The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, June 1885, No. 9

by Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle; Chautauqua Institution

I desire in this paper to make some very plain answers in a very plain way to a question which has come to me in varying forms, from various sources. It is a practical question, and concerns the possibilities of that department of Chautauqua work which aims to bring the advantages of the higher education within the reach of those large classes of our population which have been hitherto debarred from them. Naturally, the question originates with the very people whom the enterprise seeks to aid, and strangely enough is shared by those whose culture and education should have been a barrier to such a doubt.

Men who would gladly avail themselves of any real advantages for education brought within their reach, and within their means, yet unwilling to make the pecuniary outlay which the effort might involve, until convinced that the correspondence system offers real advantages, hesitate, and say: “We are favorably impressed with the idea as given in your announcements, but are not sure that it can be put into practical operation; before attempting the work it may demand, we are compelled to ask, how is the work to be done? how can teaching by correspondence be made practically successful? Show us the method, that we may understand.” Still others, men of advanced education, of approved excellence of judgment, men engaged in professional life, have said, “We concede that education by the means you propose is possible under certain favorable conditions, but we doubt the practicability of attempting by such a means to cover the wide field of general education.” Straightway they fall to instancing particular subjects as illustrations of the truth of their statement. Now the proof of the pudding is in the eating; and if this paper succeed in furnishing tastes of this particular pudding which shall be palatable and shall create a favorable opinion as to the worth of the whole, the service rendered to the cause will be valuable. I propose, therefore, without invading the province of any of the gifted teachers who act as Directors of the different Departments and Schools in the Chautauqua School of Liberal Arts, as we shall hereafter call what has been known as the University, to show, if possible, how a person of good natural endowment, at the maximum of his mental strength, and with earnest devotion to his work can acquire a knowledge of a language, literature, or science by correspondence alone.

I will make three preliminary remarks. First, the student must bring to this work the same earnestness that he gives to that pursuit of his daily life upon which he has been or may be dependent for his livelihood. Second, in the study of language by correspondence, the path marked out by the experience of the ages is the path in which the correspondence student must go. The gateway of that path is the grammar of the language; and no student can pass through it till he possess the key which shall unlock its bars. To own a grammar is therefore a necessity. I am ready to believe that in oral teaching of a language, actual study of grammar, as grammar, may be put over into the final years of the course, giving the early years to the undisputed control of synthetic methods; but for the correspondence student, a grammar is an essential. Third, the student must be willing to follow the most minute directions of his teacher, without question, no matter how simple or how difficult a matter their performances may seem to be. To obey is the first essential to success.

Let us now look at a method for learning a language or science. It is not given as the method in use in the schools, but only as a means of showing that the thing proposed is possible. There should be for the beginner four papers for every lesson; or four kinds of work to be done.

First—There should be a paper stating principles to be learned, and adding complete references to the text-book upon which they are based, that the student may add to his teacher’s dictum, the confirmation of his own research. Let it be distinctly noted that this paper is to contain statements of principles to be learned, and is not to be a mere budget of directions to paragraphs and sections of a text-book. The advantages to be gained by such a method of study are too obvious to need elaboration here.

Second—There should be a paper giving abundant and apt illustrations of those principles, derived from the best sources, adapted to the pupil’s knowledge, and different from any which have been otherwise brought to his notice. These illustrations of principles should be memorized by the student and should form the basis of the paper containing the test of the student’s work.

Third—There should be a paper giving examples for practice in these same principles; examples for transliteration, phonic representation, or translation in case of a foreign language, examples for experimentation, classification, or analysis in case of a science or literature.

Fourth—There should be a paper of examination or question, for the purpose of testing the student and revealing the character of the work he has done. These questions should be framed with the utmost care and skill of which the teacher is master, and should act as a quickening impulse to the student. This paper should be in a sealed envelope, and should not be opened till all the work of the other three papers has been done, and the student feels that his lesson is learned. In addition to what has been suggested, there should be required in the study of language, as soon as the student can correctly pronounce, a regular exercise in memorizing from some standard author, and daily repetitions aloud of what is thus given to the memory. In the case of English, Latin, and Greek, this seems to me indispensable. This last suggestion, it will be noticed, contains a hint that the pronunciation of a language can be taught by correspondence. It is a hint which I am prepared to assert as a proposition, and to defend as far as the Latin and Greek languages are concerned. The amount of matter given in the lesson should be enough to require one week for its preparation by a student able to devote from one to two hours daily to study.

When the papers of a lesson have been fully mastered, and the student feels that all he can do upon it is done, the whole work should be at once sent back to the teacher. Now, to guard against loss of time, such as would occur were the student compelled to wait without work after he has forwarded his lesson recitation to the teacher until the necessary exchange by post has been made, two lessons should be sent out by the teacher at the first assignment. This plan would wholly avoid what might be costly delay where student and teacher were separated by the width of the continent or the ocean.

As soon as the first recitation paper reaches the teacher’s hand, his immediate duty is to forward the next lesson of the series, and so regularly through the whole course of instruction. He will now at his leisure examine the paper which has come into his possession, while the student is engaged upon the second of his lessons. What shall be the teacher’s work with this returned paper? Certainly not one of correction. Now begins his real work of teaching. First, there must be a careful and painstaking inspection of each line of the student’s work. Second, every error must be plainly marked, so that the eye of the student will not fail to observe it. Third, plain reference should be made to those sections and paragraphs of the grammar or text-book which have been violated. Fourth, a word of encouragement, advice, suggestion, or warning should be added to each paper, drawn from the teacher’s wide and varied experience, and which will be practically helpful to the pupil. It must be carefully noted that in this treatment of the recitation paper, the teacher has made no correction, has told nothing, but has simply indicated errors, and thrown the student back upon his own resources to correct his own work. This is one of the elements of true teaching.