TITLE

SHALL WE "SPEED UP" THE THREE R'S?

AUTHOR(S)

Harding, Lowry W.

PUB. DATE

December 1943

SOURCE

Education Digest;Dec1943, Vol. 9 Issue 4, p55

SOURCE TYPE

Periodical

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

The article presents a reprint of the article "Shall We "Speed UP" The Three R's?," by Lowry W. Harding, which was published in the November 1943 edition of the periodical "Progressive Education." An examination is made about the current practices in teaching the three R's, reading, writing and arithmetic, in the elementary schools in the United States. Most authorities claim that efforts to teach children to read before they attain a mental age of six years and six months have unfortunate results, such as fears, inhibitions, hostility toward school, and pupil failure. Meanwhile, the ability to write develops quite slowly, both as to manual skill and expression. The establishment of arbitrary and absolute standards in writing precludes the consideration of children's effort, achievement, creative originality, interest and purpose. Finally, many arithmetical processes, problems and concepts are presented from one to four grades below the grade where most children have the mental age or intellectual maturity needed to learn them.

ACCESSION #

19020996

Tags: ELEMENTARY education;  TEACHING;  ELEMENTARY schools;  READING (Elementary);  PENMANSHIP;  ARITHMETIC -- Study & teaching (Primary);  EDUCATION

 

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