Correlated courses in woodwork and mechanical drawing

by Ira Samuel Griffith

Here again the basement makes its appeal to school authorities first, the basement of some one of the grammar schools being utilized for a shop center. Since almost all of the pupils come from other schools, there is no excuse, other than economy, in placing grammar school manual training shops in basements of schools already established. If the high school shopwork suffers a disadvantage by being placed in basement rooms, grammar school shopwork suffers more, and with less excuse.

Since domestic science cannot well be taught in basements, and is objectionable on main floors because of noise and odors, and since there is no reason for having the laboratories directly connected with any grammar school building, the best plan is to erect a special building to house both manual training and domestic science. The cost need not be great and the building may be erected upon grounds of some one of the grammar schools. Evanston, Illinois, public schools offer a good illustration. [Figs. 2] and [3].

FIG. 2. EXTERIOR GRAMMAR SCHOOL BUILDING FOR MANUAL TRAINING AND DOMESTIC SCIENCE, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

FIG. 3. FLOOR PLANS OF BUILDING, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

The proper placing of centers in a community will depend upon the number of pupils to be cared for, the distance they must travel to get to the center, and the site available.

2. Division or Allotment of Time.

Two divisions of time are common in grammar school shopwork, the one-fourth and the one-half day period once a week. In some cities manual training is given in sixth, seventh and eighth grades of the grammar schools. In others it is given in seventh and eighth grades only. In the former case, to the best of the author’s information, the period never exceeds one-fourth day each week. In the latter it very frequently occupies one-half day a week. The outline for drawing and manual training as given in this book presupposes the one-half day period. In favor of this period of time are the following: The pupils go and come to manual training on time out of school hours. This is a very decided gain and permits the placing of centers so as to accommodate schools of widely differing locations. Second, more and better work is accomplished in a one-half day period of one year than in a one-fourth day period for two years. In the one-fourth day period the pupil hardly gets his tools set and adjusted when the bell signals him to begin to “clean up,” resulting in much unprofitable effort. Our college administrators, who are responsible for originating the short and infrequent period spread over a long period of months or years, have long since found that better work and more of it is obtained where the study is given a more intensive view, the total number of hours for the course remaining the same but being condensed into less calendar time.

The chief objection offered against the one-half day period is that the pupil becomes tired, exhausted, and therefore disinterested and troublesome before the close of the period. Where the full two hours and a half are devoted entirely to shopwork, especially if the shopwork is of such a nature as to make little appeal to the interest of the pupil, this argument is valid. If, however, each period has its recitation on assigned study and its demonstration on the new work to be presented there remains but two hours of work requiring the student to be on his feet and, if the interest is what it should be, very few boys will complain of fatigue. The writer makes it a custom to give, in the place of the conventional recess, a short five minute rest period. Boys are permitted to talk and move about the shop but he has found that as many boys prefer to continue their woodwork as prefer to rest.