Objective Tests. To overcome this much has been done in the past decade to develop objective tests based upon pupil performance in the art of doing. Rapid progress has been made in the production of standard objective tests for the common branches. While these represent a movement in the right direction, that of establishing a scientific objective basis, they are as yet open to the criticism that crudeness and imperfection mark the standards set and that the subjective element is still present in the creation of the standards, the application of the tests, and the interpretation of results. Many standard tests for the common branches are available for use at moderate cost. 18 The teacher of agriculture has an excellent opportunity to utilize tests which have the merit of being objective, practical, and to some extent standardized. In exercises, practicums, projects, and other forms of doing he can easily see whether or not his teaching has been efficient. The final test of the efficiency of his work in the school will be whether or not the pupil wants to farm, knows what to do in farming, can do the thing skilfully on the farm, and, ultimately, whether or not he is farming successfully and happily. In addition to these evidences in the lives of his particular school pupils, there should be found tests of his community leadership in definite improvement in the farm and rural life practices in the community which has come within the sphere of his influence (1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 25, 27, 32, 34, 35, 38, 41, 44, 45, 47). EXERCISES AND QUESTIONS 1. Give a specific illustration of the inductive procedure in a lesson. The deductive. 2. State circumstances under which the inductive steps ordinarily omitted should be used in an agricultural lesson. 3. State ten things which the teacher might assume as being known if his pupils were reared on local farms but which he would have to teach if his pupils were reared in town or city. What connection has this with induction or deduction? 4. Name five agricultural topics suitable for teaching by means of the "five formal steps.' 5. Select one of the topics in exercise four and show of what each step consists. 6. What kind of process is used in finding, with the scales and the Babcock tester, the daily butter fat yield of a cow? 18 See Chapman and Rush, "The Scientific Measurement of Classroom Products"; Monroe, DeVoss, and Kelly, "Educational Tests and Measurements." EXERCISES AND QUESTIONS 71 7. What kind of a process is used in teaching the reason for the dust mulch? 8. State five problems each suitable for the "aim" in an assignment. 9. Write a sample assignment for a lesson in agronomy. 10. Make an oral assignment of a lesson in poultry. 11. What are the objections to assigning the lesson by the textbook pages? 12. Show how agricultural journals may be utilized in an assignment; how farmers' bulletins may be used. 13. What are the advantages of making the assignment at the beginning of the recitation? At the close? 14. What are the most common faults in making assignments? 15. What special suggestions should be made to agricultural teachers regarding assignments? 16. Submit the plan of a lesson on finding the per cent. of stand of corn. One on selecting seed for one of the principal crops in your locality. 17. Outline in topical form for the purposes of a recitation a lesson on the construction of a poultry house. 18. Designate the topics in exercise seventeen, each of which would be suitable for a written lesson to occupy forty minutes. 19. Under what circumstances is a written lesson justifiable? 20. Make a list of the ten principal questions you would ask a class in a recitation on the humus content of soil. 21. Illustrate what is meant by a "leading" question. 22. What reasons are there to be urged against relying upon the formal questions printed in the text? 23. Recall instances in your experience of faulty questioning. local personal allusions.) (Avoid 24. State five problems in agriculture, each suitable for a laboratory exercise of thirty minutes. 25. State some of the abuses or failures of the laboratory method which you have experienced. 26. Name ten topics in agriculture in which laboratory work would be prominent. 27. Suggest ways and means of keeping the laboratory work and the recitation work connected. 28. Enumerate the objections to the lecture method in public schools. 29. Illustrate by specific examples the proper use of the "telling" method in a class in agriculture. 30. Attack or defend the statement that relying upon the "telling" method is a lazy man's procedure. 