Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Meeting of the National Council of Primary Education, Chicago, Illinois, February 25, 1919. Bulletin, 1919, No. 69

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Primary Education; Teaching Methods; Elementary Schools; Elementary Education; Conferences (Gatherings); Teacher Student Ratio; Curriculum; School Schedules; Educational Practices; Independent Study; Classroom Environment; Furniture

The National Council of Primary Education held its fourth annual meeting in the red room of Hotel La Salle, Chicago, 9.30 a: m., Tuesday, February 25. 1919, with the chairman presiding. The Chairman: "The Primary Council is very happy indeed to welcome this audience this morning. This is our fourth birthday, and we are glad have so many people come to help us celebrate. To those of you who are not yet well acquainted with the Primary Council, perhaps a word as to the things we are trying to do will be of interest. In our constitution the purpose is stated as threefold: First, a greater use of activities in the primary school; second, greater freedom of method for the teacher; and third, a closer correlation, in fact a unification, of the work now done in the kindergarten and primary schools. We feel that the work of early education is one work, and, that there should be no break, either in the form or the atmosphere, and that the children should feel no difference in the transition. It behooves us to pay most particular attention to the atmosphere of the school, to come down to the world of the little children and find out how they live and how we are teaching them and what they are really getting out of the school. We flatter ourselves sometimes that we have accomplished great things because we are getting tangible results, but the method by which we get those tangible results is most important. We need to know what is actually going on in the school, what the children are thinking about, how they are responding. This morning we shall discuss those questions in a very practical way." Contents include: (1) Welcome by the chairman, Ella Victoria Dobbs; (2) Tentative report of the committee on appropriate on appropriate furnishings for the primary school and on desirable number of pupils per teacher; (3) Discussion of the report; (4) A study of typical daily programs in use in primary grades; (5) Tentative plan for a report on present day practice; (6) vision for educative self directed, pupil activity; (7) Observation reports submitted to the committee; and (8) Discussion of the report. (Contains 1 figure. ) [Best copy available has been provided.]

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2013

ED541370