The Coaching Class? Its Aims, and Accomplishments
- Author:
Kathryn Davis Ewart,
Senior, University of Pennsylvania.
The coaching class is still regarded somewhat in the light of an experiment, and a word of explanation concerning it may not be amiss. In reality, the class is an experiment in individual instruction and extra help. The child who is slow, the child who is behind in one particular subject, and the child who has been absent, are given a half hour per day of instruction in the coaching class. An effort is made to make the groups as homogeneous as possible. The teacher of each grade sifts out from six to nine children with a common difficulty; the group then resolves itself into six or nine children of approximately the same age and intellectual level with a common difficulty.
When a child works up to the level of his class and consistently maintains this level, he is dismissed from the class. The class is conducted very informally in a small office. The rug on the floor, the bright curtains at the windows and the absence of fixed desks and chairs add much to the children’s enjoyment. There are few rules and the children are encouraged to speak out if a difficulty presents itself. The teacher is always available for consultation and help. During the term September, 1922, to February, 1923, eighty-six children, Grades 3B-5B, had been in attendance, fifty of whom had been returned to their classes. A daily record is kept of each child’s work and progress, as well as personality, general ability and defects. The school where this work is being conducted is situated in a typical middle class and low grade American neighborhood. Many of the mothers go out to work, allowing the children to shift for themselves during the day. Little help, interest or encouragement is given in school work and there is a general feeling of apathy in regard to the school. There is a recreation center in the neighborhood where dancing, swimming, hand-work and organized games are taught. Fairmount Park is near and many of the children spend their afternoons playing there. Unfortunately there is no library nearer than fifteen squares, thus reading is not generally indulged in. For the following report I have limited myself to the work of the 3B grade. Each of the children has been treated individually and studied as a personality as well as a problem.
It has been my purpose to discover why these particular children are behind in their work and, having made a diagnosis, apply the remedy, hoping for success.
It is fully realized that some children fail in school work because of poor physical condition and disturbing home environment. Whenever possible I have looked into these matters. Then, too, many hints as to the real child may be secured through observing him at play or in other unguarded situations. These observations I have included in my reports. The various abilities and defects have been noted with a general survey of the moral reaction. The 3B group come from a large, well ventilated corner room. There is little attempt to keep it attractive. The teacher is a quick tempered, highly nervous young woman who has little patience or sympathy with children. She talks in a high, quick voice without emphasis and firmly believes that all the children who are not angels or who do not seem to progress are ‘’silly.” The children are either forced to an unnaturally high tension, or else fail to give any attention. In the past term, September, 1922, to February, 1923, twentyfour children from this grade have attended the coaching class. The distribution is shown by the following.
No children were present the first week, four the second, seven the third, none the fourth, none the fifth, six the sixth, three the seventh, two the eighth, none the ninth, two the tenth, two the eleventh, two the twelfth, none the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth, and two the sixteenth.
The ages vary from 8 to 12 years?8 children were 8 years old, 12 children were 9 years old, 2 children were 10 years old, 1 child was 11 years old, 1 child was 12 years old.
The work of the class was usually divided into two periods? drill and individual work. The drill consists of table-work, sometimes written, more often oral, and the appeal is both auditory and visual, using flash cards and board work. This drill is invaluable when the interest is kept up and useless as soon as attention wanders. Ten or fifteen minutes is spent in this way. The remainder of the time is given over to board and paper work with the individual children, working with their particular problems. Any child may request help at any time. As the work is finished it is inspected, and mistakes corrected and explained, thus emphasized. The group is fairly representative of the school. The children come from families ranging from poor to middle class. The fathers are day laborers, mill hands, skilled mechanics, policeman and salesmen. Many of the mothers work out by the day, while the others care for their own homes. With the exception of one boy the group has difficulty in arithmetic due to poor foundation, poor teaching and in a few cases of defects of attention and retention. Some needed table drill, others re-teaching in multiplication, division, subtraction and addition, the fundamental operations. The difficulties ranged from a bad habit of forgetting to carry down through difficulty in borrowing, place value, and the emphasis of the class is placed on quality of work rather than speed of production, but no child is allowed to loaf.
Since the work is largely individual, a short report of each child will probably make the work more clear. The reports are taken from the daily record sheets, and for the sake of brevity only the salient points are given. Some of them have proven more interesting than others, but all of them are children whose personalities and attractive ways can not be reduced to a medium of a report. They would furnish, rather, material for the lovely little studies of Jessie Wilcox Smith.
