The Principle of Leading Suggestion
Some years ago a young country teacher called upon one of his city friends late one winter afternoon. Just as the teacher was leaving his friend’s home, the conversation turned to a topic that was very interesting to both, but the teacher had three miles to walk into the country and knew that he could not tarry to finish the conversation. However, he asked his friend to walk with him from the house to the first telephone post so that they might carry on their conversation. The friend knew that supper would be ready in a few minutes but the suggestion to walk so small a distance from his home in order to carry on an interesting conversation was appealing and he yielded to the teacher’s wish. Upon reaching the telephone post the conversation had grown more interesting instead of reaching an end, so the teacher suggested that his friend walk two blocks further with him to a certain school building. The friend acted upon the suggestion, but upon reaching the school building the conversation had reached a greater point of interest and was in no way near completion. Both were deeply interested. The teacher made the suggestion that his friend walk to a certain bridge with him. Again the friend acted upon the suggestion. So, on they journeyed until the friend discovered that he had walked half of the way from his home to the teacher’s home, besides forgetting all about his supper. No one will doubt that had the teacher asked his friend to walk half way to his home with him just as they left the house, he would not have succeeded in inducing him to do so, even by the use of most persistent persuasion. But he succeeded in taking his friend with him by suggesting a little part of the journey at a time. He had used a principle that for the want of a better name will be called the Principle of Leading Suggestion.
However, it is not a matter of the name of the principle, but the principle itself and its application that interests the teacher. How many teachers have failed to lead pupils to do what they have asked them to do, all because the imposed task appeared to be too hard. This same task could have been readily accomplished had the teacher divided it into inviting portions and requested the pupil to do just one part at a time. In this case the whole task should not be discussed at first. At no time in the journey described above did the friend think but that the small distance suggested would be the last part of the journey and at the end of it he would turn homeward.
The teacher discovers among his pupils a boy who dislikes to read. The teacher knows the boy’s likes and dislikes and is sure that certain books would interest him, but to ask the boy to read an entire book would only mean to further discourage him as to the reading habit. Hence, the teacher asks the boy to read the first chapter on a certain day for a specific purpose which he frankly makes known to the boy. A few days may elapse before the teacher asks the boy to read the second chapter with some other aim in view, perhaps. Thus the teacher labors until the boy has read the book. In most cases the boy will announce that he read on ahead of the teacher’s assignment and will ask for another book “just like this one.” He has broken the ice and by a wise choice of books on the part of the teacher, he may become an enthusiastic reader.
The teacher with a keen insight will see no limit to the number of results that may be obtained by the use of leading suggestion. In the primary grades it can be made a very effective tool for advancing the child’s interests. The stubborn and willful child will respond readily to this principle and may thus be cured of his habit of obstinacy. This principle can be applied to advance the interests of children as well as to cure traits of disposition that are not desirable. The teacher who wishes to accomplish results along these lines will carefully study the dispositions of pupils; and further, watch for every advantage whereby he may tactfully apply the principle of leading suggestion for the furtherance of effective work.