SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

I. THE LESSON.-There are three parts to every lesson in arithmetic the assignment, the preparation, and the recitation. : For all three the teacher is largely responsible.

1. The Assignment. · Have clearly in mind what the lesson is to be. Tell your pupils in as few words as possible what you expect them to do. Keep in mind the length of time you expect the pupils to spend in preparing the lesson; give enough work to fill that time, and let the class understand that you expect all of the lesson to be written in good form. When a new subject is assigned, take five or ten minutes to show the pupils how to begin their preparation. Read carefully all the notes on a page, and the suggestions for seat work referred to in the notes, before assigning the lesson on that page.

2. The Preparation.

(a) By the Teacher. Recall the points made in the last lesson, decide which points you will give as review in beginning the new recitation, then proceed with your preparation of the advance work. Get thoroughly in mind the subject-matter of the lesson, and then think out the manner of presenting it that will be best for your own class. The strength of your class will help you to determine whether some of the drill given in the text may be omitted or whether you should give supplementary work on a topic. If you think that supplementary work will be needed, have such work prepared, and know exactly what you are going to do when you go before your class. If you intend to give seat work either before the recitation or after it, prepare the material for distribution before the session.

The success of the recitation will depend largely on the teacher's preparation. If you neglect your work, the pupils will neglect theirs. (b) By the Class. Do not ask your pupils to recite on the lessons in the book without giving them time for preparation. Young pupils study best when a certain period each day is given to the preparation of a certain lesson. If the lesson has been clearly assigned, the pupils should be expected to prepare it without help from the teacher or from each other.

Above all, insist that each pupil be honest and independent in his preparation of every lesson, and that the papers he brings to class be neatly written and be the result of his own best efforts.

3. The Recitation. Do not begin the recitation until you have

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SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

the undivided attention of every member of your class. It is often helpful to give at the beginning of a recitation a short, rapid, oral review of the preceding lesson.

Always state your question before you name the pupil who is to answer it. This makes it necessary for the whole class to think about the question and its answer.

The pupils should not write any work which can be done orally, or read from papers or slates the answers to the questions marked "oral" in the text.

Be sure that the pupils understand the language of a problem before expecting them to get the number ideas.

If the pupils do not seem to have mastered a principle when the problems involving it have all been solved, give other examples and problems, both oral and written, of a similar kind, taking care to keep the language simple and the conditions clearly stated. Make your problems about the things in which the pupils are interested.

If the pupils answer in concert, the slow ones will depend on those who think quickly. It is usually better to have one pupil at a time stand to recite. In rapid drill work, such as that given with the circles on page 60, it might be well to have the class stand and the pupils recite singly, as suggested in the footnotes.

The drills should not be neglected. Make them short, rapid, and frequent. Keep a circle on the board most of the time, changing the numbers around and within it every day and using it for drill in all the processes. A few minutes a day outside of the regular recitation period might be given to this.

II. THE MATERIALS. - For the work in Part I, the teacher must have on the table during the recitation a collection of small objects, such as pebbles, nuts, seeds, blocks, etc.; also a box of two or three hundred sticks of uniform size, an inch or more in length, for use in illustrating number combinations, as suggested in the lessons and footnotes. Any familiar objects in the schoolroom or outside may be used by both teacher and pupils in supplementary oral work.

The pictures are expected to help the pupils in solving the problems given and in making others.

For the work in weights and measures, there should be on the teacher's desk the units of weight and measure that are to be studied by the class, and the pupils should be given much practice in actual weighing and measuring.

Before beginning each lesson, teach the names and the printed words for objects in the lesson which the pupils do not know. Have the pupils use orally, "I see one cup," etc. Use "I see with objects in the room.

Count

five, using objects which they can handle, such as books, pencils, sticks, pebbles, etc. Do not allow the pupils to give the answer "two" when it should be two cups" or "two leaves." For seat work see page 127.

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