straw; it is illustrated by the Scriptural reference to the home that was built upon the sand.

There is now evident a rapidly growing appreciation among historians of the basal influence of geography as a force in the human affairs that history records. The growth of this appreciation depends upon the geographers. Nothing will go very far in education until there are books to carry the message. Books have been coming into the field of geography very rapidly of late. I want to mention three books that have recently come into the general college course. One is Isaiah Bowman's "The New World." Dr. Bowman, who is Director of the American Geographical Society of New York, had charge of 150 people in 1917 and 1918, all of whom were busy with research to get material for the Paris Conference. As Chief Territorial Advisor to the American Commissioners to negotiate Peace, Dr. Bowman went to Paris with this material. From it and from his experience in Paris he has written a book wonderful for its knowledge and importance--a book which may indeed be called the first really political geography for "grown-ups." I think it appeared in November and was used in about five courses in Columbia University within three months. It sprang into sudden use in many college history courses.

Another book is "Human Geography" by Jean Bruhnes. Go buy it even if it does cost five dollars. Buy it and read it. Most of us will buy a book and then will not read it, but that is one you can't afford to miss.

Last spring, Ellsworth Huntington of Yale published "The Principles of Human Geography." This book like Dr. Bowman's book was promptly seized by teachers and many normal schools and colleges used it as a text.

These three books are pioneers in the general collegiate field. They mark the first step to appreciation of a fact that geography is to be the center of the general culture college course in the future, as well as of the school of economic course and of the elemntary school course.

I believe that there are many things that can smash civilization. One of the things is continuance of world control by men who do not know their geography. Here is an illustration. In 1763, after the French and Indian War, England wanted the Island of Dominica. Where is Dominica? I suspect it would take some of us several seconds to find it on the map. But England did not get it. Why? Because by diplomacy the French persuaded the English to take Canada, so that they (the French) might keep Dominica which had a few sugar plantations, but Canada-well the diplomats knew no more about the resources of Canada than they know of Wrangell Island. France would never

have permitted England to get Canada had the diplomats known their geography!

The world is going to become one in some kind of political control of itself. It is the task of politics to govern-to govern whatever man does. The facts of economics and world industry and world investment have brought us to the point where we have all had world industry, and world trade which produced World War. Next we must get some kind of international government that will be as big and strong as world industry. Somehow, world Government must become one. There are two ways in which this may happen; either it can become an Empire with a world Emperor such as the Germans tried to give us or it can become some kind of a world Democracy. But men cannot understand the countries of the world without a knowledge of geography. Geography lies at the base of the future citizenship that runs the world. Shall we have world war or world order? The answer depends in part upon the excellence of courses in geography, and upon the skill and enthusiasm of those whose mission it is to teach geography to the youth of the world.

A STUDY OF A CLASS'S FIRST EXPERIENCE IN SOCIALIZED PRESENTATION (DEMONSTRATION)

ERNA GRASSMUCK,

Director of Instruction in Geography, Department of Public Instruction, Harrisburg

1

In the demonstration lesson given during Schoolmen's Week at the University Museum, a fifth grade class of twenty-eight pupils had been organized into groups or committees, with self-determined objectives, to be achieved. There had been seven lessons in the children's own classroom to develop certain preliminary necessities. The group organization was set up in the sixth lesson. In the demonstration we endeavored to help the development of new habits in the children and at the same time to suggest methods and expedients to the group of teachers who were observing.

Materials. The specimens used by the children were found in the school building and in the teacher's and children's home environments. Pictures were taken from school walls and from cabinets, books, national geographic magazines and news bulletins, and other magazines. Books were children's textbooks as well as other textbooks and supplementary readers, teacher's reference books placed at the disposal of children desiring to use more difficult books. Wall maps (paper and blackboard), and desk outline and textbook maps were used.

1 Pages 211 and 212.

History of the Class. A mixed group of Philadelphia and distant born children twenty-eight in number, constituted this fifth grade class. Their previous work in geography had dealt only with North America and South America. They had never had any experience in socialized work. The teacher's ratings of twenty-eight members of the class used in the demonstration show twenty failures and eight passes in geography and six failures and twenty-two passes in English.2

1 On reference in the office of Schoolmen's Week Committee, Law Building, University of Pennsylvania has been placed a detailed account of this entire study includ ing stenographic reports of the lessons, children's written work, records of intelligence, tests given, records of children's ratings given by the regular teacher, list of references used, outline of essential geographic ideas, vocabulary and principles to be acquired by all the children in connection with the various division of this unit, outline of general abilities and attitudes of mind that were aims of achievement throughout the work.

