Search -
A Manual of Instruction for Infants' Schools (1830)
A Manual of Instruction for Infants' Schools - 1830 Author:William Wilson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IT. THE ART OP ARITHMETIC. The method pursued in teaching the art of arithmetic, is similar to that which has been described for teaching the art o... more »f reading, as far as the difference in the subjects will allow. The foundation of the art of reading was laid in the distinctions of sound, which were traced through various combinations to the construction of language; through the letters, as the signs of sounds, and from them, through words and sentences, which are the substance of every book which a child may be called to read. The art of arithmetic we shall trace from simple numbers, through their various combinations and relations, to the use of figures, which are the signs of numbers, and seem thus to hold a parallel place in this art, with letters in that of reading.—(See Note B.) You have before you, then, a considerable number of infants, who are altogether ignorant of the most simple modes of calculation. They are in their several classes round the large room. ]. The Infants are to clap their Hands in measured time. In the first place, clap your own hands in measured time; their attention will soon be caught, and they willbegin to imitate you. Remember that this is a lesson, and must be repeated till they all do it in exact unison. For variety they may strike one of their feet on the ground, or walk after you with measured step round the room. A love of rhythm and measure is natural to us, and our aim is here to follow nature, and make use of the tendencies of the human mind, in the formation of an art. 2. The Children to count while clapping their Hands. In the next place, at every stroke of the hands count one, and entice the infants to imitate and accompany you. This must be done till they can count a hundred, which is the range of a table herea...« less