METHODS IN TEACHING 



The following is from a second grade teacher 1 : 

 The teacher usually tells the story in preference to reading 

 it in order to 'arouse greater interest and closer attention on 

 the part of the children. The work is so arranged that every 

 day's narration is a natural division of the story. For in- 

 stance, the story of Columbus is divided into five sections, 

 one for every day of the week. Monday, a talk on the world 

 as people knew about it in the fifteenth century, including 

 the dangers of sea navigation at that time; Tuesday, boy- 

 hood of Columbus, his love for the sea, his enjoyment in the 

 sailors' tales ; Wednesday, his early manhood, his knowledge 

 of the compass ; Thursday, his idea about the rotundity of 

 the earth, his appeals for aid to test his theories ; Friday, his 

 voyage, with its dangers and difficulties, and the discovery 

 of America. Every day the story as told in the previous 

 lesson is rapidly reviewed, sometimes by the teacher, some- 

 times by questions answered by the pupils. 



No real difficulties are given in these stories, neither do 

 they go deeply into any part of the life of Columbus. They 

 form a very brief sketch of some of the 

 of ,!j r salient points known about the great ex- 



plorer, upon which later studies can be built 

 without wearisome repetitions of the trifling details that 

 little children enjoy in these first glimpses of noted men. 

 The desire is to give such events and efforts as can be readily 

 understood and remembered; they must be simple enough 

 to be grasped by children ; nevertheless, they must be in ac- 

 cordance with accredited history, so that there will be noth- 

 ing to unlearn in later years. 



*Miss Mary E. McDougald. 





