel sure they
will interest teachers and perhaps the public.
In making these extracts, I suppress, of course, the names of the
parties.