31. Show the relations between the laboratory method, the problem method, and the project method. 32. Make a list of laboratory exercises, another of practicums, and another of projects all in farm crops and adapted to your locality. 33. What are the objections to the textbook method? 34. Suggest five things that would tend to overcome the evil results of over-reliance on the textbook? 35. Write a series of Socratic questions that, without other aid, would tend to convince a man of his error who thought the potato was a "root." 36. Make a detailed set of instructions suitable for guiding your class in an observation lesson at a specified nearby farm. 37. Make a list of subjects suitable for agricultural booklets to be made by the seventh grade class. 38. Choosing your own assignment, write a lesson plan that will show the use of the question and answer, topic, laboratory, and telling methods in one forty-five minute period. 39. State the principal advantages of the combined method. 40. Choosing your own assignment, show how you would test, teach, and drill in one recitation period. 41. Make a list of questions adapted to the testing on the topic used in forty and formulate them so as to require clear thinking but brief answers. 42. Make a list of ten things in the agriculture lessons upon which you can justify drilling. 43. Name five farm "skills" that to your knowledge are unskilfully performed by many farmers in your locality. 44. To what do you attribute the lack of skill in each case mentioned in forty-three? 45. Suggest remedies for each item of your list mentioned in forty-three. 46. Make a list of points in the course in farm crops at which you would stop for review; in animal husbandry; in poultry; in farm management. 47. What recitation method do you prefer in the review? Why? 48. Make a sample set of examination questions to be used in the agronomy class including any instructions you would give to the pupils about them. 49. State the relative merit and lack of merit in letters and percentages as a means of recording the results of the work of the pupils. 50. Give yourself an examination upon a set of questions similar to these: (a) Are my assignments clear, full, complete? Are they stimulating? Do they set forth a definite problem? Are references explicit and sources available? Are assignments carefully prepared before meeting the class? Do they contain modifications advisable because of discoveries made in the recitation? (b) Do my pupils study to advantage? With zest? Do they have good systems of note-taking, of attacking problems, of organizing their findings? (c) Are my lesson plans adapted to my recitation plans? Are they in proper sequence? Do they provide for sufficient pupil activity? Teacher freedom? (d) Do I confine myself too closely to one method? If so, to which? Do I ask too few thought questions? Do I dominate the course of thought too much? Do I direct it too little? Do pupils ask enough questions? Are my questions well formulated? Are they sufficiently thought provoking? Do I repeat questions unnecessarily? Do I give time for thoughtful answers? Do I ask questions briskly enough to sustain interest? Am I heard? If not, why? Do I provoke disorder by my loud voice? Are my questions tactfully distributed among pupils? Do I permit talkative or unprepared pupils to rob the class? Do I permit vague answers? Do I habitually echo the answers of pupils? Do I talk too much? (e) Do I have my room and materials ready before class time? Are laboratory materials and apparatus conveniently arranged? Are pupils seated to the best advantage? Are class- and pupil-movements well planned and routinized? Do I remove unnecessary sources of distraction? (f) Do I lean on the textbook too heavily? Do I use objects, laboratory materials, field trips, and home observation assignments sufficiently? (g) Are my drills purposive, well organized, and snappy? Are they adapted to agriculture? Do I pay enough attention to improving local farm skills? When these have been answered, prepare a similar set for further tests of yourself. Use great care to see that you deal honestly with yourself in answering and in evaluating answers. REFERENCES 1 BAGLEY, WILLIAM CHANDLER: "The Educative Process." REFERENCES 3 BETTS, GEORGE HERBERT: "The Recitation." 4 BOURNE, HENRY E.: "The Teaching of History and Civics." 5 73 BRIGGS, THOMAS H., and COFFMAN, LOTUS D.: "Reading in Public Schools." 6 CHANCELLOR, WILLIAM ESTABROOK: "Class Teaching and Management." 7 CHAPMAN, J. CROSBY, and RUSH, GRACE PREYER: "The Scientific Measurement of Classroom Products." 8 CHARTERS, W. W.: "Methods of Teaching." 9 CHARTERS, W. W.: "Teaching the Common Branches." 