Book 14 of 44: The Seven Laws of Teaching

John Milton Gregory wrote this little book in 1886.  It appears to be primarily geared toward Sunday school teachers, but I believe it holds valuable information for any kind of teacher.  Since we are all teachers in some form or another, I dare say that the knowledge gained is useful for us all.

The seven laws of teaching outlined are:

1. The teacher must hold a thorough knowledge of the information he or she would like to teach.
2. The learner must be attentive and interested in the information to be learned.
3. The teacher and learner must have a common language.  (Therefore, the teacher must accommodate the young child's emerging language.  The teacher must also supplement oral language with pictures, gestures, activities, etc. that enhances the understanding of the topic, as appropriate to the age of the learner.)
4. Each lesson must build on existing knowledge.
5. The teacher must excite and direct the self-learning activities of the learner, telling him nothing that he can discover himself.
6. The learner must reproduce in his own mind the truth to be acquired.  (That is, the learner should not simply be able to recite from memory a lesson, although recitation is valuable in some circumstances.  Rather, the student should have a clear understanding of the lesson, be able to state the lesson in his own words, and be able to explain and apply the lesson.)
7. Lessons ought to be frequently reviewed to reinforce and affirm learning.

Upon searching for an image of the book online, I discovered that there is much information about this book.  Apparently, it is widely used and reproduced online.  I am particularly fond of this acrostic to help teachers remember the seven laws of teaching.

T eachers know their stuff
E ager students pay attention
A ble to understand each other
C onnect the known to the unknown
H elp children find out for themselves
E xpress and explain it
R eview and apply it
(courtesy of www.elderbarry.net)