UNITED STATES BUREAU OF EDUCATION - BULLETIN 1913, NO. 56 WHOLE NUMBER 567 SOME SUGGESTIVE FEATURES OF THE SWISS SCHOOL SYSTEM By WILLIAM KNOX TATE, STATE SUPERVISOR OF ELEMENTARY RURAL SCHOOLS OF SOUTH CAROLINA WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINVNG OFFICE 1911 CONTENTS. Pa Ce Letter of transmittal. 6 Foreword 7 I.Educational ideals 9 Few natural resources e 9 The people the chief asset Government a system of cooperation for the common good 9 The dominant educational ideal 10 Equality in variety and adaptation 10 Care for man lowest down I I Make room at the bottom by moving up II.The spirit of the classroom 12 Spirit of Pestaimei dominant 12 Relation of teacher and pupils 13 III.A general view of the Swiss school system IS The influence of the General Government on the school system IS Examination of recruits 16 Federal aid in vocational education 16 Minor activities 17 General characteristilk of the cantonal school systems 17 Classification of schools 18 IV. The teacher and the teaching profession Admission to the teaching profession 27 Church seminaries 32 Teachers for secondary schools 33 School supervision 34 V.School buildings and equipment 3S VI. Vocational education Drawing 38 The apprenticeship system 38 The continuation schools 39 Apprenticeship shops 39 School of arts and crafts, 40 Industrial museums k. 40 Secondary technical schools 40 Higher technical schools 41 Vocational training for women 41 1111, The continuation school for hotfbehold economics 41 Schools for housekeeping and domestic service 41 Professional courses for Women 41 - Agricultural education 42 Commercial education. 42 - APPENDIX. A greeting to our little one (a circular to his teachers by Ernst Vassar) 46 Instructions for the organization of continuation schools for household economics 46 Organisation and methods of instruction in the continuation schools 60 Course of study for the German primary schools of the Canton Berne 74 Program of studies of boys' secondary school, Berne.:... , 80 1city gymnasium of Beane tta hi 'We of courses offered by the housekeeping school of Geneva (Rue Rousseau) 92 -omearts school of Winterthur OS t.sal daily programs 07 :am of the agricultural school in Zurich. 99 Optional course of study 14 home arts, Herne. 104 The apprenticeship shops of Berne ... IOU 4 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAiA The arts and crafts school of the city of Zurich 107 Poster as to School of Arts and Crafts, Canton Geneva. 106 Poster as to agricultural Instruction, Canton Geneva 110 Course for apprentice gardeners, Canton Geneva t Ill Poster as to short course In agriculture, Canton Geneva' .114 Irmrs 0 117 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. fussI. l'estalozzi Monument at Yverdon Frontispiece 2A. An infain school in Geneva 28. A first grade, Berne 12 2C. Classes In open-air gymnastics, primary school, Berne 12 3A. Gymnasium class in secondary aohool for girls, Berne .. 12 3B. Manual training in boys' secondary school, Berne 12 41. Schoolhouse at (1 immelwaid, opposite the lungfrau 16 48. A one-teacher country school, Schwanden, Canton Berne 16 4C. Two-teacher country school, Sewil, Canton Berne 16 5A. School building In a country village, Avully, in the Rhone Valley, Clinton Geneva 16 68. New schoolhouse In a country village near Zurich 16 5C. New school, Winterthur 16 13A. A hallway in the secondary school for boys, Berne 16 613. A section of the shower-bath room, primary school, Geneva 16 7A. Rear view. The Zolllkerberg schoolhouse, near Zurich 24 7B. Front view. The Zollikerberg schoolhouse, near Zurich. 24 8. Floor plans of the Zollikerberg schoolhouse near Zurich 24 9. Secondary and higher school for girls, Geneva. FronZ-view 32 10. Secondary andligher school for girlsj Geneva. Elevation, clatroom side 32 11. Secondary and higher school for girls, Geneva. Elevation, promenade side 82 12. Secondary and hight-r school for girls, Geneva. Basement plan g2 13. decondary and higher school for girls, Geneva.Main-floor plan gs 14. Secondary and higher school for girls, Geneva. Second-floor plan 32 15, Secondary and higher school for girls, Geneva.Third-floor plan 32 16. Primary schoolhouse, Schosshaide, Berne. Ground plan. 17. Primary schoolhouse, Schosshalde, Berne.Basement plan 38 IS. Primary schoolhouse, Schoeshalde, Berne. Main floor plan 38 19. Primary schoolhouse, Schoeshalde, Berne.Plan of second and third floors 96 20A. Working In the school garden. Secondary school for boys, Berne 42 20B. Class in painting-School otIndustrial Arta, Geneva 20C. School for watchmakers, Geneva 42 21A. Apprenticeship school, Berne. 21B. Workshop for machinists.'Apprentlorahlp school, Berne 42 VA. Continuation school for citizenship, Schupfen, Canton Berne 42 228. Trade continuation school at Schupfen, Canto8 Berne 42 23A. t anions' agricultural school near Berne 42 2313. Garden scene, cantonal hortioulttlzal acbool,'Oeneva- 42 24A. Afternoon workschool, Caztigny, Cqnton Geneva 48 24B.glitchen and dining room, 'school of 'homehold arts, Geneva 48 25A. a sundry class, school for housekeeping, Zurich. 