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prevails. The signals are: first bread; second bell, water; thir fourth bell, children stand up and in classes.

The afternoon gallery lesson sho a lively, animated manner, as the beginning to tell upon the childre the energies of the teacher to ke attention.

PICTURE LESSONS IN CIRCULA

The picture lessons in circulating ed thus, supposing there to be tw twelve classes in the school.

At each post is stationed a monit a picture which they understand children are to be previously ar eight in the playground, under m each class there is a mixture of y answers of the elder children instr younger. A class is stationed bef Suppose the classes and posts to be to twelve, and the small figures to the large ones the classes, thus, fig

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variety from the gallery work. The subjects taught may be selected prints of natural history, diagrams, maps, or real objects.

SIMULTANEOUS INSTRUCTION.

The monitorial plan, although indispensible for order and organization, is plainly inadequate as a teaching power in an Infant school; since a good teacher must possess an amount of intellectual cultivation not desirable in a child of seven or eight years of age. It therefore became necessary, at the outset of the system, to devise means by which the whole school could be concentrated under one teacher; hence the introduction of the gallery of raised steps, by which arrangement every child is brought within sight and hearing of the teacher. Most subjects of a general nature can be taught to a large class as easily as to a small one. It has been objected to this plan that, where there is a large number taught together, all are not attending: this be may true to a limited extent, but it is quite certain that any attempt at subdivision (unless the number of rooms and teachers be increased) would only make the matter A teacher, with a large class seated in the gallery, is assisted by several favorable circumstances; he secures order and silence in the room for the lesson, the questions and remarks of the children are mutually instructive, each child gets more of the teacher's attention than he could by any other means, and, above all, there is a greater amount of sympathy and mental effort caused by the observation of many being directed to the same subject.

worse.

Independently of the use of the gallery for intellectual instruction, by bringing the whole of the children more frequently under the direct influence of the teacher, it is highly favorable to the formation of moral character and to school discipline.

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DEVELOPING LESS

For want of the habit of obser common things, and the evident such observation must lead, the m are often committed even by thos educated. People are continually which an unreasoning animal wou We have seen a person deliberatel step of a carriage in motion, fully move on to accommodate the re few, when called upon for any r how to economize their strength or c they are about to move. How fev think of the nature of the articles under their care, or reason on the ca cooked food, or ill-ventilated room danger lurks in a copper saucepan or distinguish a mushroom from beyond mere utility, how much i ment do we lose for want of the To many persons nature is a se they walk abroad, the animal and them appears but a hopeless mass o they fail to perceive the order an wisdom. To them the stars tell m seasons, and, from a want of thi reader, the most accurately writte conveys but a vague shadow of the these evils, the education of the perc be commenced in infancy, carried or firmed in manhood.

To cultivate the latent powers of c tion of those lessons which, in an called developing. If, for instand trained in early life, the power of dis sounds remains very imperfect· vot

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learn to sing, unless where any positive defect of hearing or voice exists. The same may be said of drawing, which is less difficult in many respects than writing. Take, as a further example, the faculty which enables us to judge of weight or resistance, and observe how it becomes strengthened by education in workmen who have to perform mechanical operations; no doubt there are differences of natural ability in this respect, but most men acquire sufficient skill for the purposes of their respective arts. Now the business of elementary education, in its widest sense, embraces the development and training of every faculty so far as is necessary for the common purposes of life, and, in so doing, it prepares the pupil for special instruction of whatever kind.

From much experience, we have found that it is better to commence by teaching the properties of things separately; so that each may make a distinct impression before the pupil is required to recognize it when in combination. Simple perceptions may be divided into those of form, size, position, number, weight, motion, colour, temperature, taste, odour, and sound; all these require cultivation; and as the senses are the channels by which they are conveyed to the mind, their nature and mutual relation must be studied by the teacher. By the eye, we perceive form, size, position, motion, number, and colour; by the ear, all sounds; by the sense of touch we perceive heat and cold, weight, form, motion, texture, size, and number. The senses of taste and smell are very intimately connected with each other, both in their uses and mode of action.

The education of the senses commences with life itself, so that even the youngest child in an Infant School has already acquired many ideas; and were it not so, the difficulties of the teacher would be almost insurmountable; as it is, enough remains to be done in establishing a relation between words and things, and training the mind to correct methodical observation, before ordinary instruction can commence. We have found in practice that form is the most striking quality

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of bodies, and therefore the best to from its being capable of clearer easily comprehended than any oth

The first exercise for the younge to learn to distinguish and name without entering into any explanat ties. The best means of doing this prepare a set of models in card or p quired forms, of not less than six i which should be exhibited singly, a by the children. If two sets be first exercise for the teacher to hol quire the little learner to select a it, when, the two being placed on ea tity can be shown.

In further explaining the prope must advance by slow degrees, and b or haste; and, as each definition is fixed in the mind by abundant illus object is to give certainty and clear

We suppose the children to be s for these lessons, and the teacher fu board and chalk. Each figure requ must be accurately drawn; for, alt advanced in geometry may be abl diagram rudely sketched, because h correct conception of what is inten ing first ideas of form to children, it all representations should be truly Should the teacher be unable to do t and compasses will smooth all difficu sary diagrams may be prepared b time during the lesson. Large cor of wood, with a chalk-holder, can be good substitute may be made with having a piece of chalk tied to one

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