Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-07-26

present prices. This must be worked
oun under preparation of soil. plant
ing crops, cultivating. harvesting and
| marketing
| Seed collections sorted and CLASH
fled furnish excellent work in connec-
ton with language and nature study
Seat work should be something of
value and not copying paragraph after
paragraph from the book II will be
something Ia do that is of value even
before the child has been to school
long enough TO know how TO use
books. 1t may be illustrating the
story the teacher told, the song Just
sung or what is being done at home
or on the farm at this time. The
drawings or cuttings will be crude.
Tut the process and not the peoduct is
the thing of value. The child gains
muscular control, he has a chance to
try to show his own ideas, and, best
OF all. he is doing something that is
of worth TO him.. Later. he will build
words from letter cards, he will ar
range word cards to tell something
story to see IL he can think of a bet
ter or different name for IL. he will
add columns of figures TO see how
many he can do in a given time. In
other words. he will be Working to-
ward definite and worthy goal in
stead of just being busy" IL means
that the child will have a chance TO
express his own ideas in many ways,
as-writing, drawing, speaking, sing
ing, building and playing, and at the
same time getting the fundamentals
Of reading, writing, spelling, arith-
| metic, geography and history. II
means presenting the important facts
and features of each subject in the
light OF the child's experiences, sur
roundings, and interests. The result
will be the incorporation of these facts
into the child's life so that he con-
stantly uses them to interpret the new
facts confronting him.
Interest" has been defined by DIR.
Dewey as the complete Identification
of self with the problem in hand" If
teaching is a mere memorizing of
facts, there is no Identification. I'm
less the child feels some relation be-
tween himself, his life, his desires and
the things he is trying to learn, there
is little incentive to work on and less
certainty that the things learned will
stick. When he wants to learn to read
so that he may read stories or him
self; when a knowledge of inch, foot,
yard and the fractional parts of each
is necessary for the building OF a win,
dow-box, tool chest or dog-house:
when the geography lesson is to To-
cate the Italian battle line in order to
find out the difficulties besetting the
/ Allies; when the biography of Lin
coin is studied to find out wherein his
| greatness lay; when Wilson's Address
| to Congress is studied to learn why
we are at war-then there is provis-
ion for genuine interest. The class is
also learning to work Independently,
| which is the desired goal The facts
learned are put to practical use and
knowledge becomes power. This Is
| teaching children to study.
Supervision must be more than in
| spection If 1t is TO improve the teach
ing. 1t begins with inspection to de-
termine where and how II can be OF
greatest service. It's chief business is
to continue the training teachers have
already had in preparation for their
work. The most effective means for
doing this is through teachers meet
| ings where common problems are dis
cussed and ideas exchanged as to the
best means of solving them. Here
demonstration lessons are taught to
illustrate the application of the prin-
ciples of teaching; supplementary ma
terial is given with suggestions for
its use, and by seeing standard tests
| used and learning OF the measure
| ments employed I'm the educational
word Of familiarity is gained with the
accepted school procedure In the
world at large.
Glass room supervision is both ne
cessary and desirable. Here is a real
school situation where children,
| teacher and supervisor may work to-
| gether This is the supervisors OPP
| portunity to find the teachers strong
| points and strengthen them as we'll
| as to point out and build up her weak
| ones. IL is the teachers chance to
get the special help she feels is her
! greatest need. The supervisor may
teach lesson to illustrate certain
fundamental principles or the teacher
may present it and discuss It after
ward to find out where 1t applied and
where it failed to apply these princi-
| pies. Conferences out OF school and
| correspondence furnish a further
means of the aid supervision may
give to the teaching force.
Supervision, like every phase of
work, depends for its value on the CO.
| operation of all concerned Concerted
| action is strong action. Parents,
teachers, supervisor, all are of one
mind-the welfare of the child All
three elements are necessary for the
realization of this common purpose.