The Teaching of Retarded Children
Correspondence
The following is an extract from a letter received from the teacher of a Backward Class in a Senior School in an industrial district. It was called forth as a result of reading the article by Miss Grace Rawlings in* our last issue:? ‘’ These things I tell myself frequently:?
(1) The retarded child is a human being and not a freak of nature. He is like other children in his needs, although duller and less sensitive. (2) His education must develop harmoniously.
Much handwork and much mechanical work is no solution to his problem;
he lacks power to relate and therefore he must be taught to do this; he lacks power to co-ordinate, therefore he must have practice in the application of his thoughts; he is shy and timid in dealing with new situations and so he must be taught to do so; he has no power to plan or foresee?he must practise this.
Generally his memory is poor; he needs much repetition.
(5) He cannot reason about complex things, but he can be taught to reason about simple things.
(6) He thinks first in terms of pictures, so visual teaching is necessary.” After advocating the teaching of reading and number, and history and geography specially adapted for the retarded child, the writer continues:?
The last and most important point on which I differ [from Miss Rawlings’ article] is that lessons must be long, because the retarded child is so dull, so frightened, has failed so often, is so heavy with defeat, so unhappy about his lack of ability, that he cannot adjust himself quickly to any subject. He must have time.
May I be allowed to say how much I enjoyed reading Miss Rawlings’ article? “
G. Scott. Morley, near Leeds. The old education forced information into the child; the new calls forth life from the child.”
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