Gertrude, eight years old, came to this school from a parochial school and therefore there is no record of previous school work. She is a very attractive, well kept child of average height and weight. She is in exceptionally good physical condition, well poised and free from nervousness. Her parents are Irish; father a policeman, of average circumstances, health and intelligence, much interested in the children’s welfare and very willing to co-operate. She is not interested in reading or toys, but rather prefers vigorous out-door exercise. She is not, however, a tomboy. Gertrude displays good co-ordination and control and also great tenacity in her play, which is carried over to good advantage in her school work. The teacher reports that the child works well and is good. She was sent to the coaching class because of a marked inability in the process of long division. She could not learn to do it. As she prefers arithmetic to other school branches, she was willing to work at it. I found that her trouble was a lack of foundation work in tables. She was very slow and often inaccurate because she was obliged to count in all her work. I discovered the little table which she used on nearly every one of her papers, thus? She grouped and re-grouped this line of marks. For the first six weeks that Gertrude was in the class, September 15th to October 20th, I retaught and re-drilled the tables with quite a degree of success. I found that her concentration and persistence of attention were good. She had an auditory and visual memory space of 6. Her associability was good. Her learning ability was good as shown by the plotting of learning curves. She is very teachable and eager to learn. When the table work was progressing well we began long division, the subject in which she was failing in class. Curiously enough, Gertrude seemed able to do the division but did not put the correct answer in the quotient. After many careful explanations and corrections this was overcome. It seemed due to the fact that Gertrude insisted upon putting the work down before she wrote the number in the quotient. After the work was done, she would find that she has forgotten the number and would often place a figure identical with the previous one in the answer. For six weeks more, October 20th to’ December 1st, we drilled upon tables fifteen minutes and long division fifteen minutes each day. By December Gertrude was ready to try short division. She took hold very well and in two weeks was getting four examples out of five right every day. When for one week she was able to solve all five examples correctly we left division and turned our attention to multiplication by two figures. Gertrude learned this very quickly. Although she was far below her grade in arithmetic when she entered this school, I am recommending her for promotion in February after sixteen weeks’ work in the coaching class.
Charles, ten years old, is a well-clothed and well-cared-for child. He is rather small for his age, but plump and well nourished. His teeth are good, but his eyes seem to need attention, as there is a constant squint. He has recently had a tonsil and adenoid operation. His home surroundings are good. Charles has a rather significant pedagogical history, having repeated Grade 2 A three times, 3 A two times, 3 B twice. The repetition in 3 B was due to scarlet fever. Previous to this absence he was in 3 B, the bright class. After his return it was found necessary to drop him into 3 B, the dull class. Charles works carefully and slowly, but he works very inaccurately, due to poor tables. Division troubles him greatly. For quite a time he insisted upon putting the result of the subtraction in the quotient. He also could not understand what to do with the “stuff” that is over at the end. After explanation and drill these two difficulties were eliminated. His real trouble seems to be an inability to remember the tables, although he reads exceptionally well and has a memory span of 6 auditory and 7 visual. He reads numbers well and is always enthusiastic and eager. His table work has improved, but is not yet satisfactory; he often forgets even part of the 3 table. Since he has shown a decided increase in table efficiency and is doing fair work in arithmetic coupled with excellent work in other subjects, it has been decided to promote the child and try him in 4 A. Walter is a bright, attractive child of nine years with a pale though healthy complexion and large dark eyes. Purple shadows under these eyes accentuate their beauty and are due probably to late hours. Walter is the only child of rather youthful parents. His father is an electrician. The child is given everything he wishes and many other things besides. Withal he is a lovable little chap, but as irresponsible as any child I have ever seen. He has repeated four times in 2 A, but he has never repeated any other grade. His memory span is 5 auditory (failed six on three repetitions), and 7 visual without any trouble. The problem in his case is merely one of the inculcation of good habits of work. He is perfectly capable of doing the work and does it well. But he spends long intervals gaping about at other children, ceiling and walls. Finally his attention is attracted or forcibly directed to the work in hand, which he at once proceeds to do. There is no lack of persistence of attention, but an infantile irresponsible bad habit which can be broken up. I have noticed an improvement in Walter’s methods of work while in the coaching class, but his teacher reports that there is no hangover in the class room. Harry, ten years old?beautiful golden hair, a rose-leaf complexion, a tattered suit and a pair of number 6 shoes, with a sullen, “don’t care” attitude stamped over all?this is Harry. The home conditions are unwholesome and he is followed or preceded by a story of repeated grades: 1 A three times, 1 B twice, 3 A twice, and unadjusted behavior. Is it any wonder that he feels the injustice of this world? His memory span is 5 auditory, 6 visual. His mistakes are due in great part to a lack of good working knowledge of tables, which have been drilled and are improving in coaching class. His work is improving and his conduct is good in the group. He is interested, alert and works diligently while in the coaching class but slumps in the grade. I fancy it is a sense of being misunderstood and picked upon in class that causes this rather sensitive lad to draw into his shell of reserve. In spite of my conferences with his teacher and samples of his work in the coaching class, she refuses to promote him this term because of his arithmetic and his attitude. Perhaps the change of personality would supply Harry with the necessary stimulus to work.
