Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-07-26
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE
QUALITY of INSTRUCTION

time broaden out to meet general re-
| quirements of standardized schools
| To illustrate: Anne Arundel County
| furnishes exceptional local history
material which is also national history
| the burning of the Peggy Stewart,
signing of the peace treaty with the
Indians, the establishment of the Ma
val Academy and much more.
The history work in this county
should take these local problems as
starting point and from these reach
out into the broader national life.
A teacher near Annapolis recog-
nized this fact and used an excursion
to town as a beginning of ner United
St3tes and Maryland his DRY. All of
the children had been to Annapolis
many times. but when they came TO
visit the places that people all over
the country would be interested in.
the visit was characterized by def
mite purpose and keen interest. The
crypt of John Paul Jones led to the
discussion of why he was a hero. what
characteristics all heroes show. what
country really has claim to the body
of this hero and why, how conditions
in living, travelling and fighting in
John Paul Jones' day differed from
those today Each point of interest
was visited and studied in more or less
detail. The class then wrote letters
TO children too far from Maryland to
enjoy the privilege of a visit here.
They made spelling lists of words that
every person in or near Annapolis
should know. They applied all they
had learned in denominate numbers
estimating cost of land, buildings and
equipment, they learned much of To-
cal and national government. The
teacher had carefully planned the
series of lessons beforehand. Each
one showed definite purpose, fresh in
formation and a chance for each child
to work out the problem he had Sc
lected in his own way. The result was
feeling of great satisfaction on the
part OF the class and definite plan
to visit Washington in the same way.
A Course of Study must grow and
accumulate TO be of most value Three
departments should be represented in
the making of it, viz, the classroom
teachers, because they see the work of
each particular grade; the supervis-
or force, because they see the school
system as a whole; and lastly, sub
ject-matter experts because they are
authorities on that side We hope to
work out our Course of Study within
the next few years as we grow more
keen in detecting our needs and more
proficient in meeting them. At the
present We are using the Baltimore
county Course of Study" as a guide
and help. This is most excellent in
/ that it provides for the teaching of
| subjects and not pages" 1t also sup
plements the work of the text with
reference readings, pictures, objects
/ of interest, excursions, current hap
penings and matter of local interest
This type of work will result in "co-
| operative and constructive enterprise
in which children work out a prob
| lem, each doing his part according
| to his ability and special assignment"
| The assignment of home work and
provisions for children not reciting
| are some of the most serious prob
| lens for the unframed teacher. Both
of these must be based on intelligent
consideration of the physical side CT
| the child's growth and development.
the contribution tina: each makes &c
his mental state, and the effect that
each will have on his school life. To
consider these intelligently, one must
| know the laws governing the growth
| and development of the human body
and mind. When a teacher knows
| that rivalry, anger, jealousy, envy
| play curiosity, sociability, making col
lections, attracting attention are in
born tendencies and furnish the be-
| ginning and end of education, she
| plans definitely and thoroughly to
base her teaching on these instincts
| This means that the home work will
be more than merely memoriZing
| pages. 1t may be something to do
| rather than so many pages to cover
i. e., spelling assignment may be a
list of words made by individuals o.
tools on the farm, machinery in a
| factory, utensils in the kitchen or
| streets in the town. The choice would
be determined by the community &C.
equations. A history assignment
might take the form of asking expla-
nations of statements made in one or
| several teXts-such as, "The day that
France possessed New Orleans we
must marry ourselves to the British
feet" "The greatest evil OF slavery
was chat it prevented the South from
| accommodating capital"
A geography assignment might be
to find which Southern States you
would choose if you wanted to engage
in lumber business.
Arithmetic might be to calculate the
actual cost of preparing an acre of
land for wheat or corn crop, the
amount of labor necessary in cultivat-
ing and harvesting it, or, which pays
better, raising wheat or corn at the
Il