The teacher at work, a manual of suggestions and directions for public school instruction

Preface

The following pages are made up of suggestions and directions bearing especially upon the classroom work of the teacher in the public school. While very much that is given is of the nature of specific directions it is the earnest desire of the author that no teacher shall attempt to follow out those suggestions without careful thought. It is hoped that nothing will be copied directly into the practice of any teacher without an effort to see principles that should underly and guide in all teaching processes.

This little manual has grown from attempts to assist in the development of teachers through the actual teaching done by them in the training department of a normal school. Such points as experience has shown to need most attention have been briefly mentioned. The effort has been to guide into right practice by suggesting what to do in a constructive way rather than to prune by calling attention to faults and mistakes. Theory must lead practice and practice must in return illustrate and establish sound theory.

The careful reader will detect that the word, "recitation," is given a broader application in the chapter devoted to that part of the school work than elsewhere in the book. This liberty is taken because there seems to be no generally accepted term that covers the entire activity from the assignment of the lesson until the close of the following class exercise. In consequence of this lack of term this use is made of the word in this one instance.

It is not possible to mention all sources of aid that have been useful in the development of these pages. Many helpful books are mentioned in the body of the work. Much inspiration and many suggestions have come from the earnest efforts of the students who have taught in the training school within the past six years. The children themselves, unconsciously but none the less effectively, have inspired and helped through the problems

PREFACE.

that nothing but childhood can set. The associates in the training school, both critic and grade teachers, deserve the kindliest mention for suggestions given and interest shown. The author's thanks are especially due to Miss Laura Bowman, grade teacher in the sixth and seventh grades, for her careful reading of the manuscript and painstaking efforts in preparing the index. A final acknowledgement is that of the debt owed to the president of this institution for the patient consideration and earnest support he has given this work as to all other departments of the school in past years. His clear vision and consequent valuable suggestions have ever been at command and freely used.

As stated before the matter in this book has been a growth from experience. It is not pretended to be a systematic development of educational theory. Most of the chapters appeared within the past three years in the paper connected with the school as the best avenue for reaching the students teaching in the training school. There has not been time to give the matter that careful revision that the author would have preferred to give it but many changes have been made from the form in which a great deal of it originally appeared. More time would have made it possible to improve the manner of statement in many places but in the face of the conditions the indulgence of the reader must be sought with the hope that he will not let the form of the statement concern him so much as to lose the suggestion attempted.

With full realization of the important problems confronting the public schools of the land this little volume is hesitatingly given the public with the hope that it may help some teacher occasionally to do more for the children under his care.

Wilbur H. Bender.

Iowa State Normal School,

Cedar Falls, Iowa, Mav 21, 1902.

Introduction

The lessons that are presented by the following pages are the practical suggestions of a man who has distinguished himself as a trainer of public school teachers. They have proven helpful and so full of constructive work for all teachers beyond the primary grades, that they are published in permanent form as a contribution to practical pedagogy. The points covered are the ones found most likely to need attention by superintendents inspecting the management and class work of subordinate teachers, while the explanations and interpretations given are of such practical and common-sense nature that they will appeal to teachers themselves as reasonable solutions of difficult and variable problems. What teachers at work need is not more science or more philosophy, but more real common sense in the application of means to ends. This book brings them down to the real things of school work, presenting them with the directions that are essential to progressive and effective teaching — themes that can never grow old or useless as the army of children in the schools must constantly be marshalled by the multitude of teachers required to teach and train them for practical life. Such a contribution as is here made by the author is not conjecture, nor theory, but is the result of actual work in a common public school where teachers need help and sympathy and development more than they do compliments, criticisms, or enthusiasm. The work here suggested has been actually done and the author knows from experience its practical value and importance. It is therefore worthy of recognition as a practical treatise by a practical man.

HOMER H. SEERLEY,

President Iowa State Normal School.

Table of Contents

PRINCIPLES, PLANS, ASSIGNMENT OF LESSONS.

AND THE RECITATION.

I. A General View

1. Principles and Practice.

A

2. Moving Classes.

B

3. Care of Room.

C

4. Planning and Assigning Lessons.

D

E

6. Illustration.

F

G « 8. Discipline.

H 9. Manner of Teacher.

I

10. Spirit.

J

11. Observation.

K

12. Miscellaneous.

II. The Lesson Plan

13. Necessity of Planning.

14. Teacher's Necessary Knowledge.

1. Of class.

2. Of mind.

3. Of subject.

4. Of devices.

15. Thought Unit.

16. Plan-Book.

1. General directions.

2. Parts of plan.

(a). Aim.