2 This class contains few children of exceptional ability, the majority being even below normal. While interested (at the time) and often quick to respond, there is frequently nothing relative to the subject in the response. They lack continued application and concentration. Their results are often very crude and unfinished. This is true of both hand and brain work.-Teacher's report.

Lesson 1-Approach. Questions concerning birthplaces of children and children's parents. Europe introduced, personal experiences cited by the children. France chosen as the unit for study. Millet's "Gleaners" introduced. Life as here portrayed was studied. Teacher appointed a committee to seek additional pictures hanging on the walls of the school that might be helpful in studying France and to bring them to the classroom for the next day.

Aims. (1) To make the children conscious of the wealth of material in their own school environment that would assist in the study of a foreign people; (2) to analyze material__(pictures) as a source of information.

Lesson 2. Entire class analyzed the pictures introduced by the Committee and determined whether or not each picture was a contribution to the problem at hand"Life in France." Several pictures rejected because they dealt with other places, Egypt, etc. Study of "Agriculture in France" begun. Children raised certain points of inquiry and had some experience in the use of an index and of other parts of their textbooks. Home study assignment: (1) To read what their textbooks presented on "Agriculture in France"; (2) to search for things (articles, maps, etc.) which would help the class to study about France.

Aims. (1) To develop an ability to concentrate on a given subject over an extended period; (2) to make the children conscious of pictures and specimens in their environment; (3) to require the searching of textbook material in answering given problems.

Lesson 3. Definite check on the children's achievements in connection with the home study assignment. Children determined phases of study that they desired to pursue concerning the French people (food, clothing, occupations, sleeping, education, houses). Then they made a list of means whereby these objectives might be accomplished. Three sixth-grade boys assisted the fifth grade in compiling this list. Children assigned each of the above aspects of French life to one of their rows in the classroom so that each row had a definite unit of work.

Home study-All children referred to textbook pages x-y as a common source for information and were encouraged to consult the books and materials in the front of the classroom (books and magazines placed there by the teacher or children).

Aims. (1) To train children to feel definitely responsible for an all class assignment (given as Home Study in Lesson 2); (2) to arouse queries in the minds of the children concerning a distant people; (3) to develop co-operative activities between classes in the school; (4) to train children to choose a worthwhile piece of work and then hold themselves responsible for it.

Lesson 4. Check on children's work with material in the classroom. Each child of row one presented an idea concerning "What the people of France eat.' Children used merely words in presenting their ideas. Children on the other rows presented questions to the group. Class then judged the results of row one's efforts and suggested improvements, including use of concrete material. Need for map shown and preferable kind determined.

Home Study-Search in school and at home for specimens, pictures, books, anything that might help with the work.

Aims. (1) To permit each child of row one to present one idea relative to the subject; (2) to train the children in judging oral presentation and in suggesting improvements; (3) to seek relationships between food and the geographic factors of an environment; (4) to show the value of maps and develop ability in their use: (5) to open up the child's out-of-school environment as sources of assistance in geography lessons.

Lesson 5. Individual children from each row either presented contributions in solution of their particular job dealing with clothing, occupations, education, houses or confessed that they had nothing to contribute. In this case, acting on suggestion on improvement offered by the children in Lesson 4, these children used pictures and specimens.

Home Study-How to fix a paper outline map so that it could be hung. Entire class read textbook matter dealing with France.

Footnote continued on next page

In view of this situation several introductory lessons were necessary. Previous to our work in Lesson 1, these children had had no experience in using material other than the textbook as a basis for obtaining information, although clippings and pictures had been brought to the classroom as illustrative material. They were accustomed to study the assignment in the textbook given by their teacher and to recite upon it the following day.

