4.  _ BULLETIN 540, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
this out for themselves. They had no opportunity to see that the 
mixture tasted sweeter before freezing than it did afterwards, and 
there was no discussion of this fact. No reason was given for the 
use of salt with the ice in the freezing mixture nor was the proportion — 
discussed, but arbitrarily given. There was interest in the lesson, 
but it centered in the eating of the product after it was finished _ 
rather than in the principles involved in the making. From this ~ 
example it may be seen that there is danger ‘of much poor teaching — 
in a subject which has the possibility of as good teaching as any © 
other in the curriculum. While the example cited is of especially 
bad teaching, it is true in most cases that teachers of home eco- 
nomics tell the students too much, and do not allow them to reason 
things out sufficiently for themselves. Advocates of the method of — 
teaching by means of problems agree that the subject-matter must — 
be developed gradually in class. The teacher must not tell; the 
pupil must be required to make plans before she begins to work, 
and so be made to think things out for herself, keeping at the same 
time a live interest in technique. 
When this method is used in teaching home economics it means 
that the problems given must be kept quite simple at first and the 
facts and principles which should grow into the life of the girls be 
developed gradually, step by step. It means thorough organization — 
of material and thorough understanding on the part of the teacher 
of the principles involved. It means that students be given a very — 
clear idea of the problems to be solved and trained toward definite 
standards of work. The danger in such a method lies in the fact 
that in the interest of learning the reasons for the different. steps 
the standards for results may be lowered and drill on special points 
missed. This can be obviated by repeating those problems whose 
results are unsatisfactory and by having drills at stated intervals. 
The best method of opening up a lesson is by questions which eall 
to mind past experiences of the students and relate them to the 
problem (the preparation step in the formal lesson outline). Next 
there should be a very definite statement of the problem, made 
clear by additional questions (the presentation step). A list of © 
these questions carefully worked out with a short and definite state- 
ment of the problems, should be given at one laboratory period to 
enable the student to prepare for the next. If the students study 
this carefully they are ready to start work at the begining of the 
next period. An opportunity for questions should be given before 
starting work, but too much discussion at this point results in ‘‘tell- 
ing.” After the work is done the most valuable part of the lesson 
comes, the comparison of results and discussion of differences, 
leading to generalizations which form the theory of the subject in 