(b). Preparation,

(c). Presentation,

(d). Elaboration.

(e). Application.

VI TABLE OF CONTENTS.

17. Illustrative Plans.

1. Reading lesson.

2. Geography lesson.

3. History lesson.

4. Arithmetic lesson.

III. Assignment Of Lessons

18. Importance.

19. The Teacher's Preparation.

20. Attitude of Class.

21. Ways of Making, When, Time Taken.

22. Study Period, Teacher's Manner.

' IV.

THE RECITATION.

23. Its Importance.

24. General Purpose.

25. Special Ends.

26. When the Recitation Begins.

27. Summary and Suggestions.

DEVICES IN TEACHING.

I.

THE TEXT-BOOK.

Its PI ace.

The Good Text-Book.

Considers the child.

Previous work, new work.

Definitions and rules.

References to review topics.

Sections, chapters.

Summaries.

Illustrations.

Preface and suggestions.

Table of contents.

References.

In the i Hands of the Teacher.

A tool.

Teacher's mastery of book.

Illustrations and Summaries.

Some

Mistakes in Use of Text-Books,

II.

QUESTIONING.

33. Its Place.

34. Teacher's Comprehension.

TABLE OF CONTENTS. VII

36. Good Questions.

37. Wrong Management in Questioning.

38. Some Means of Improvement.

39. The Manner of the Teacher.

40. Questions and Answers of Pupils.

III.

THE ILLUSTRATION.

41. Value of Illustrations.

42. Key to Attention.

43. What It Is.

44. How Things are Made Clear.

45. Qualities of Illustrations.

46. How Teachers May Improve.

47. Devices Used in Illustration.

48. The Blackboard.

49. Pictures. Maps, Charts.

50. Collecting and Preserving Illustrative Material.

IV. Making Illustrative Matter For Class Use

51. Wall Maps or Charts.

1. Advantages.

2. Materials for.

3. Means of enlarging.

4. Making duplicates.

5. Mounting.

52. Material for Seat Work.

53. Relief Work, Solid Forms.

54. The Empty Crayon Box.

TEACHING IN INTERMEDIATE AND GRAMMAR GRADES.

I.

READING. 55. Preparation and Accessories.

1. Mastery of words.

2. Sounds and syllables.

3. Explanation, etymology.

Thought and Mechanics of Expression.

Geographical and Historical Settings.

Questioning Before Reading.

Recognition of Discord — Helps.

Purpose and Meaning of Whole Selection.

Study of Parts.

The Teacher's Qualifications.

1. Incidental.

2. Immediate.

VIII TABLE OF CONTENTS.

II.

SPELLING.

63. Why Mistakes Occur.

64. Teaching Not Testing Should Prevail.

65. Sound Not a Correct Guide.

66. Teaching Through Copying, Testing by Dictation.

67. Rules, Drills, Inspirational Devices.

III.

GEOGRAPHY.

68. Improvement in Text-Books and Teacher's View.

69. Value.

70. Starting Point.

71. Neglecting Things Previously Taught.

72. Maps.

73. The Globe.

74. Teaching Locality.

75. Sketching.

76. The Geographical Reader.

77. Illustrative Matter.

78. Types and Correlation.

79. Aids.

IV.

HISTORY.

Making it Real.

The Text-Book and Other Devices.

The text-book.

Other devices, (a). Maps, (b). Charts. (c). Pictures, (d). Relics.

(e). Original source work, (f). Pupils' note-books, (g). Readings.

How to Work, Drills, Reviews.

A general view.

Balance of topics.

Germ ideas.

Study of documents, election of 1824, state papers.

Topical recitations, pupils' questions.

Biographies.

Campaigns in wars.

Dates, outlines, summary, grouping.

Reviews.

TABLE OF CONTENTS. IX

V. Arithmetic

83. Mechanical and Memory Work.

84. Terms of Fundamental Operations.

85. Power to Image Mathematical Magnitudes.

86. A Few Suggestions.

1. Reading and solving problems.

2. Forms of analysis.

3. Meeting pupils' difficulties.

5. Blackboard.

6. Parts in pupil's work.

7. Difficulties and superstitions.

VI. Physiology

87. The Body.

88. The Nervous System.

89. Purpose of the Organs of the Body, the Underlying Idea.

90. Illustrations and Devices.

LANGUAGE.

