Some of the methods employed in the care and training of feeble-minded children of the lower grades / by Walter E. Fernald.

  • Fernald, Walter E., 1859-1924.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Some of the methods employed in the care and training of feeble-minded children of the lower grades / by Walter E. Fernald. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    that they are quite prone to imitate even habits or actions which they do not at all understand, can be directJy applied in the practical training exercises. A noisy, unruly class of very low grade children can be induced to march in line and more or less in step for a long time to the beat of a drum, showing real interest and pleasure. Children will do this who have previously shown little idea of order or precision either of mind or body. This orderly marching can be grad- ually made more complicated, single file, double file, slower, faster, etc., walking on tiptoe, running, jumping over hur- dles, etc., all to strongly accented music and all in imitation of the teacher or a skillful leader. I have great faith in the drum as a mental stimulant for the active exercises for these children, preferring it to the piano for this purpose. The practical physical exercises for these cases must be made much more simple that those given in any published system of gymnastics with which I am familiar. I have found it very helpful to carefully write out the various sched- ules of movements which call for the natural use of the vari- ous parts of the body, the doing of common things, etc. The teacher will seldom do good work if she depends upon general principles and the inspiration of the moment for the details of this trying work. The idea of having a shozv class will greatly lessen the value of this kind of a drill. If the teacher is not interested herself she cannot hope to interest or hold the wandering attention of her pupils The teacher stands before the class and herself perforins the movement calling upon the children to imitate her. giving the command in a clear, ringing tone of voice. The entire exercise must be short sharp and decisive. A child is allowed to observe others perform the movements many times before he is ex- pected to do them. “At first we elicit volition with reference to a very simple muscular movement. By degrees we. can bring the child’s will to bear upon combined movements requiring the co-or- dinated use of a more complicated muscular apparatus.” In these early lessons the child’s consciousness becomes more active and he learns, perhaps for the first time, to ivil/ certain definite things. His wandering powers of at- tention, observation, and perception are assisted and strength- ened by the combined influence of the music, the spoken command, and the action performed before him. He learns