A Guide to Methods and Observation in History | Page 9

course?
8. What justification is there in making the first year's work consist of
"Local History, Civics, and Industries"?
9. What argument is there for placing Ancient History in the 12th grade,
and making it an elective study?
10. Is the work in Advanced Civics presented in a separate course, or is
it correlated and interwoven with the work in U. S. History?
11. What arguments can you give for and against the practice?
12. What is the scope and aim of each of the courses Of history you
have observed?

XII. The History Teacher's Preparation and Equipment.
1. Has the teacher the kind of personality you could wish for yourself?
2. Is her voice melodious and pleasing?
3. Has she winsome manners?
4. Is she sympathetic with her students?
5. Does she show distinctive qualities of leadership?
6. Has she evidently had a good general training in literature, sociology,
philosophy, biology, and psychology?
7. Has she evidently had extensive and special training in history and
political science?

8. Has she had professional training in educational psychology, history
of education, methods, and general administration of school work?
9. Is she tied to the textbook?
10. Does she have a fund of explanatory and illustrative material at her
command?
11. Is she accurate, positive, and confident?
12. Has she a sense of humor and of the fitness of things? Has she
self-control, or does she, for example, use sarcasm and ridicule?
13. Has she clearly prepared herself anew for the lesson in hand? What
evidences have you of this?
14. Does she inspire her pupils? How?
15. Is there good discipline? If so, how is it secured?
16. Does the teacher seem to be familiar with local history, local
geography, and both local and general industrial, political, and social
conditions?
17. Does she seem to be familiar with the local library and its
equipment?
18. Does she know her pupils--their interests, home life, and
ambitions?
19. Does she possess enthusiasm, energy, optimism, sympathy,
imagination, force, incisiveness, tact, judgment, geniality, social graces,
courtesy, and kindliness?
20. Does she grasp the subject in its unity and entirety?
21. Can she tell a tale simply and pleasingly?
22. Is she interested in current events?

23. Does she possess a clear insight into character and life?
24. Has she traveled?

XIII. The Pupil's Preparation and Equipment.
1. Have the pupils evidently had a good elementary school training?
2. Do the pupils give evidence of having had previous historical
training in the high school? What is the basis of your conclusion?
3. Have the pupils thoroughly prepared for the day's recitation?
4. Have they apparently confined themselves to the text, or have they
gone outside this for material?
5. Have they "studied the lesson together"? Do you approve of such
study?
6. If pupils show they have not sought to prepare the lesson well, what
procedure does the teacher follow? Do you approve?
7. Have the pupils "outlined the lesson"? Is it well that they should do
so?
8. Apparently, have the pupils been shown how to study, i.e., how to
prepare the work most advantageously? What was the mode of doing
this?
9. Have the pupils attacked the lesson because it was made to appear
vital to the solution of some really interesting problem?
10. Have the pupils really gotten behind the facts to the spirit of the
movement?
11. Have the pupils apparently attempted to correlate geography with
the history? What evidences have you of this?

12. Have the pupils acquainted themselves with all unusual words and
phrases used in the text?

XIV. The Classroom.
1. Is there anything distinctive about the classrooms you have observed
that suggests their special uses?
2. Are sittings arranged in fixed and regular forms, or is it possible for
the class to gather about the teacher's chair in a "social" group?
3. Are there good wall maps in the room?
4. Are there atlases, globes, and geographical dictionaries at hand?
5. Are there reference books of common use?
6. Does the teacher's desk contain copies of textbooks other than the
text in chief?
7. Are there sufficient good blackboards?
8. Is there a stereopticon?
9. Does the school provide an adequate number of stereopticon slides?
10. Are the walls adorned with historical pictures or other historical
materials? Is there a "museum of history" in the room?
11. Are pupils encouraged to beautify the room with significant objects
of historical interest?

XV. The Assignment of the Lesson.
1. Is the assignment given sufficient attention by the teacher?

2. Is it made at the beginning of the recitation period or near the close?
What advantages and disadvantages does each practice offer?
3. Does the assignment take into consideration the character of the
work to be studied? In what ways is