48 2511. Dressmaking class, school for woman's Rork, Berne 26A. Education for citizenship.Electoral list`gosted in a public plate, Geneva AU 2613. Gymnastic drill on the playground at Bendpfter swimming practice in the river 80. N LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Washington, November 9, 1918. Sgt: The demand grows constantly more urgent for the closer adap- tation of our schools to the needs of the communities in which they are located and by which they are supported.Some countries have succeeded in this better than others.Among those that have sue- - seeded best are the Swiss Cantons.Believing tgat a careful study of the methods by which they accomplish this adaptation would be useful to us in the United States, I details q Mr. W. K. Tate, who at that time held a temporary appointment collector and compiler of statistics itt the Bureau of Education, to go to Switzerland and make a carefultudy of this particular phase of the systems of educa- tion in some of the Cantons.Mr. Tate sailed on September 24,1912,, and returned on December 10, 1912.His expert knowledge of school work and the hearty cooperation of Swiss school officials enabled him to make a fairly thorough study of this subject in the brief time at his disposal. The accompanying manuscript contains the results of this study. I recommend that it be published as mbulletin of this bureau. Respectfully subnitted. P. P. CLAXTON, Commissioner. The SECRETARY OF THE INTER/OR. 5 FOREWORD. 741. Although Switzerland is slightly more than half the size of South Carolina, it is composed of 25 Cantons, each with a governmentas independent as one of our States and with complete control' of its school system.The differences in administration and organization which exist between the various Cantons are fully as great as those which may be found between any 25 States- of the United States. To speak of the Swiss school system would, therefore, be about as' indefinite as to refer to the American school system. My observa- tions were confined mainly to the Cantons of Berne, Geneva, and Zurich, with short excursions into Basel, Schaffhausen, and Thurgau. In these studies it was my intention to obtain a general conception of the spirit with which the Swiss people are pursuing their educe- s tional tasks, rather than to master the more formal details of school ackministration.It is readily realized that the latter task would require a volume much larger than the annual report of the United States Commissioner of Education. A rather complete presenta- tion of the administrative side of the Swiss school system may be. found in the file of Yearbooks of. the Swiss School System (Orell Fussli, Zurich), especially in the issues for 1908 and 1909.Refer- ences to administration in this report will be incidental. My chief interest and principal observations were centered in the types of schools, courses of study, and in the classroom work which it was my privilege to inspect rather closely during a period of two months. It was not the object of my studies to compare the widely vary- ing school efficiency of the several Cantons, norto discover defects, which are sure to exist in any human institution.It is not my purpose to colnpare the Swiss school system with our own in an effort to determine relative merits.Each has its points of strength and its elements of weakness.There is no educational complacency in Switzerland, but everywhere there is a demand for reform and a striving for improvement. In the search for new ideals the SwiS8 teicher frequently looks to America and endeavors to utilize our experience.It shall be my purpose in the circumscribed limits of this report to..emphasize those elements of Swiss educational effort which seem most suggestive to us in America. On my visits of inspection-I was met with a cordial welcome in every classroom which I entered, and to make due recognition of the courtesies which were extendtime by the Swiss school officials and 7 -111-4. 8 PO IDINVOID. teachers would be to call the rollof all whom I met.The demo- cratic cordiality and the fraternalhospitality of their welcome will always lend a charm of sentimentto the recollections ofmy sojourn in their beautiful country. I wish also to expressmy gratitude to the American reprQsentatives who were akways ready and willingto lend their assistance in the prosecution of my work. My especialthanks are due to Mr. W. W. Smith, chargé d'affaires, of theAmerican legation, Berne; Mr.George imrod, American consul at Berne; Mr.Leo Frankenthal, vice consul FBerne; Mr. F. B. Keene, consulat'Geneva; and Mr. W. H. McBride, 46'ce consul at Zurich. Grateful acknowledgmentsare due to Mr. W. C. Ryan, jr., of the Bureau of Education, and to Prof.