The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-01-14
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.

/ EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
By Mabel Horne-, County Supt.
| Many teachers are inquiring as to
how they may meet the requirements
for the teaching of agriculture. The
following circular from Iowa State
College may be helpful
Correspondence Course in Agricul-
ture.
The courses announced in this
pamphlet are designed primarily for
teachers. A new state law soon to
go into effect makes the teaching OF
agriculture, home economics, and
manual training necessary in the
schools and only a small per cent of
the teachers of Iowa are prepared to
teach agricultural subjects 1t is not
expected that these courses given by
correspondence will be as thorough
as those taught in class rooms, but
for the great number of teachers who
will not have opportunity to take
more complete course in agriculture,
the informat ton given will be OF as
sistance in teaching the subject ef-
fectively. An effort will be made to
make the work practical and teach
able, rather than complete.
A careful study of the lessons
should enable any teacher to meet
the requirements of the law concern
Ling teaching of agriculture in the
rural and grade schools. They nave
been prepared in accordance with
the views of the state department OF
public instruction and have their en-
dOrsement.
| Plan of Courses.
1t is generally thought that agrl-
culture is difficult to teach. This is
not true if proper methods are en-
ployed. Therefore, not only is lhtor-
nation given in these courses, but
methods of teaching are also pre-
sented. Each lesson is prepared with
the expectation that it's instructions,
modified to suit local conditions, will
later be given to pupils, rural and
grade In other words, when the
teacher has studied each lesson sui
ficiently to meet the requirements OF
the course, a lesson will also have
been prepared suitable to be given
in the school room One or more ex-
ercises will accompany each lesson,
each of which can be carried out with
simple, available, and inexpensive
apparatus, and in any school. Thus
the complete sets of lessons, with ex-
ercises included, will form volume
of material that will be valuable
guide for future use in schools.
Each lesson will be planned after
the following example:
| Course I Assignment No. l.
Lesson No. 3.
/ Topic-The Corn Plant and How
! it is Made.
Purpose of Lesson-To learn from
familiar plant how the principles
discussed in the previous lessons APP
ply to crops, and also for practical
reasons to show construction of a
corn plant.
Exercise-(T his is to be given in
full and results discussed
, Discussion-(A hout 1900 words
in explanation of lesson topic.)
Suggestions-(A few words to the
teacher giving suggestions for ap-
plying lesson in schOols.)
Lessons will be sent out in assign
ments of five each. Accompanying
! each of these assignments will be a
question blank. This is to be filled
out by the teacher and returned to
the college as soon as an assignment
is studied. This will then be correct
ed and sent back to the teacher with
suggestions. On completing thor
ough examination will be given.
The time required for each lesson
will depend largely on the student,
but will average from one-haf to
one hour.
Courses offered.
Course Farm plants and soils,
(Ready January l, 1880
This course will deal with elemen-
tary phases of farm plants, what
they are and how they grow; their
relation to the soil, plant food, soil
formation and soil classes; other
soil problems, such as air in soils,
moisture, temperature, tillage; study
of such crops as corn, oats, wheat,
grasses, clover, orchards and gar
den crops, trees; enemies of plants,
and special soil management prob
lens. This course will contain 80
lessons. Enrolment fee $3.50.
Course II-Farm animals. (Ready
about April 1st, 1850
This will be a course covering the
care and management of live stock,
principles of feeding, market de-
mands and cuts of beef, pork and
mutton, breeds and types of cattle,
hogs, horses and sheep, dairy cattle
and their care, milk and it's products;
poultry, it's care. and management,
and special lessons on bees, birds and
related subjects This course will
consist of 80 lessons. Enrolment
fee 200. |
Upon receipt of an enrolment, as
signments Nos. / and will be sent i
together, as soon as the question
blank accompanying assignment No.
/ is returned, assignment No. 3 will
be sent, and SO on, keeping one un-
finished assignments in the hands of
the teacher all the time.
Bulletins will be sent free from
time to time and later text book
may be suggested for further study i