The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-06
NEW PRESIDENT
ON GEOMETRY
PROF. CLYDE r. TRAVIS, NEW
PRESIDENT OF NJ. o. E. A., GAVE
TALK YESTERDAY ON HUMAN
iZlNG GEOMETRY BEFORE
MATHEMATICS SECTION.

Clyde r, Travis of Mayville normal
said in his paper yesterday:
The more I have been working
with this theme, the more / am con-
WINGED that l can add nothing to VIA
others have said and have said in a
far better manner than I can say it.
There may De a few teachers young
in the subject who have not learned
what not to do and these may perhaps
gain a little by the discussion. This
is my excuse for taking your time and
asking your attention. There is, how
ever, a good reason for the discussion
of this subject found in the fact that
most of high school pupils Of North
Dakota, If / may judge by the hun
dreds who have come to the state
normal during the past few years,
have a decided dislike for the subject
Of them have failed to pass the
state examinations upon the first
trial. If this condition con
tinues. it will be only a question
of time and a relatively short
time until the study of geometry in
schools where it is not d required
subject will disappear. Perhaps this
is to be desired but the writer is not
now ready to agree. He would rather
III 5C ICdSllClS il SApSlic11SS WIN
car make the subject less irksome
and more attractive without lessening
it's educative value, to place before the
geometry teachers of the state some
disable suggestions, concrete and par
ticular rather than abstract and gen
| eral.
1.-THE questions that his p shall
consider are: Is the Study of Geom-
etry Unnecessarily Burdensome?
| What AHnIyo- t. 60 Hour Tn~ II Dr.
Made More Interesting With Better
Results by the Pupils yet Without
Losing any Educational Value?
THE answer to the first question is
certainly in the affirmative. When a
majority Of students dislike a subject,
either that subject is uninteresting or
the pupils are abnormal. Indeed, with
reference to geometry I believe it is
very much more disliked than it should
be because of it's apparent difficulties
and Of the abstract manner of teach
ing it.
THE second question has been part
ly answered. The method Of teaching
and not the nature of the subject is
responsible. Upon inquiry of the
present senior class of some seventy
odd pupils all of whom have passed
the study, over so per cent expressed
a dislike for the subject and the gen.
Sidl IedSOu given was IIaL L COulQ
not understand it." When asked how
they passed the answer was, "Oh, l
just worked and learned it and man
aged to get a grade" The dislike for
ancient history was about the same
but no other subject received any
thing like the negative vote as did
geometry. Upon examining the re-
ports Of the state high school examin-
er for 1911, 1912 and January, 1913, 1
find that over 60 per cent of those
taking geometry examination in May,
| 1911, failed; over so per cent of all in
1912 failed and over At per cent failed
in January, 1918. In no other subject
was the general per cent of failure
nearly so great. An attempt to Sc
cure data from the high school men
through some thirty letters sent out
results in a failure. The ten answer
received in no way agree with the re-
turns from the state examiner owing
TO the fact that the state grade counts
as One-third in the years grade. The
reports from the school men seem un-
reliable in one other particular. They
report that their pupils very general
ly like the subject as we'll as they
like other subjects. ] presume the pu-
pills are not quite so free to express
a dislike while in the class as they
are after graduating from the school.
This, no doubt, accounts for the diff
ference in answers by graduates of the
schools and those given by the teach
ers.
From the above it seems that
about so per cent fail to pass Igeom-
etry by passing the state examination
and that some so per cent of those
studying the subject dislike it. From
inquiry one is lead to conclude that
there is little or no interest in the
subject by about 80 per cent after the
grade is obtained and that there is
considerable of doubt in their minds
as to whether the study did them any
good. Now the question is what can
we do to improve the condition? The
remainder of this paper will be an en-
deavor to arouse a discussion Of his
important problem.
1.-THE first thing necessary is to have
good teachers. From the responses
from the superintendents it appears
that the teachers heard from have
plenty of academic training, have an
interest in the subject and teach it
because they like it, have had from
two to twelve years experience teach
ing geometry, and have had some ped
agogical training. Perhaps but little
can be done toward securing better
prepared teachers. Those now in the
business are considered good. The
main relief must come from improving
the method of presentation and max
ing a judicial selection of subject mat
ter.
The first criticism to make on the
present plan is the form of PROPOSE
ton presented in the beginning Of the
subject. Usually these are PROPOSE
tions that need no proof to the stu
dent. Better begin with tests for con-
gruent ~triangles by making a triangle
on the board as A on the diagram
here shown and then making another
(While the class is observing) with
s. a. s. equal to 8. a. S., calling the at
tention of the pupils to the fact that
parts of the two are equal yet you do
not know that the other correspond
ing parts are. The fact of their equal
ity is to be established. This plan
carried on for a few propositions
will lead the pupils into the reality Of
a proof without any encouragement.
Not only are the wrong PROPOSE
tons presented first but the syllogis-
tic form of proof should not be pre-
scented at least during the first
months work. The subject matter it
self presents so much Of difficulty
) that it is a serious blunder ~pedagogic-
l ally to thrust unnecessary complica-
tons upon the pupil by requiring him
; to master the syllogistic form. This
! will come later, ]. g. after the thought
: has been mastered. IL the student is
n shown the tr1thS of ~peonatrv In the