for good or ill, the destinies of the
nation.
The purpose of this monograph is to discuss the means by which the
teacher can engender in this student a genuine enthusiasm for the
subject, stimulate research and historical judgment, correlate history,
geography, literature, and the arts, cultivate proper ideals of
government, establish a habit of systematic note-taking, and possibly
prepare the student for college entrance examinations.
II
HOW TO BEGIN THE COURSE
Very obviously each moment of the child's time and preparation should be
wisely directed. Each recitation should perform its full measure of
usefulness, in testing, drilling, and teaching. There will be no time
for valueless note-taking, duplication of map-book work, ambiguous or
foolish questioning, aimless argument, or junketing excursions.
_What should be done on the day of enrollment_
The day that the child enrolls in class should begin his assigned work.
In the first ten minutes of the first meeting of the class, while the
teacher is collecting the enrollment cards, he should also gather some
data as to his students' previous work in history. This information will
be of considerable assistance to the teacher in letting him know what he
may reasonably expect of his new pupils. The class should not depart
without a definite assignment for the next day. Let the preparation for
the first recitation consist in answering such questions as:--
1. What is the name of the text you are to use? (Know its precise
title.)
2. What is the name, reputation, and position of the author?
3. Of what other books is he the author?
4. Read the preface of the book.
5. What do you think are the purposes of the subject you are about
to take up?
6. Give the titles and authors of other books on the same period of
history.
7. What has been your method of study in other courses of history?
_What should be done at the first meeting of the class_
On the second day when the class assembles, let as many of the students
as possible be sent to the board to answer questions on the day's
assignment. The pupil will immediately discover that the teacher
purposes to hold the class strictly responsible for the preparation of
assigned work. The teacher will face a class prepared to ask intelligent
questions about the course they are entering upon. The class will
discover that work is to begin at
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