91. The Mechanics of Written Work.

1. Many difficulties — capitalization.

2. Punctuation.

3. Spelling and grammatical forms.

4. Heading, margin, indentation.

5. Sentence, sense.

6. Ordinary written work.

92. How to Work, Devices.

1. Having something to say.

2. Copying.

3 Stories and pictures.

4. Original written work and corrections.

93. Technical Grammar.

1. Early ideas inductively.

2. Difficulties presented singly.

3. Purpose of language.

ORGANIZATION, MANAGEMENT, AND DISCIPLINE.

I.

ORGANIZATION.

94. Organization in General.

95. The Organization of the School.

1. A well organized school.

2. Characteristics of good organizer.

3. School organization within power of teacher.

4. Helps.

5. Evidences of good organization.

6. The oganism supplying the law.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

II.

MANAGEMENT.

96. When Management Begins.

97. The Teacher's Starting Point.

1. Confidence of pupils necessary.

2. Masterfulness.

98. How Confidence is Won and Retained.

1. Scholarship.

(a). Absence of mistakes.

(b). Sacrifice for it.

(c). Taste for study.

(d). Effect on assigning lessons.

(e). Increases illustrative power.

(f). Inspires through studious habits.

(g). Wins co-operation of parents.

(h). Broadens teacher's view.

2. Class tactics, teaching ability, devices.

(a). Tactics, (b). Seating of class. (c). Definite points in teaching. (d). Essentials emphasized. (e). Using former knowledge. (f). Teacher devising, making illustrative apparatus, (g). Careful summaries.

3. Cultivated and accurate senses.

(a). Eye. (b). Ear.

4. Determination, balance judgment.

5. Force of character and large heart power.

III.

DISCIPLINE.

99. Its Relation to Management.

100. Why Pupils Injure the School.

1. Childish thoughtlessness.

2. Disposition to try the teacher.

101. Qualities and Personal Characteristics of the Good Dis-

ciplinarian.

1. Self-control.

2. Sympathy with childhood.

3. Self-sacrifice.

4. Courage.

5. Sense of justice.

6. Regard for rights and feelings of pupils.

7. Appreciation of humor.

8. Appreciation of efforts of pupils.

9. Strong personality.

TABLE OF CONTENTS. XI

10. Reputation for certainty of punishment.

11. Optimistic.

12. Steadiness, firmness, vigilance.

102. Evidences of the Need of Discipline.

1. General disorder.

2. Poor lessons.

3. Disobedience.

4. Insolence.

103. Means and Methods of Discipline.

104. The Quotation as a Factor in Discipline.

105. Democratic or Co-operative School Government.

1. The plan.

2. Halls and playrooms.

3. Teachers, halls, schoolrooms.

4. Dismissals.

5. Not "soft" government.

6. Some conclusions.

SPIRIT, OBSERVATION, REVIEWS.

I.

THE TEACHER'S SPIRIT.

106. Right Spirit in General.

107. Toward the Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Routine.

108. In Relation to Professional Improvement.

1. Teacher's meetings.

2. County institute.

3. Professional reading.

109. Regard for Compensations.

1. Salary.

2. Approval of public.

3. Professional pride.

4. Personal growth.

5. Benefit to pupils.

110. Spirit Toward Parents and Others.

1. Toward parents.

2. Toward janitors.

3. Toward school officials.

4. Toward strangers.

5. Toward unpleasant notes, etc.

6. In social matters.

7. In relations to other teachers.

8. In respect to the children.

111. Some General Thoughts.

II.

OBSERVATION OR SCHOOL VISITATION.

112. The Observer or Visitor.

1. Classes of visitors.

XII TABLE OF CONTENTS.

2. Spirit of observer.

3. Spectacular work.

4. Broad view.

113. Things to be Observed.

1. General appearance of room.

2. The teacher.

3. The pupils.

4. The recitation.

III.

OPENING EXERCISES.

Unification.

Arouse interest.

General exercises.

Helpful suggestions.

115. Means and Materials.

Stories.

Experiments.

Current Events.

General topics.

Committing.

Drills.

Important persons.

Great pictures.

Training attention.

Music.

IV.

READING AND REFERENCES.

116. The Teacher's Reading.

117. Reference Books.

V.

REVIEWS.

118. Necessity and Time for Them.

119. The Nature of Reviews.

120. Assigning and Conducting.

VI.

BECOMING A TEACHER.

121. Before the First Day of School.

1. Qualifications required.

2. The county superintendent.

3. Securing the school.

4. Looking up register and the like.

122. The First Day.

TABLE OF CONTENTS. XIII