r arbitrary point affects the teacher's procedure
somewhat. He will always have to attack the problem anew at ten
o'clock and pull together the loose ends of discussion at ten-thirty,
if these happen to be the limits of time assigned him. But who will be
bold enough to assert that the psychological movement for the
development and solution of the particular problem at hand will always
be exactly thirty minutes long? It is possible, and quite probable,
that the typical movements in instruction--development, drill,
examination, practice, and review--may occur within a single
class-period, following fast upon the heels of each other as the
situation may demand. It is equally probable that in many cases any
one of them may reach across several class-periods. We need a more
flexible way of thinking of the recitation and of the teaching
activities involved in class-periods and of other administrative
factors which condition the effectiveness of teaching.

Such a clear, flexible treatment of the recitation is offered in this
volume. We feel that it will be particularly welcome to the practical
teacher since so many previous treatments of this subject have been
formal or obscure. Combining the training of a psychologist with the
experience of a class teacher, Professor Betts has given us a lucid,
helpful, and common-sense treatment of the recitation without falling
into scientific technicality or pedagogical formalism.

I

THE PURPOSES OF THE RECITATION

The teacher has two great functions in the school; one is that of
organizing and managing, the other, that of teaching.

In the first capacity he forms the school into its proper divisions or
classes, arranges the programme of daily recitations and other
exercises, provides for calling and dismissing classes, passing into
and out of the room, etc., and controls the conduct of the pupils;
that is, keeps order.

The organization and management of the school is of the highest
importance, and fundamental to everything else that goes on in the
school. A large proportion of the teachers who are looked upon as
unsuccessful fail at this point. Probably at least two out of three
who lose their positions are dropped from inability to organize and
manage a school. While this is true, however, the organizing and
managing of the school is wholly secondary; it exists only that the
_teaching_ may go on. Teaching is, after all, the primary thing.
Lacking good teaching, no amoun