The Seven Laws of Teaching

How would you begin your book about teaching if you were one of the most famous educators of your time…

If you were President of two major universities;
If you were State Superintendent of Education;
If you were founder of a major journal on education;

If you were Dr. John Milton Gregory (1822-1898)?

This author began with a quote from the Bible: Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it. 

That is how the educational classic, The Seven Laws of Teaching (1886), begins.

John Milton Gregory was founder of the Michigan Journal of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Michigan, President of Kalamazoo College, and President of the University of Illinois.

What follows are Gregory’s “Seven Laws,” or rules, for teaching. Each one also has a brief explanation. The “Laws” are:
1. The Law of the Teacher
2. The Law of the Learner
3. The Law of the Language
4. The Law of the Lesson
5. The Law of the Teaching Process
6. The Law of the Learning Process
7. The Law of Application and Review

Here they are in greater detail.

The Law of the Teacher
“A teacher must be one who KNOWS the lesson or truth to be taught.”
Teachers are to have a firm and thorough grasp of the material that they plan to teach.

 The Law of the Learner
“A learner is one who ATTENDS with interest to the lesson given.”
There is no learning without attentiveness and interest.

The Law of the Language
“The language used is a MEDIUM between the teacher and learner and must be COMMON to both.”
The words used by teachers are to be understood by both teacher and learner in the same sense. The language must be clear and vivid to both alike.

The Law of the Lesson
“The lesson to be learned must be explained in the terms of what is already known by the learner — the UNKNOWN is to be explained by the KNOWN.“
Begin with what is already well-known or mastered about a topic, subject, concept, or skill. Then proceed to the unknown by single, easy, and natural steps, letting the known explain the unknown.

The Law of the Teaching Process
“Teaching is AROUSING and using the learner’s mind to form in it a desired thought, attitude, or skill.”
Use the learner’s own mind, exciting their self-activities. Keep their thoughts, as much as possible, ahead of your direct input, helping them discover that which is to be learned.

The Law of the Learning Process
“Learning is THINKING and BEHAVING into one's own UNDERSTANDING and ABILITIES a new idea or skill.”
This requires learners to reproduce in thought or action the lesson being learned—thinking it out in its parts, proofs, connections, and applications until they can express it in their own language or behaviors.

The Law of Application and Review
“The test and proof of teaching done is a finishing and fastening process that requires RE-VIEWING, RE-THINKING, RE-KNOWING, and RE-PRODUCING of the material taught.”
Review in order to reproduce correctly the old, deepening its impression with new thoughts, correcting false views or behaviors, and completing correctly what was taught and learned.

Summary and conclusion
You have been introduced to the “Seven Laws.” These “Laws” give us a way of thinking about education. They help us look at teaching and learning from seven different, but interrelated, perspectives – i.e., teacher, learner, language, lesson, teaching process, learning process, and review and application.

Each of the laws is developed in detail in Gregory’s book. You can find a free downloadable copy by clicking on “Free ebooks…” in our Virtual Resource Center. The book is also available in print by clicking “Recommended books to purchase,” also in the above Virtual Resource Center. This blog can also be viewed on our YouTube channel by clicking here