The Teaching of Arithmetic

Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Teaching of Arithmetic: A Manual for Teachers A statement of the aims of a book on the methods of teaching should set forth its distinctive purpose. Books on the pedagogy of arithmetic which have contributed to improvement in methods of teaching this subject may be divided into three classes. Some seek to give a general survey of the aims and methods of teaching arithmetic, concerning themselves with no details in any specific topic, and leaving it to each teacher to apply the general method to the specific problems of his grade work. Other books give the philosophy and psychology of mathematics in the hope that a clearer comprehension of the basic concepts of arithmetic by the teacher will inevitably lead to more effective methods of instruction. The third group of books devotes itself merely to the task of giving remedial devices to meet specific teaching difficulties. General methods of teaching any subject may set forth ideals of instruction without regard to possibility of attainment. Specific devices tend to establish stereotyped forms to be followed slavishly without a comprehension of the basic principles. The writer has sought to evolve a book that is eclectic in aim. The early chapters study critically the values of arithmetic, the principles governing the organization of the course of study, and the psychology underlying sound method in arithmetic. The later chapters set forth methods rather than the method of teaching each of the important branches of arithmetic. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.