THE TEACHING OF GEOGRAPHY 



By Ralph S. Tarr, Professor of Physical Geography in 



Cornell University 



GEOGRAPHY has an important 

 position as a fundamental 

 branch of instruction in the 

 schools. The length of time devoted 

 to it would lead us to expect from it 

 highly important results in mental dis- 

 cipline. Yet one is frequently hearing 

 the statement made that geography in- 

 struction is woefully barren of educa- 

 tional results. This does not mean, of 

 course, that there are not individuals 

 who are securing the best results from 

 geography work, but that, as a whole, 

 the ends obtained are not of the kind 

 that should be expected. There are 

 evidently difficultiesin the way of making 

 geography work in the grades as success- 

 ful in its results as it is certainly capable 

 of being made. That the teachers are 

 alive to this fact is evidenced by the 

 numerous text-books that are appear- 

 ing and by the activity of educational 

 associations, which in almost every meet- 

 ing discuss some phase of the problem of 

 how to secure good results from geogra- 

 phy instruction. 



This activity of the teachers is a most 

 hopeful sign; for " where there's a will 

 there's a way." That it has accom- 

 plished results is evident to all who 

 have given attention to the subject. 

 The methods of teaching today are so 

 far different from those of a quarter of 

 a century ago that those of us who spent 

 our time in memorizing lists of all the 

 capes of eastern America, all the capi- 

 tals of the states, etc., would scarcely 

 recognize as the same subject geography 

 taught in a modern class-room. There 

 is surely progress ; but much remains to 

 be done. 



NEED OF TEACHERS WITH BETTER 

 TRAINING 



In answering the question, ' ' What is 

 to be done?" I should say, first of all, 

 have better teachers. That this state- 

 ment may not be misunderstood, let me 

 hasten to add that it is in no sense in- 

 tended as a criticism of the teachers. 

 As a body they are overworked and un- 

 derpaid. They are trained to one line 

 of teaching, and then, by the caprice of 

 the superintendent, perhaps, given some 

 new method — often a fad — of which SO' 

 many pass over the educational world. 

 They do their best, work hard — far 

 harder in fact than they ought to be 

 expected to work — and, in spite of 

 tremendous difficulties, accomplish bet- 

 ter results than can properly be ex- 

 pected of them, though less than the 

 subject itself is capable of furnishing. 

 The difficulty lies beyond the control 

 of the teachers under existing circum- 

 stances, and its correction can come 

 only very slowly. It is a consideration 

 of this problem that I would, first of 

 all, take up. 



The teacher in the grades has as her 

 primary work instruction in reading, 

 writing, arithmetic, and geography. A 

 training that will adapt a person thor- 

 oughly for the task of teaching the first 

 three may fall far short of fitting her 

 for a geography teacher ; for to teach 

 geography well requires knowledge, not 

 necessarily profound, but nevertheless 

 fairly thorough, upon a large range of 

 topics. One must know enough geology 

 to understand the physiography ; enough 

 physics to grasp the meaning of climatic 