10 COLGROVE, CHAUNCEY P.: "The Teacher and the School." 11 COLVIN, STEPHEN SHELDON: "An Introduction to High School Teaching." 12 COLVIN, STEPHEN SHELDON: "The Learning Process." 13 COLVIN, S. S. and BAGLEY, W. C.: "Human Behavior." 14 DAVIS, SHELDON EMMOR: "The Work of the Teacher." 15 DEARBORN, GEORGE VAN NESS: "How to Learn Easily." 16 EARHART, LIDA B.: "Types of Teaching.' 17 FINKELSTEIN, I. E.: "The Marking System in Theory and Practice." 18 FREEMAN, FRANK N.: "How Children Learn." 19 HALL-QUEST, ALFRED LAWRENCE: "Supervised Study." 20 HARTWELL, ÉRNEST C.: "The Teaching of History." 21 HOLLISTER, HORACE A.: "High School and Class Management." 22 HUMMEL, WILLIAM GRANVILLE and BERTHA R.: Methods in High School Agriculture." "Materials and 23 JONES, W. FRANKLIN: "Principles of Education Applied to Practice." 24 KITSON, HARRY D.: "How to Use Your Mind." 25 KLAPPER, PAUL: "The Teaching of Arithmetic." 26 MCMURRY, CHARLES A. and FRANK M.: "Method of the Recitation." 27 MCMURRY, CHARLES A.: "Conflicting Principles in Teaching." 28 MCMURRY, CHARLES A.: "The Project Method in Teaching." 29 MCMURRY, FRANK M.: "How to Study." 30 MONROE, PAUL (Editor): "Cyclopedia of Education." 31 MONROE, PAUL (Editor): "Principles of Secondary Education." 32 MONROE, WALTER SCOTT, DEVOSS, JAMES CLARENCE, and KELLY, FREDERIC JAMES: "Educational Tests and Measurements." 33 NOLAN, ARETAS W.: "The Teaching of Agriculture." 34 PARKER, SAMUEL CHESTER: "Methods of Teaching in High Schools." 35 PEARSON, FRANCIS B.: "The Vitalized School." 36 PICKARD, A. E.: "Rural Education." 37 ROWE, STUART H.: "Habit Formation and the Science of Teaching." 38 SALISBURY, ALBERT: "School Management." 39 SALISBURY, ALBERT: "The Theory of Teaching." 40 SEERLEY, HOMER H.: "The Country School." 41 STARCH, DANIEL: "Educational Measurements." 42 STEVENS, ROMIETT: "The Question as a Measure of Efficiency in Instruction." 43 STIMSON, RUFUS W.: "Vocational Agricultural Education." 44 STRAYER, GEORGE DRAYTON: "A Brief Course in the Teaching Process." 45 STRAYER, GEORGE D. and NORSWORTHY, NAOMI: "How to Teach." 46 THORNDYKE, EDWARD L.: "Education." 47 THORNDYKE, EDWARD L.: "Principles of Teaching." 48 TWISS, GEORGE RANSOM: "Science Teaching." 49 WHITE, EMERSON E.: "The Art of Teaching.' 50 WOODLEY, O. I. and M. VIRGINIA: "The Profession of Teaching." 51 WOOFTER, THOMAS JACKSON: "Teaching in Rural Schools." 52 WATSON, JOHN B.: "Behavior." CHAPTER V HOW TO TEACH AGRONOMY "The specific aim of the work in Farm Crops is to enable young people to obtain such a knowledge of the characteristics, propagation, culture, improvement, storage, marketing, and use of the principal local field crops as will prepare them for success in field crop farming."-Report of Committee on Agriculture of the N. E. A. Commission on Reorganization of Secondary Education. THE more restricted meaning of the term Agronomy is used in this chapter. As here used it includes the production of field crops and the marketing and uses of their products. The special part relating to soils, which is often included in the broader meaning of the term Agronomy, is considered in a separate chapter in this book. The local character of the work in field crops as suggested in the foregoing quotation indicates that it is the intention of educators that in high schools at least the only crops of value in the locality are to be included in the studies made. Of course, crops which are not yet used in any region, but which ought to be grown there, should be included in the studies. The vocational character of the instruction is also implied in the above quotation. If the work were not vocational, crops of other regions may as well be studied as those of the locality. In vocational schools, it is important that the work in field crops be devoted, first, to those crops which are of greatest economic importance in the region; second, to those which are of secondary importance in that region; third, to those crops which should be grown in the region or may well be introduced. If any other crops are to be considered it will be for the sake of broadening the knowledge of the students in the agronomy of other sections. And this phase of the work can hardly be considered vocational. Yet for college students and perhaps students in teacher training departments such crop would probably be included. Northern students in vocational schools would probably not include such field crops as cotton, hemp, sugar cane and rice. Southern students in vocational courses would probably not consider the growing of flax and Canada field peas. In regions where tobacco is not grown it would probably be omitted. The same could be said of a number of field crops. |