In organizing the class into groups, the basis was different in each case. Group I, France in Europe, teacher appointed leader, leader chose own committee. Group II, French North Africa, committee volunteered, then chose own leader. Group III, French Sudan, committee of one child who was anxious to do something alone. Group IV, French Equatorial Africa, teacher appointed leader and committee. Group V, French Indo China, class chose a leader, committee volunteered. Group VI, Tahiti, teacher appointed committee who elected leader. Group VII, Madagascar, committee of one child who wanted a big job alone.

Syria and French Guiana were reserved for groups or individuals whose first presentations would be especially good and who might, therefore, have the privilege of a second. Syria might also be assigned to a group composed chiefly of the children of Syrian parentage who were in the class.

The children of each group consulted with their leaders. Together they determined the piece of work for which each member of that group should hold himself responsible. Various kinds of material were consulted, including stereographs which three children had discovered in the Principal's office and lantern slides brought by the teacher.

Whenever a child met a difficulty which he was not able to overcome he was required to consult the leader of his group. Should that child

Continued from preceding page

Aims. (1) Similar to aims 1, 2, and 3 of Lesson 4 applied to the remaining rows of children; (2) to train children to use materials (specimens and pictures) in presenting an idea; (3) to give children so inclined an opportunity of solving a practical problem to make something.

Lessons 6 and 7. Division of unit. "Life in France and in those places where she has control," and assignment of group tasks. Locations of these places were determined from a political map of the world showing the various possessions supplemented by more accurate information supplied by the teacher.

Aims for Lessons 6 and 7. (1) To offer opportunities for co-operative work within a group in such a way that each individual holds himself responsible for a contribution made in a manner most helpful to the entire group; (2) to train children as leaders by making them responsible for a group; (3) to show various possibilities of group organization; (4) to require the leaders to report on the progress of their groups.

The aims of all these 7 preliminary lessons might be summarized thus: (1) The acquiring of certain geographical ideas, vocabulary, and principles; (2) the development of certain general abilities (a) in utilizing actual experiences, specimens, pictures, verbal matter, and maps in the local and distant environments of the children as sources of information and as means of expression, (b) in concentrating as a class or as a group (to which no self-election has been permitted) on a simple job, (c) in working with a group of children which the children had usually had the choice in joining and in which each member developed some notion of responsibility to a leader; and (3) the development of a habit of (a) mutual helpfulness between children all over the school, (b) an open-mindedness towards other people of the world, (c) a sense of the interdependence of peoples upon each other.

not be able to help, the teacher might then be appealed to. Near the close of each lesson every member was required to present to his leader the results of his efforts. Thus, the leader could obtain some notion of the status of his group and at times offer advice for future procedure.

At the close of Lesson 7,1 the committees had a brief interview with the teacher who had throughout the lessons mingled with the groups, studying their activities but offering suggestions only when absolutely necessary. The leader reported to the teacher the progress of his committee. A more careful analysis was made of the plan laid out by Groups I, II, III, IV and VI, since they were to be the first to present their work.

THE DEMONSTRATION LESSON

In order that more than one group might present its work, the time given to the demonstration was one hour (about twice the average period for this grade); in fact the scope of this lesson might require from two to four lessons ordinarily. The whole matter of time depends entirely upon the habits of organization, study and presentation which the children have formed up to the time of a given lesson. Hence, with some classes all the preliminary lessons required with this particular class might not be necessary; with others, even more lessons would be absolutely essential. Ordinarily it is advisable to have a smaller number of groups for the class's first experience in socialized presentation. The children should have begun to develop certain abilities and attitude of mind before being organized thus and thrown so generally on their own responsibility.

Throughout the entire presentation, much emphasis was placed on the method of having the presenter ask the class questions based on the material (specimens, pictures, maps). The child was using a way of developing an idea from concrete means instead of lecturing to the class, a method so frequently termed "reporting" which is nothing more than telling the class all he knows and using the material not as a basis for information but as a means of illustration following the spoken word. There was constant judging by the class of the contribution made by each child from the standpoint of clearness and completeness and constructive suggestions offered to the individual or group.

The Lesson Itself—A Socialized Presentation on the Group Plan.

basis.

Group I. France in Europe. Chairman chose to introduce France by questioning the class about French and American helmets brought by the children. Agriculture-Analysis of Millet's "Sower" found on a school wall used as a Mining-Questions asked involving use of physical map made previously by a group of volunteers; reference to commodity map (coal) in textbook; need 1 See page 212 for footnote.