THE NORMAL SCHOOL QUARTERLY Series 15 October, 1916 No. 61 Some Aspects of Commercial Training By Arthur R. Williams and Verle Sells Enterd August, 1902, at Normal, Illinois, as second-class matter, under Act of Congress of July 16, 1894 PUBLISHT BY THE ILLINOIS STATE NORMAL UNIVERSITY, NORMAL, ILLINOIS N. B. Persons who want to get Ttie Normal School Quarterly regularly will please giv prompt notis of any change of address Normal School Quarterly Publisht by the Illinois State Normal University, Normal, Illinois Series 15 OCTOBER, 1916 No. 61 SOME ASPECTS OF COMMERCIAL TRAINING By Arthur R. Williams and Verlb Sells In the long period of development thru which the sec- ondary school system of this country has past, little or no thought or attention was given to establishing theoretical bases for determining the educational values of the com- mercial branches. Not even those authorities who incline toward the sociological viewpoint in mesuring the values and organization of courses for secondary schools seem to hav forseen what has come to pass in the development of commercial education in our secondary schools thru the past thirty years. Some hav adapted their original plans of or- ganization so that those studies which relate directly to the business side of life ar given consideration. For example, the technical subjects among the commercial branches ar groupt by DeGarmo under the classification of economics. Butler givs them a place as "industrials." In a few instances some of the business subjects, nota- bly bookkeeping, began to appear in the school programs in the early part of the nineteenth century. They wer then but adjuncts to the curricula, frills added sometimes by de- sign and sometimes apparently by chance. Doutless this beginning was due to the economic need in the particular community where they wer taught. The very rapid commercial progress of our country in the middle years of the last century demanded workers skild in business processes. The first real response to the call came from the private business college, a weakling at first but destind to grow into a very strong and important part of our educational system. Commercial branches did not hav the heritage of tradition behind them, nor any wel- standardized methods of teaching. The teachers, as a class, did not possess general educational qualifications equal to their contemporaries in other teaching groups. However, this short-coming was not a detriment to growth. From the 2 The Normal School Quarterly time when the early high schools of Massachusetts began the teaching of bookkeeping, and thru the years of develop- ment enjoyd by the private business schools, the commercial branches increast in importance until now they bid fair to become the most highly organized and most important group of studies in our secondary schools. Evidence of this can be found in many cities where complete school units ar organized as commercial high schools. Following hard upon the successful introduction of manual training and the domestic arts movements of thirty years ago came an increast interest in commercial educa- tion among public-school men. The National Education Association in 1904 establisht a section of Business Educa- tion by admitting to its councils an association of the pri- vate business-college managers and teachers, an association which for some years had maintaind a successful existence. In the passing of a decade the complexion and personnel of this section of the National Education Association under- went a distinct change. Public-school men interested in the teaching of the commercial branches displaced the busi- ness-col] ege men who gradually withdrew from activ par- ticipation in the doings of the National Education Associ- ation largely because of an inherent difference in standards of teaching ethics. Out of this defection of the private- school men grew the present National Federation of Com- mercial Teachers. In ten years the public-school movement toward bus- iness training has had an astonishing growth. It became so important that in 1904 the National Education Associ- ation delegated a group of men known as the "Committee of Nine" to go thoroly into the question of a regularly or- ganized commercial course of four years for high schools. The committee presented a report in which it offerd a plan recommending the model four-year program which has been the basis of most of the four-year courses now in force in our best high schools. The report of the Committee of Nine servd to indicate, even to a more markt degree than had appeard before, the cleavage between the high school and the higher institutions with regard to the wel-worn question of college entrance requirements; a topic which had been the shuttlecock of discussion ever since the epoch-making report of the famous "Committee of Ten" in 1894. The "Committee of Nine" has given us the following Some Aspects of Commercial Training 3 opinion : "Under the authority of the traditional conception of the best preparation for a higher institution, many of our public high schools ar today responsible for leading tens of thousands of boys and girls away from the pursuits for which they ar adapted and in which they ar needed to other pursuits for which they ar not adapted and in which they ar not needed. A chasm is created between the producers of material welth and the distributors and consumers thereof. Many students do not go to college because they took those courses which wer dictated by their aptitudes and needs in- sted of those courses prescribed by the colleges." More than a decade has past since these questions wer raisd by the Committee of Nine, yet the status of the commercial branches as preparatory studies has changed but slightly. Commercial geografy and bookkeeping wer soon acknowi- edgd as worthy of entrance credit, but others, such as short- hand, ar only now coming into deserved recognition. With the growth of commercial departments in the high schools naturally came the call for teachers. Three or four of the normal schools, notably those at Salem, Massachusetts, Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Whitewater, Wis- consin, took up seriously the special training of teachers to answer the call. Two years ago the Illinois State Normal University began to prepare young people to teach the com- mercial branches. The installation of this department was in response to the needs of Illinois, and the frequent calls from superintendents and principals in Illinois, and else- where, for more and better qualified teachers in this special line. The progress of commercial training in the schools of the Middle West has been remarkable. Illinois has been in the van of this onward movement. Every year has seen additions to the number of schools giving this work. There has been a famin of good teachers from the beginning. As late as 1902, in his short "History of Commerce," Webster laments our backwardness in commercial educa- tion. The past ten years has seen an awakening. High schools everywhere, even in the rural communities, hav instald commercial courses. The universities and colleges hav strengthend their work by introducing courses in busi- ness administration. The educational value of the commer- cial branches is now recognized, tho tardily, by practically all of the higher institutions that ar known as progressiv and alive to the importance of commercial education. 