Work and Play in Girls' Schools / By Three Head Mistresses

by Dorothea Beale; J. F. Dove; Lucy Helen Muriel Soulsby

Chemistry again is the logical outcome of physics, and should not be attempted, because it cannot possibly be understood, until the fundamental principles of physics have been mastered. It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that chemistry should be preceded by elementary physics; the sequence, practical arithmetic, elementary physics, chemistry, being the only one which affords a satisfactory progressive scientific course suitable for being carried on throughout a school starting where the object-lessons of the kindergarten end; then by the time examination classes are reached there need be left none of those gaps in the understanding of the pupils, gaps with regard to elementary principles, which are so usual as to be looked for as a matter of course by the chemistry teacher, and which she is obliged to span here and there by dogmatic assertions on which rests as a rule all the physico-chemical knowledge required of the examination student. Educational advantages of a progressive chemistry course.A well-arranged course of this kind, moreover, possesses the great advantage over others, botany or geology for example, that it may be made free from technical language, a point of considerable importance, not only because the tax upon the memories of the children is thus lightened, but because they are at liberty to express their observations in their own words. It has been truly said that “strange words are non-conductors,” and it is unreasonable to suppose that clear ideas on any subject may be imparted in a language which is only partially intelligible.

Need for early training in science.It is necessary of course to begin early if a sound basis of physics is to be laid for the teaching of chemistry; the elementary physics lessons should in fact be made to continue the work of the kindergarten without any break, thus carrying out the aim of natural science teaching, which should be to foster the powers of observation and research which almost all young children possess to a very high degree; nor are these the only faculties which benefit, since physical science is specially fitted also to develop independence of thought, agility of mind and hand and soundness of judgment; the simplest experiment may be varied in a hundred ways to produce the same result, and it is this possibility of variation which gives the individual pupil so much opportunity for the exercise of originality, which cultivates quickness of observation and encourages so largely the valuable quality of self-reliance.

“Practical” teaching.It is evident that a course of lectures unaccompanied by laboratory work gives no scope for the educational possibilities of technical subjects such as those with which we are dealing; the teaching must be made “practical”. It is not sufficient that the teacher should perform a number of illustrative experiments at her lectures, for it is rare to find a child capable of grasping the meaning of such illustrations; it is not even sufficient that the experiments shown by the lecturer should be repeated subsequently by the pupils themselves; this is no doubt good as far as it goes, for it breeds familiarity with apparatus and gives practice in manipulation, but that is all; as to educating the particular faculties which science is specially adapted to educate it is useless, for the results of the experiments being already known the reasoning powers are not required; on the contrary the performance of the experiment on the lecture-table has led to the belief that there is one stereotyped method of doing it, and consequently the child’s memory alone is exercised in trying to remember every detail of the apparatus used and the method of carrying it out.

For success in examinations it is now necessary to have a certain amount of practical knowledge of chemistry, and examination classes are therefore given some practical training, but this reform still remains to be extended universally to the junior classes, which need even more than the senior ones that the teaching should be objective: a child may learn and repeat correctly a dozen times that water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen, and the thirteenth time she will assure you that its constituents are oxygen and nitrogen; but let her make the gases for herself, test them and get to know them as individuals, and mistakes of this kind will become impossible.

A further reason for giving practical instruction to juniors is that examination students are generally pressed for time, being on this account often obliged to do the necessary laboratory work out of school hours; moreover they find it difficult as it is of a kind to which they are unaccustomed. It would obviously be a great advantage to train the children from the beginning in the use of apparatus during the years when such work is a recreation and a real delight to them.

A central idea in science teaching.There is one other point to be noticed. The science course may be begun early and continued without intermission throughout the school career, the teaching being of a sufficiently “practical” character, but the result will not be a success unless there is a central idea running through it. From the very beginning the experiments must be chosen in illustration and explanation of the fundamental physical laws which may thus be made perfectly familiar to the pupils. It is necessary, however, that these experiments should be of the simplest character; to quote the words of the British Association report above referred to, “the lessons ought to have reference to subjects which can be readily understood by children, and illustrations should be selected from objects and operations that are familiar to them in everyday life”.

Broad principles recommended.Briefly then, I would recommend that the following broad principles should be adopted with pre-examination classes:—

(1) Elementary physical training to be made continuous with kindergarten teaching.(1) The course of elementary physical science which is then necessary foundation for a sound knowledge of chemistry should be made continuous with the object-lessons of the kindergarten, and should form a progressive course extending over three or four years, passing imperceptibly into elementary chemistry.

(2) The elementary course to be entirely “practical”.(2) This course should be of an entirely practical character and should be carried out in a room very simply equipped for the purpose. No text-books should be allowed and no notes dictated by the teacher, but each pupil should subsequently to the lesson write out in her own words an account of her own experiments, of which she is encouraged to take notes at the time of doing them.

Advantage of occasional lectures.Although all formal lessons on the simple subjects of investigation serve only to prejudice the minds of the children, lectures given at rare intervals on kindred subjects and profusely illustrated serve as a healthy stimulus to the youthful appetite for experiment and research.