Modern elementary school practice

Front matter

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Preface

In the following pages an attempt has been made to present to the common school teacher and the student of education the vital elements of modern practice in the elementary school^ illustrated in such a way as to stimulate further use of the methods described. Theoretical ideals have been adapted to ordinary school work. Nothing has been advocated here which has not already had successful application and thorough trial. Every illustration is taken from classroom practice.

Emphasis has been placed upon topics which the average teacher needs to consider. Experience in supervising several thousand teachers in three different states has been the basis for conclusions as to what topics teachers need most to know about and to have illustrated.

Educational theory developed in leading American universities has been made use of. Originality is claimed only for the selection of topics and for the illustrations. The many teachers and supervisors with whom I have worked should by all means be mentioned as a chief source of information and inspiration.

Recognition for materials taken from other books or magazine articles has been given throughout the book.

George E. Freeland.

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^^f CHAPTER

I The Application of Educational Theory

Table Of Contents

II The Problem Method

Ill The Project

♦^V Motives

Chapter I The Application Of Educational Theory

Theory versus Experience

The Practical View. There should be no gap between good educational theory and successful experience. Theory which cannot be applied is useless. Even though it point to necessary reforms and contain the accumulated wisdom of a century, theory must lie dormant until it falls into the hands of someone who can apply it or illustrate it in such a way that others can use it. On the other hand, experience without theory is blind. A teacher may succeed in a way through pure intuition, but not for very long, and he is always liable to the grossest of errors. In order to achieve the highest success it is essential that a proper combination between theory and experience be made. The following cases are illustrative of a situation which the modern educational world is striving to overcome :

Illustrations of inadequacy from the side of theory : A large number of books have been written upon educational subjects. Many of them are useless because the authors have

B 1 not taken into consideration the actual school conditions under which their theories must be applied. Some are too critical and may be classed as entirely destructive. Some are too general and make no concrete applications. Others contain theory which would injure any school that tried to apply it.

Many so-called "educators" appear to show a disdain for the practical work of the teacher. They teach their theory as a subject entirely apart from actual experience. The results they aim at are such as ''the understanding of educational terms, the acquisition of the author's viewpoint, the ability to quote authors, give definitions, etc." Such training in theory will, of course, be of little practical help.

Illustrations of experience which needs a basis in theory :

There was, a few years ago, a man in the middle west who was head of a department of rural schools in a normal school. His attitude toward all educational theory was one of suspicion. He considered that everj^thing in the preparation of a teacher was subordinate to experience, regardless of the conditions under which experience occurred. He lacked ideals and principles as well as the scientific viewpoint. He was a good illustration of a large body of teachers who are overbalanced on the side of experience.

A teacher in a large city is fairly successful because of her intuition and personality. She insists that educational theory cannot be applied. She has discovered ways of doing things which are ''all her own." From experience she has found that they succeed. However, her disregard for educational theory and scientific experiments has caused her to commit many blunders. Her results are those that were desired a decade ago, but they are out of harmony with modern tendencies. Her selection of subject matter is poor. She blunders in the direction of stressing the course of study to the disadvantage of the health of the children; she does not recognize knowledge aside from the requirements for her room; she

THE APPLICATION OF EDUCATIONAL THEORY 3

knows nothing of socialization. The mistakes to which she is Uable could be continued through several pages.

All of these illustrations are typical. They represent attitudes that are prevalent. Before we can help our schools very much we must have harmony between those who stand for theory and those who represent experience. Neither attitude, taken alone, is practical.

The Significance of the Term '' Practice.'' Practice has come to have large significance in the professions of medicine and of law. It means theory which has been discovered and tried in successful experience. It is the aim of this book, as expressed in the title, to utilize the word ^^ practice/' with all it signifies, in a discussion of education. Experience alone cannot satisfy the demands of modern practice, and only theory which has been successfully applied can be called practice.

The Modern Tendency to Study Practice. During the last decade the tendency to study schools and to try theories under actual school conditions has been growing rapidly. A great deal of our modern theory has been formulated in the schoolroom. The successful teacher and the superintendent of to-day look upon the school not only as a workshop in which certain educational results are to be achieved, but also as a place where new ideas may be evolved and discoveries made. This has elevated the work of the teacher, for, with this viewpoint, he is no longer merely a workman with a daily routine ; he is also an explorer and a discoverer.

The modern training schools in universities, teachers'

colleges, and normal schools have been working to develop practice. Usually it is found that the student who has finished his courses in the subjects he is to teach and has taken all his educational theory cannot apply in the classroom what he has learned. The training school provides the opportunity to practice under sound supervision. A desire to realize all that is best in theory is usually a dominant motive here. When the student has been properly exposed to modern practice in such a school, his experience has been worth more to him than several years at trial and error would be.

The many recent surveys of schools and school systems are another proof of the tendency to study practice. These surveys are valuable both for the suggestions of the surveyors and for the descriptions of the practices which were found most successful. McMurry's ^^ Elementary School Standards/' ^ for example, is a most valuable book because in it are incorporated descriptions of actual classroom practice with suggestions and illustrations of ways to improve it.

This Is a Period of Realization. We are now living in a period of realization. During the next decade the ordinary common school is going to participate in the fruits of the works of such educational leaders as Dewey, Hall, Judd, Cubberley, and others. There is a great call from teachers and administrators for concrete illustrations of practice which embodies the philosophy of great educational leaders and is in accord with scientific results.

J Worid Book Co.

THE APPLICATION OF EDUCATIONAL THEORY 5

Many schools and school systems have already been able to put into practice ideals and theories that are bound to revolutionize the work of the regular common school. Such schools as the Francis Parker, the Horace Mann, and the schools of Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Seattle, and many other large cities are doing work that should be reported in order that it may be known by teachers everywhere. Teachers often declare theories to be impractical when they have already been practiced with success in both private and public schools. It is to acquaint the teacher and the student of education with such practice that this book has been written.

The Trend of Modern Practice

Advancement Has Been Along Four Lines. The modern school is developing its practice along four special lines :

1. The development of a new methodology which works through the use of problems, projects, motives, and interests.

2. The selection of subject matter that is worthy of the time and the efforts of pupils.

3. Teaching in a way that will conserve rather than injure the health of children.

4. The realization of an individual-social balance which will adjust itself to the needs of individuals and at the same time employ the social motive and satisfy the demands of the community.

Practice in these four fields will be described in detail and illustrated concretely in the chapters which follow.