Albert is an attractive, chubby, little dark-eyed Italian, well kept and well cared for. He is always neat, but dirty as to hands and face. His father is a laborer who manages to keep his family nicely. The boy works rather slowly and seems to require very careful teaching. When he is given adequate instruction he is able to remember it and to go on with the work. There is somewhat of a language handicap which prevents him from catching the very quickly delivered explanations in the classroom. He has improved greatly and is to be promoted after eleven weeks’ attendance in the coaching class.
James is twelve years old and has recently come to us from a parochial school. He is a tall, manly boy, extremely likable. His round, freckled face and cheery smile help to create a joyous atmosphere. He is entirely normal, though pedagogically retarded, due to moving of family and to poor teaching. I have taught him first, second and third grade arithmetic in sixteen weeks, which shows normal capacity. He will be ready to progress rapidly next term. Clara is a nine-year-old and has repeated 2 A. Her memory span is 5, auditory and visual. She is very flighty and has spells of diligent working alternated with intervals of undirected activities. Her head is very large and peculiarly shaped. Her face is particularly infantile, as are her performances. She comes of a rather ordinary family but receives adequate care at home. She seems to be merely slow. After careful teaching and drill work on division she was allowed to remain in her grade. When the new work was taken up?multiplication?it was necessary for Clara to return to the coaching class. So she has alternated between her regular grade and the coaching class, doing passing work on the whole. Vera comes from a rather well-to-do family. She is a pale, frightened wisp of a child whose large blue eyes stare seriously and droop shyly under observation. Her memory span is 6, auditory 7 on two repetitions, and 7 visual. She does good work in the coaching class and expands under individual care. She is actually too shy to work in her grade. Her problem is one of personality, poor initiative, vivacity and social orientation.
Edyth is a self-confident little miss who rises above her pitifully worn garments, yellow-green straggly hair and sallow complexion. She is talkative, friendly and self-possessed; her poise might well be envied. She was sent to my class for help in division?type 4)4.39. Her cipher in the quotient bothered her for weeks, but she finally made the connection and returned to her class, where she is doing quite well.
Elizabeth, nine years old, is a rather delicate, sensitive child who has just returned to school after a month’s hospital treatment for congenital syphilis. While there she had her tonsils and adenoids removed. She is somewhat under weight for her age and height and has a very poor carriage. She shows little evidence of home care, being very untidy, but she is a quiet, well behaved child, showing quite an unusual sense of color and form. She loves to draw, especially the freehand work with crayons. Elizabeth seems happy in school and progresses fairly well in spite of irregular attendance. It was a simple matter to teach her short division and multiplication by two numbers. She has returned to class, where she is doing good work.
Emma is a shy, retiring girl whose health, energy and initiative are only fair. Her persistence and distribution of attention are good; she understands explanations and seems to have a good foundation, yet seh cannot do her best work in a large group. When working on paper she usually does well, but at the board or in oral work she often makes mistakes, such as bringing down two figures or forgetting to carry. She comes to the coaching class for lessons in poise than arithmetic.
Eugene is a fat, lazy boy of nine who is definitely slow of comprehension. He is very weak in tables and seems to know nothing of processes of division. After conferences with teachers and principal, it was decided that he would benefit by a repetition of 3 B work. He was therefore not sent to coaching class.
Leon is an interesting little Russian boy, vivacious, quick of movement and understanding with the imp of mischief peeping from his eyes and his quirky mouth. He is full of pep and gives more than his share of trouble in the class room. He has a little difficulty with tables, but it was as much to give teacher a rest as to learn tables, that Leon was sent to the coaching class. The freedom from restraint and challenging work keep him interested and therefore quiet. He is the problem before educators to-day?the bright child.
Albert is a good worker. He seemed to have some trouble with bringing down figures and was sent to me for extra help. He is a healthy active child with good attention and initiative, memory span 7, 8 on one repetition. He is a normal boy who has progressed normally with individual attention on troublesome points. The remaining children, Richard, John, Eugene, William, Helen, Verne, Margaret, were children sent up because of absence, and had no difficulty in grasping the new work. They present, therefore, no interesting material for this report and are omitted except for this brief reference.
The work viewed as a whole seems to have been helpful to the children, many of whom had the first little difficulty straightened out and were thereby saved from floundering helplessly in a sea of misunderstanding. The class is enjoyed by the children and of service both to them and to their teachers. Although far from perfection, it seems to me that the idea is a step in the right direction?a step toward greater individualization in our schools.
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