Our Work: Class Methods

CLASS METHODS. The following remarks, by Elder George H. Brimhall, on "Class Methods," was given at the conference of the Y. M. M. I. A. some four years ago, but have not heretofore appeared in print. They are verj' appropriate for the class teachers of today There are a few principles that we ought to have well fixed in our minds, in handling a class, and one of these ought to be the principle governing the relation- ship of the class leader to his class. The value of a class leader is just equal to what he gets that class to do, over and above what they would do without him. The chief function of a teacher is to cause the pupils to do that which they would not do without him; to cause them to grow better than they would without him. He stands in the same relation to the class as the farmer does to the farm. You can Pretty good fruit will grow wild. get wild grain, and you can get wild fruit. You can get wild strawberries, but they are generally scrubby, though rich in flavor. The man who cultivates, his Avork is seen in the development of that which he cultivates. The second consideration is to make yourself unnecessary to the class that is, ;

to work them up to a point where each man can go on without you, so that when they have finished the course of study under a teacher they are able to get along without a teacher. Here is a professor, who has a large class, in engineering, in the University. He is training his class so that they can go out in the field and do engineering without the aid of a teacher. Of course, I do not want any man to get so that he cannot be directed or advised by those who are placed over him. There is another consideration that we ought to bear in mind, and that is this Aimful activity, plus enjoyment of that activity, is heaven. It does not make any

difference how demon-like the activity may be, a person who is in the condition of aimful activity, plus the enjoyment of that activity, is in a sort of subjective

heaven. It may be that it is not heaven, in relation to the universe ; but it is

heaven to him. The gambling den is heaven to the gambler. [President Smith

here interjected the remark: "When he wins."] Yes, when he wins. My second part of this consideration is, he does not enjoy the game when he is losing, and he is to be aimfuUy active and to enjoy the activity. Now, there is leech or blood- sucker heaven; there is humming-bird heaven; there is eagle heaven; and there is

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70 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

heaven still higher than all that. But what we want to get at is to believe that everybody is hunting heaven, hunting a state of enjoyment. Of course, all this aimful activity, plus the enjoyment, may end in loss. While it is a little space of what they call heaven, it will vanish away, and the other thing will follow ; but

that makes no difference The young people are constructed in that way that what they enjoy they come back to, just the same as an eagle will fly to high air, or a pig will go to his wallow. The great aim is to get the boys to like the class-work. I do not care how many times you may drive a man through the Manual, or push him through the Bible, or spear him through the Book of Mormon, if he goes through it like a galley slave, he will never go back to it again. The thing is to make the work interesting, and to conform him to the good thing you want him to love. Then you are educating him then your class-work ; is successful ; then each

class exercise becomes heaven to the person who takes part. But if he does not

like it, he never gets into that subjective state. Just like the little boy answers his father: the father says, "Will you go to meeting?' "Yes; I'll go, if you want me to." "Do you want to go?" "No." "Why don't you want to go?" Said the boy, ' 'Pa, I have two hard things to do : one of the hardest things is to keep still, and the other one is to keep awake. I want to sleep, and I want to wiggle, and I don't enjoy the meeting." "What meeting do you like to go to?" "Sunday school." "Why do you like to go to Sunday school?" "Because they don't do the same things so long." That is natural. You cannot change child, nor for that matter, adult, nature. We must conform our class methods to the nature of the persons that we are edu- cating or teaching. So I would say here, in our first equation; aimful activity plus the enjoyment of that activity, equals heaven, subjectively; though it may be that that leads to perdition and ends in defeat. But the thing to do is to make these activities in the class exercise so aimful and so enjoyable that the young man will say, "I tell you, that is a fine time we have had during this exercise;" and he is just as sure to come back as a needle is to head towards a piece of magnet. Why? Because there is an affinity established between him and the exercise. Here is another principle governing the human being: We grow in the direc- tion of that which we do that we like. We grow in the direction of the things we like, if we associate with them and we do not grow in the direction of the things ;

we hate. I would say, as the first suggestion: Make class-work enjoyable. You say that is a general proposition. I shall follow that by another one. I believe with Col. Francis W. Parker, who says, "That day that I pass in my class-work in school that my students do not have a right good time, ' I have failed.

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Another little suggestion that I would mention here: Vary your methods. Whenever interest begins to flag in your classes, vary your methods. I do not think you have any machine-like methods to follow day after day. This varying is based upon a principle of human nature. What will the railroad company do when the interest in a resort begins to fail? What will the manipulator of an amuse- ment hall do the minute interest begins to flag in his hall? He will scheme to change his method of advertising, and his method of procedure at the entertain- ment. He does not stop and say he will not do anything more with it. He is broke if he does. The same thing is true in regard to farming, or anything else. If we cannot raise good grain, in the good old orthodox way, let us change our

methods. Another little principle I would suggest: Permit no habitual failures. You cannot help but have failures, but permit no habitual failures. When you find a student who is frequently saying that he is not prepared, and is failing in his studies, get right after him; don't let him get into that habit. This is based upon an eternal principle governing the mind. An occasional failure, overcome, strengthens the mind in the direction of that failure. The habitual failure weakens the will, in the direction of that failure. That is just as certain as the law of gravity. Another suggestion Make assignments definite. When you assign a part to :

a man in a class, make it clear and definite. Be definite when you assign it. Speak with clear enunciation. Show that there is an earnestness in the assign- ment. Then again, I believe I suggested last year that you have assignments ac- cepted by the student. And it is improper to assign a lecture part to a boy who is very timid and retiring. Assign men parts in the class according to their special likes and ability. Give each one something that he can do easily. Some will agree to come to Mutual, if you will not call on them. I would not call on such until they were ready to be called upon. But I would not let them stay in

that condition. Some are so very timid, they do not like to raise their hands, even to volunteer to answer a question. If you have such a one in your class,

after awhile talk with him privately, and ask him if he would not answer some easy question. He will likely consent. But be sure you ask him to do something that he can do well. Then it is a good thing in your exercises to encourage the boy when he does well. He will not think he has, perhaps ; but, indirectly, refer

to some success that he has made. If you have your class exercises in a place where it is convenient, put the

lesson on a blackboard. Let the teacher make a map or diagram of the subject right before us. It is a bad thing for somebody to do all the talking in the class ; bad thing for the teacher to do all the talking, bad thing for the talkative fellows to take up too much time. Put on your blackboard the time to be used in connection with each topic. I have found that to be a most excellent way in Mutual Improvement class work. We have one association, in Provo, that conducts the exercises on that basis. I saw an exercise, in a Sunday school at Ogden, that was carried through that way, and I never saw anything more systematic .and gratifying than that.

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72 IMPROVEMENT ERA. One man went over his time in one of the Mutual Improvement exercises. What did the president do? He had a pointer in his hand, and he simply raised it up to tell him it was time to stop. In some instances, where it is very interesting, some member may make a motion for the speaker to have five minutes more. Class methods must of necessity be brought under some regulation. I may be deemed radical in this matter; but when my class exercise is not interesting, I am tempted to scold somebody in the class, while the fact of the matter is, the true teacher will look right at himself. It is his business to make the exercises interesting. That is what he is there for. Questions were then asked by different officers, and answered by Brother Brimhall. In answer to the question as to whether he intended to convey the idea that individuals should be assigned special topics, instead of preparing the whole lesson, Brother Brimhall said that the whole lesson should be assigned to every member of the class, but special assignments may be made to individuals on special topics. In answering another question, Brother Brimhall said: Be most interested in the least interested. The boy who is the least interested, the instructor should be the most interested in. Attend to the weedy comers of your farms, and the farms will be all right.