This book is included in the Family Affairs - Education section.
The Little Learner
~:~ Learning to
Think
Consisting of easy & entertaining lessons, designed to assist
in the first unfolding of the reflective and reasoning powers of children.
Illustrated with One Hundred and Twenty engravings.
NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS. FRANKLIN
SQUARE. 1856
CONTENTS
| Directions The Kitten & the Ball Rolling Animals Boy Working in a Shop The Shawl The Silver Bowl Big Dog Fishing Fire In the Woods Poor Woman The Log Cabin - Inside Father Going Away Grinding the Axe The Library The River & the Mill The Boat Another Boat Log Cabin - Outside Colored People The Home & the Ox The Swarm of Bees Tall Trees Bird's Nest The Staircase The Umbrella Making a Fire Dangerous Places Furs The Clock Purse Found Bad Bridge Learning to Walk The Pig & the Bear Another Big Dog |
Pretty House Pretty Room Room in a Log Cabin The Sleigh-Ride Going to Play Bad Girl Marking Troopers The Brook & the Mountain Cold Countries Warm Countries Birds in a Swamp Hunter in the Woods The Sailor-Boy Swimming in the Water Boats The Boy & His Duck Keeping Accounts Boy in the Water Riding The Waterfall Deer Wolves The Doll Balloon Boy & Donkey Beggar-Man Apple-Woman Caesar Horse, Ox & Donkey Playing The Kitten The Water-Side Hunting a Bear Another Kitten Flowers |
Directions
The manner in which this book is to be used almost explains itself. It is
intended for children who have not yet learned to read; it is, of course, to be
read to them - a short portion at a time - with a pause at the end of each
question, to give time to the child to form and give an answer.
In many cases where the answer to the question is not obvious, or where it
consists of a matter of fact which the child is not supposed to know, the reply
is given in the book, and in these cases the answer as well as the question is
to be read. A sufficient pause is, however, to be made after the question is
asked to allow the child to reply, if he will. If he replies, what is said is to
be received instead of the answer in the book, or the form of the answer in the
book is to be modified so as to connect with the reply which he himself has
given. Thus:
In the first lesson occurs the following question and answer:
What has the girl
in her left hand? Some work.
This would become, as read to a child, something like this:
[Mother]
What has the girl in her left hand?
[Child]
Sewing!
[Mother]
Yes, it is sewing. It is some work.
This is important to be observed; for if the mother takes no notice of the
answer of the child, but simply reads after it the answer of the book, the child
will suppose that his answer, for some reason or other, was wrong, and will
become discouraged.
Sometimes the answer given by the child will really be wrong. In this case the
error must be gently corrected. As, for example:
[Mother]
What has the girl in her left hand?
[Child]
Her needle and thread!
[Mother]
Yes, she has her needle and thread in her hand, but not in
her left hand.
Her needle and thread are in her
right hand. Her work is in
her left hand.
In many cases where the answer of the question, though not obvious, is a matter
of judgment, or taste, or opinion, the reply is left to the child, in order that
the task of framing a reply may excite its imagination and exercise its thinking
powers. In these cases, give the child full time to consider the question, and
then comment gently and encouragingly on the answer he gives, so as to draw out
his thoughts and ideas in full.
The great secret in using the book, so as to make it really a means of
development to the little pupil, is to go very slowly with it, so as to give
full time for the mind of the child to act on all the points presented to its
consideration. To this end, in all cases, when you have read a question, give
the pupil time to consider his answer. Hear all that he has to say. Encourage
him to dwell on all the ideas and thoughts that present themselves as long as he
pleases. In other words, the Teacher must follow the
workings of the pupil's mind rather than lead them; his own function and that of
the book being only to suggest topics of thought, and give a general direction
to the train of ideas arising from them
The book, used in this way, will prove, as the author trusts, of great value to
the mother as well as to the child, by opening to her a view more clear and full
than can easily be otherwise obtained of the workings of the infantile mind - of
the extent of its powers, the state of its knowledge, and the character of its
conceptions and ideas. This knowledge is of the greatest possible importance and
value to every parent who desires to act understandingly in the work of
developing and forming the minds of her children.
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