The Case of the Transplanted Morgans

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From the ideal to the actual, what can we do in the meantime to justify public faith in our professional competence and our de.. mands for adequate remuneration? Whatever the courses of study or the text-books may be, good social science teachers can apply the principles of ordinary science salesmanship in presenting their wares. Fortunately almost any topic can be shown to have an understandable purpose. Students will strive to reach the goal if they can be made to see that it holds some not-too-distant satisfactions for them. Hence good teaching makes the most of children’s natural delight in adventure, actions of people and animals, curiosity, communication, collecting, speculation, social participation, etc. Good teaching capitalizes interest in action and production, instead of depending on marks, escape from penalties, and other artificial rewards and punishments. ~ew material is presented in pleasing relation to what has preceded and what is to follow, cor.relates with timely local conditions and events, and above all, personal experiences and sur .. roundings. Textbooks are made subordinate to a live, human approach, made objective and impressive’ with a wealth of objects, pictures, souvenirs, diagrams, models and excursions. Good teachers diversify their presentation methods, using problems, projects, stories, reports, experiments, demonstrations, chalk talks, and socialized lessons with projectors, stereoscopes, museum loans, etc. They enlist pupils’ initiative in suggesting plans, prob .. Iems, voluntary use of books, maps, blackboard and objective demonstrat ions, If the class atmosphere is in-nirine, pupils do more than half the talking, addressing the class in full, well..organized sentences, not gibberish that has to be repeated. decontaminated and unscrambled by the teacher. Intercommunica.. tion in the class is a two ..way set, with ear pieces as well ‘~s mouth.