Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies; with The
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There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924032709960 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE - OF TEN ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDIES * WITH THE REPORTS OF THE CONFERENCES ARRANGED BY THE COMMITTEE ^ ^ PUBLISHED FOR THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION BY THE AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO M D CCC XC IV '\ W M ; REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE - OF TEN ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDIES * WITH THE REPORTS OF THE CONFERENCES ARRANGED BY THE COMMITTEE ^ PUBLISHED FOR THE NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION BY THE AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY > NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO M D CCC XC IV 1 A.\-b^^^^ copyeight, 1894, by The National Educational Association Kep. Com. 10 M. 2 PREFATORY NOTE. The Report of the Committee of Ten on Secondary School Studies is now generally known among the leading educators of the country, and, while there is much diversity of opinion respecting many of its recommendations, there is substantial agreement that it is the most important educational document ever issued in the United States. Prepared under the auspices of the National Educational As- sociation, this Eeport was first published by the Bureau of Educa- tion, at Washington, and distributed at public expense to the extent of the funds available for that purpose. In spite of this liberal distribution, many thousands of instructors and educators could not receive a copy from that source. In view of the importance of the Eeport, and the increasing demand for copies, the National Educational Association has arranged with the American Book Company to print and publish another edition, and to furnish it at a nominal price, that its beneficial influence may be extended still more widely. In issuing the new edition, it has been thought best to make certain improvements in the make-up of the book, and to insert an Analytical and Topical Index, by which convenient and in- stant reference may be had to any subject mentioned in the Eeport of the Committee, or in those of the nine conferences. Ill IV PREFATOKY NOTE. Friends of the Association may be interested to know that any profit which may be derived from the sale of the Eeport in this form, will accrue to the benefit of the Association, and re- imburse, in part, the very considerable expense involved in its preparation. N. A Calkins, Chairman of Board of Trustees, of National Educational Association. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Report of the Committee of Ten 3 Origin of the Conferences 3 Members of the Committee of Ten 4 Subjects of the Conferences 5 List of Eleven Questions 6 Places of holding Conferences 7 Members of the Nine Conferences 8 Composition of Conferences 11 Program for Twelve Years' Course 34 Program for High Schools 37 Classical Program for High Schools 41 Minority Report of President Baker 56 Report of Latin Conference 60 Report of Greek Conference 76 Report of English Conference 86 Report of Other Modern Languages Conference 96 Report of Mathematics Conference 104 Report of Physios, Chemistry, and Astronomy Conference 117 Minority Report of W. J. Waggoner 123 Minority Report of Alfred P. Gage • 133 Report of the Committee on Experiments 124 Report of Natural History Conference 138 Nature Study for Grades below the High School 142 V VI TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Botany for Common Schools 1^1 Zoology for Secondary Schools 154 Physiology in Primary and Secondary Schools 158 Report of History, Civil Government, and Political Economy Con- ference 163 Appendix to Report of History, Civil Government, and Political Econ- omy Conference 203 Report of Geography Conference 204 Minority Report of Edwin J. Houston 23T — ANALYTICAL INDEX. I. AIMS OF EDUCATION. Botany, result of first four years' work, 148—of first six years' work, 150. English, objects of teaching, 86—formal grammar, 89. Geography, as mental discipline, 214—observational purpose of, 211. Geometry, pur- pose of, 115. German and French in grammar schools, 99—German or French in high schools, 99. Greek, grammatical knowledge not an end, 82 —purpose of study, 83. History, aim of teaching, 164, 168, 169, 170— examinations in, for college entrance, 165. Latin, purpose of study, 61, 62. Mathematics, discipline of, 114. Modern languages, educational value of, 96. Natural history, object of, in lowest grades, 139—nature study in primary schools, objects of, 142—results of first two years' work, 146. Physics and chemistry, rediscovery of laws not the aim, 