42 



Ancient History 



1 3 boys and 2 girls were in this class 



This period was given over to a written quiz. 



Five questions were asked. None bf the questions applied or 

 asked for an application of any event in ancient history to modern con- 

 ditions. It represented the kind of history teaching which encourages 

 boys and girls to exercise memory rather than reason. 



A large amount of cheating would seem to indicate that the class 

 was not well prepared for the examination. While the instructor was 

 writing the questions one pupil opened his book to get some notes. Two 

 others looked at each other's papers and passed notes. 



One boy slipped his paper nearer his neighbor so that this boy might 

 see what he had written. At least five others looked at each others 

 papers again and again. The instructor was in the room, occupied 

 with the reading of a book. 



Algebra 



A written quiz was given the first day. On the second the work 

 was gone over. The instructor told the class that they had done 

 very poorly. He spent the period in a thorough explanation of quad- 

 ratic equations, the subject matter of the test. The instructor fre- 

 quently asked if there were any questions, and twice pupils asked them. 

 On one occasion the instructor asked if there were any questions and 

 added that there certainly should be none on that part. This did not 

 encourage any one to ask. On the first day in particular the instruc- 

 tor spoke in a drawling undertone. There was much more life and 

 spirit the second day. The students were given the papers to take 

 home and correct. This would make them finally get the work done 

 correctly. The instructor used the quiz not only as a test of what the 

 pupils knew of the subject but as a teaching means. 



Botany 



9 boys and three girls constituted this class 



The first period was used for a field trip to a nearby grove. The 

 purpose of the lesson was to teach trees in their winter aspect. The in- 

 structor pointed out and described the trees. A student was called on 

 occasionally to name a tree of a kind just described. Two of ten pu- 

 pils gave the correct name the first time. The instructor tried to teach 

 pupils to recognize the following trees white oak, red oak, soft maple, 

 hard maple, Carolina poplar, prunus serotina, ironwood, bass wood, 

 white ash. It is possible that any group of people would have diffi- 

 culty in learning to remember all these in an hour, especially when the 

 leaves were not out, and the trees were so tall that the bud arrangement 



