Page:LA2-NSRW-4-0423.jpg

TEACHERS COLLEGE requiring a tropical climate, and prior to the Civil War many southerners raised their own tea. In South Carolina commercial tea-raising has met with success, and trials are making in other southern states. Teachers Col′lege, Columbia University, New York City, was founded in 1880 as an association for teaching home-economies. In 1884 it was reorganized under the name of the Industrial Education Association, with headquarters at 21 University Place. In 1887 it was finally incorporated as the New York College for the Training of Teachers, afterward Teachers College. As early as 1890 it became a part of Columbia University, though it retains its own trustees and administration. In 1894 the present fine site on West 120th St. was occupied. The first president of Teachers College was Nicholas Murray Butler. He was succeeded by Walter L. Hervey, who remained until 1897, when James E. Russell became dean. The college now represents an investment of some five million dollars. A new school of domestic art and science was completed in 1909. The college offers courses in education, anthropology, fine arts, biology, domestic art, domestic science, economics and social science, EngglishEnglish [sic], French, German, Greek and Latin, geography, geology, history, kindergarten, manual training, mathematics, music, philosophy, ethics, psychology, physical science and physical education. For admission two years of college or normal-school study are required. The general diploma is conferred upon students who have successfully completed one of the undergraduate courses offered; and a departmental diploma upon those who have studied for particular branches of school-work. The graduate-department is larger than any other in Columbia University, having nearly 700 members in 1909. It offers many courses in education, leading to the higher degrees. Its graduates are usually appointed to university, college, normal-school, secondary and public-school positions; or to school-superintendencies or principalships.

There also are many extension-courses offered, both in the college and in buildings easily accessible.

The college has two observation and practice schools—Horace Mann School and Speyer School. Student-teachers observe classes in Horace Mann School, but do not teach them. Horace Mann School, with about 1,000 pupils, has two kindergartens, seven grammar-grades and a five-year high-school course. The tuition is $75 in the kindergarten, $150 in the primary grades, $200 in the grammar grades and $250 in the high school. The school is on Broadway, from 120th to 121st street, in a building given by Mr. and Mrs. V. Everit Macy.

Speyer School, with about 200 pupils, furnishes opportunity for practice-teaching and experimentation. It is entirely free. It occupies a building at 94 Lawrence Street, the gift of Mr. James Speyer. In the afternoons and evenings the school carries on neighborhood-work. Gymnasium, cooking, sewing and carpentry classes are among the school activities.

Bryson Library of Teachers College supplements the university's library of 400,000 volumes with a special collection of over 40,000 volumes, chiefly upon the subject of education. It is open to students and officers of the university and to public-school teachers in the city.

The college publications include The Teachers College Record and The Teachers College Contributions to Education. The Record is issued continuously every other month except July. The Contributions consist of papers representing original investigations by advanced students or officers, edited by the dean and the college professors in charge of the subject treated. From four to six numbers appear each year.

The college and its schools have a staff of 150 instructors, including many distinguished educators and investigators. It represents a university school of education upon the same footing as the schools of law, medicine and science. The total attendance of the college and its schools is about 3,500 persons.  Teachers' Institute, a gathering of public school teachers of a state, county or city. An institute is held yearly or oftener, and lasts usually from one to two weeks. Instruction is given by lectures, class-drills etc. in the best methods of teaching and governing schools. Sometimes actual classes of children are taught in the presence of the members of the institute, which is probably the most profitable of the many methods in use. The members of the institute, as well as specially engaged lecturers, take part. Institutes have proved a valuable help to teachers, and have raised the standard of teaching throughout the country. The first institute was held by Henry Barnard, state superintendent of schools in Connecticut, in 1839.  Teach′ing, Method of. Method in teaching depends essentially upon methods of learning. The latter are commonly divided into three classes: the trial-and-error method, imitation and reasoning. All learning aims primarily at doing something which the learner is not able to accomplish by instinct, but must master by experience. The simplest method, that of trial-and-error, consists in trying again and again until finally, largely by accident, the desired result is gained. The experiment usually needs to be repeated many times before the act is thoroughly learned. Then it becomes habitual and practically automatic. This method is almost the sole one with the lower animals, and by it nearly 