118. Physiology as personal help, 159. Productive ability, the great end of education is to create, 213. Zoology as means of discipline, intellectual growth, broad culture, 158. II. BOOKS, TEXT-BOOKS, REFERENCE-BOOKS, AND MATERIALS. Arithmetic, abuse of text-books, 108. Botany, text-books in, defec- tive in certain respects, 205, English, Trench " On the Study of Words" recommended, 92. Geography, libraries for, 217—photographs and lan- tern slides, 318—simply memorizing from text-book^ should be avoided, 31 9—illustrative material, 223, 224—maps, 213, 217—relief maps, 219. Greek, recommendations as to text-books, 77. History, text-books used in third year, 164—collection of reference-books, 165—text-books, dry and lifeless instruction by, 167, 184—libraries for teaching, 184— text-books, 188— criteria of a good text-book, 189—parallel text-books: sets of books, 189—material for reading: school libraries, reference-books, 193—historical novels, 194—wall-maps and 'atlases, 199. Latin, Cato Major, 63—man- uals of composition discouraged, 63—Gradatim, Eutropius, and the Viri Romse recommended as easy reading, 64—Bucolics not recommended, 64 Froude's Csesar, Forsyth's Cicero, Trollope's Cicero, Sellar's Virgil, and Wilkins's Primer of Roman Literature recommended, 73. Nature study, VII — Till ANALYTICAL INDEX. materials, 143—physical science, study of books and phenomena compared, 119. Physics and chemistry, one-half time to text-book, 118—chemistry and physics, study of text-books without laboratory work of little value, 119—physics and chemistry, more abundant material for former, 122 chemistry, text-books in, 137. Keading-book may be discarded at the be- ginning of the seventh year, 89. 'Wbather-maps, 207. Zoology, text-books in, defective in certain respects, 205. III. CLASS EDUCATION. ' Seventh Question : ' Should the subject he treated differently for pu- pils who are going to college, for those^who are going to a scientific " school, and for those who, presumably, are going to neither ? Answered unanimously in the negative by all the conferences, 17. Bad foe all classes of pupils, 173. English conference, specific answer to seventh question, 93. History, instruction precisely the same for all pupils, 165, 167, 203. Modern languages, conference on, 98. Natural history conference, differentiation unwise, 141. Physics, chemistry, and astronomy, no difference in treatment for those not going to college, 118. IV. COLLEGES. Average age of admission lowered, 14. Astronomy not required, 118. Close articulation with high schools, 53. English, requirements in, should be made uniform in kind, 93—recommendations for admission, 93 admission, essays to be on the main subjects, 94—English should be ' a "final" subject, 95. Geography, examinations in, for admission, 234 field-work in geography, 236. Geometry, admission to solid and plane, 116. Greek, admission sight examinations, 80—examinations in grammar upon text, 80—Greek composition, 81. History, examinations for en- trance, 165—work done in preparatory school taken as evidence, 165 colleges, relations with lower schools, 167—cram for entrance, 171 "Whatever improves the schools must improve the college," 174—regular written tests accepted as evidence, 184—a "final" subject, 185. Latin standard of admission raised in point of quality, 60—translation at sight, 74.' Modern languages, admission to, 99, 102. Natural history en- trance and final examinations, 141 —superiority of laboratory test to written examination, 140— natural science and history, habits of study painfully acquired by students, 15. Physics and chemistry required, 118 —admission, laboratory work as a test, 118—certificates from approved schools the ideal method, 118. V. CONCENTRATION OF STUDIES. Arithmetic and physics, 109, 111—mathematical knowledge necessary to physics, 119. Botany, careful examination of, specimens best secured by careful sketching, 153. English, relation of, to all studies, 87—formal grammar not a necessity to the use of good English, 89—English, history, — ANALYTICAL INDEX. IX and geography, 91—and other languages, 92—every subject should help every other, 16. Geography, relations of history and natural sciences to, 305, 219--geography, meteorology, and geology, relations of, 305, 306, 307, 308—relation to all modes of expression, 319—geography and drawing, 320 —elementary geography identical with elementary science, 239. Geom- etry, drawing and modeling. 111 —concrete geometry, relation to draw- ing, modeling, and arithmetic, 24. Greek, geography, history, my- thology, antiquities, 80. History, intimately connected with English, ancient and modern languages, topography, political, historical, and com- mercial geography, and the drawing of historical maps, 164—history and civil government, 165 —history and English,