Notes relating to school apparatus.

Date:
[188?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes relating to school apparatus. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    the same end—only requiring closer attention, more skill of fingers. Next in order is the form-board. The child must first get the idea of putting the form in a depression in the board. Then two quite unlike forms; say a square and circle are given to the pupil and he is made to notice into which depres- sion each form fits. This is followed, from day to day, till he learns to place all the forms properly. The teacher is to understand that this is an exercise in perception of J^orm—and not the names of forms. It might Almost be said that pupils in such institutions as ours, should never be taught the names of the different forms, except, perhaps, round and square ; words in common use. After the form-board, will follow that to teach perceptions of size; to be used in a.similar way. Next in order, will follow the cups and balls. The judicious teacher will begin with two ; say, red and white ; teaching the pupil to place the ball of either color in the corresponding cup. And so on till the six colors are properly discriminated. A second exercise, more difficult, is to so arrange the balls in the cups as to require two changes to get them into their appropriate places. As with reference to the forms, so with reference to color, the teacher is to remember that this is an exercise in perception of color, and not in the tiames of the colors. In fact, these exercises will precede training in language. Then may be introduced exercises in combination of forms and colors. The teacher places two of the cards (geometrical forms) on the table and teaches the pupil to arrange two others in the same manner. A great variety of these can be made; I send only one or two patterns and a few card forms; as a suggestion. I may mention here, that in our register, the mental condition of a pupil is sometimes indicated by remarks like these: “cannot distinguish form, color or size,” meaning that when