The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-10-14
The Evening CaledOnian-Record
Pres. Atwood of Clark
Univ. Gives Address
Continued from Page u

n al factors, Is essential to an inter
probation of history or an under
standing of economics or sociology
or anthropology. We appreciate
however, as educators, that the
great mass of American people
will not be well trained in geo
graphy unless that training is OBJ
tanned in the elementary schools
Relatively few go beyond the ele-
mentary schools, and among those
who do very small proportion
elect any further training in geo
graphy
The chief responsibility there
fore rests upon the organization
and presentation of our geography
work in the four years which we
are usually allotted in the element
any school curriculum | have chos-
en- therefore to speak to you on the
Teaching of Geography to Child
rem.
Let US raise two questions: !.
Have we organized our course of
study so as TO MAKE the best use
of the time allotted to the study Of
geography; 2, What is our real
aim or purpose in teaching geo.
graphy? These questions will be in
mind as | continue with this ad-
dress.
There has developed in this
country, perhaps of necessity, a
system Of going over the treatment
of general geography twice, In the
first two years of geography study
which in most schools comes in the
fourth and fifth grades, there has
been a rapid survey of the geo
graphy of the world. This plan was
organized fully forty years ago,
before we had laws preventing the
employment of little children in
our factories. The public school
felt the necessity of giving to
every little child a general view
of the geography of the entire
world before til close of the fifth
grade. Those who remained long
or in school were taken again over
the ground of general geography
in the sixth and seventh grades, for
1t was appreciated that the very
hurried and elementary treatment
of geography given TO the child
rem when they were very young
was a woefullv inadequate train
ing in one of the two most i'm
portant subjects in the elementary
school curriculum. In this second
treatment of geography there
was necessarily a great deal of
time given to reviewing or refresh
ing the minds of the children on
what they were supposed to know.
| have seen the work in those up
per grades when it was dragging
most fearfully Those children who
had good memories or were espec-
tally bright found the work but
stupid review. Those who were less
quick in their school work were
struggling along Just as they did
IN the earlier grades to try and get
the fundamental facts of geo
graphy. The real edge of the les
son had been taken off. There was
too much ground to be covered
and the work of the two upper
GRADES was but little better than
the work of the lower grades.
There was no Joy such a. comes
from the discovery of new facts or
exploring new fields of knowledge. /
The lesson was an old thing which
they were going over. The teacher
was Just as tired and Disguised
with it as the children.
This rcpetitional scheme in our
American system of education, 50
for as it pertains to geography. /
believe has been one of the great
est wastes in our elementary !
school work. The necessity for
such a system no longer exists.
American children must remain in
school until they are fourteen. |
That should take all normal pupils |
through the elementary school, and /
it will take many we'll into the /
high school. Why do we preserve |
the old system? Why should there
not be a progressive course of (
study planned for these children. /
As they grow, as their minds are i
enriched with each year of livino,
should there not be brought to
them from this great field of study
something new, somthing that car
rleS them forward, something that /
is always fresh and inspiring? Can .
we not 90 away with the over /
croWding of each years program,
enrich the study of each country
and have the children move on
each year to fuller and fuller
knowledge of The world in which .
we live? | believe such a pro
gre >aive course of study is easily
within the range of possibility. |
know that such courses are now
being tried in many schools in this
country, perhaps by many of you
They are based on what is nick
named the "once-over" idea. 1t is
not once over in the sense that
here IS no review; that would be
great mistake. As the studies pro
'eed there are frequent reviews
geographic conditions in different
and almost daily comparison Of the
parts of the world.
| wish to outline for you such
progressive course, but before
10 so we must thoughtfullv consid-
a. the candidates for whom the
course is planned. We must not or
ganlze the course from purely (
technical or academic standpoint.
It must be adapted to the child !
EN- as they broaden their interest
n the world and come to appre-
nate more keenly larger and lar
ger problems that individuals and
yroupS of people are forced to