The Columbia evening Missourian., 1922-04-10
MOST SCHOOLS
IN COUNTY TO
RUN 8 MONTHS
Several Districts Are Planning
to Furnish Free Textbooks
to the Pupils Next
Term.
FEWER STUDENTS FAIL
instructors Employ Project,
Conversational or Type
Study Method of
Teaching.

Most of the school boards of rura
plans for an eight months school tern
next year and expect TO employ ex
rerienced teachers. There were only tw,
schools in the county this winter whicl
had less than an eight months term.
number Of the school districts are ais,
planning 10 furnish free textbooks mex
term.
The fiye-year textbook contracts in tht
county will expire July II, and so il
will be necessary TO make new contracts
For this reason most of the books vii
be either revised or changed though the
textbook commissioners are planning to
use as many Of the present books as pos
sible.
A number of the rural school teachers
expect to attend summer school to raise
their professional qualifications, accord
ing to c. f. Northcuii, county superin.
ienden, of schools. Every teacher in
the county uses either one or all Of che
three methods for instruction in rural
schools, which are known as the project
method, TIE conversational OF soCialIzed
method and the type-s,udy method.
In the project method the pupils put
into practice the material they ha,
learned about a certain subject. For
example, the teacher will conduct a study
Of corn for perhaps one week and then
ask the pupils to make up a booklet
On what they have learned about corn.
Each student makes up a booklet, bu,
they are all different, for each one de-
,elops that point in which the writer
was particularly interested. This pro-
ject method of study brings out the ir-
diyiduality of the child, he is encouraged
TO work on the special line Of sub
iect which he likes. Handiwork is in
part a project method of tsudy. Its aim
is to give the child something to do
with his hands which will interest him.
Before he can carry out ideas in handi-
work he must have studied something to
give him ideas, as, for example. in cut
ting out animals of cardboard and color
ing them, he must study them FIRST for
the color and shape. In this study he
will also learn their habits and charac-
teristics.
The conversational method Of teach
ing helps to develop the initiative Of Zach
child, for in this the pupils carry on the
discussion among themselves without the
aid of the teacher, except in cases wnere
specific questions must be answered.
One or two pupils are assigned sub
ject for special study and start discus
sion of this in the class and conduct the
class. BY this method the pupils learn
to tell what they learn without being
self-conscious or becoming confused.
The type-study method of instruction
is used mostly in geography. The class
studies every detail about one big city
and then when il comes to the next city
il recognizes in what way big cities are
alike and so just studies the outstanding
differences in the other case.
Every teacher uses all these methods
and in some cases correlates them. A
teachers ability is determined from the
success with which he uses the methods.
According to Mr.. Northcutt, very few
pupils have failed this term. which shows
that their instruction has been adequate
and successful.