83 Teachers .... 120 111 157 146 223 173 ....281 4 The Normal School Quarterly Prior to 1905 the number of Illinois high schools offer- ing four-year courses in business was very small, less than a score. It is doutful if any other special type of education can point to such a phenomenal growth. The diagrams be- low wil giv some idea of the onward march of commercial work in the Illinois high schools during the past five years. Schools 1912 1913 1914 1915 The above statistics apply to schools outside of Chicago. In that city this specialized type of vocational education has grown just as rapidly as it has in the down-state schools. The continuous and helthy growth of an educa- tional movement is the strongest evidence of its value and permanence. Two or three years ago a questionaire sent to the prin- cipals of Illinois high schools brought out a surprising fact. Only one of the principals considerd his commercial teachers of high grade. Still, it was not so surprising on second thought. The unusual demand for commercial courses placed the superintendents and principals in a quandary as to where they would get teachers to fil the need. On the one hand wer the graduates of short courses in "com- mercial colleges," with some technical equipment but with- out a broad training in commercial geografy, commercial law, or the professional and cultural subjects of the normal- school or college curriculum. On the other hand wer nor- mal-school and college graduates with neither business training nor practical business experience. Graduates of schools of commerce wer not attracted to the teaching pro- fession since they could command a higher wage in the business world. It was inevitable that a large proportion of such teachers should fail. Ability as a teacher of mathematics or history did not necessarily "carry over" and bring suc- cess in teaching the commercial branches. A few of the more adaptable survived, usually because they had had some business experience. The il-success of others was proof enuf that specialized training is as necessary in the commer- cial as it is in any other line of teaching. Investigation of the movement of commercial teachers and their average Some Aspects of Commercial Training 5 tenure of place reveals another proof of our statement, and shows that the time has gone by when the mere tinker can find a place in teaching high-school subjects. The teacher must be a specialist. He cannot hope for success or a continuance in the profession of teaching high- school specialties unless he has a broad general education as wel as specialized training in his chosen line of work. The commercial teacher must be able to take his place pro- fessionally on a par with his fellow workers, he must merit respect for his general scholarly attainments as wel as be thoroly conversant with general business methods as they ar in use in the present-day business world. Those institutions of higher lerning which hav in re- cent years establisht schools of commerce hav in view the preparation of young men for the business world itself. It is only incidentally that the graduate of a university school of commerce finds his way into teaching. He is not usually satisfied with the salary he must take as an inexperienst teacher. It has remaind for the normal schools to take up the task of preparing teachers of business for the high schools. To giv the professional equipment the training course in the normal schools must of necessity include such courses in education as ar indicated as most useful for the pro- spectiv high-school teacher. Among them would be teach- ing process, general method, educational psychology, high- school problems, principles of teaching commercial branches, or similar courses. These, coupled with an ade- quate training in the technical subjects of business, make a very full quota of work for two years, the time now usually alloted in the normal schools. Indeed, in the near future the normal schools wil find this commercial training so expanding that four years wil be needed to cover the volume of work the commercial teacher must prepare him- self in to meet the rapid development of commercial educa- tion. ACCOUNTING "The science of accounts and the art of keeping them" is an old and familiar definition of bookkeeping from the days when the ancient Chaldean reckond his score on plates of mud, to the present day accountant, who, with pen on his ear revels in his filing systems, his loose-leaf devises, 6 The Normal School Quarterly his income and expense statements, and his balance sheets. And yet how very modern it seems to be as a distinct element in education. Our educational theorists ar wont to neglect it entirely in the organization of material of education, or at least ar loath to giv it a place in their scheme of education. The teaching of bookkeeping has not come to be of its present importance nor won its place as indispensable in school curricula because of the recommendations of such comprehensiv educational bodies as the Committee of Ten. Its presence in the schedules of both public and private schools is the answer to a distinct civic need not in any way connected with what the colleges wer demanding as preparation to enter their doors. Stil it is so important a factor in the progress of educa- tion in our country and it so wel fils a particular economic need that no stretch of imagination is requird to reconcile the value of bookkeeping to any of the ideals of the theorist. Applying the definition given above, it wil be seen how wel it fits with what Jevon says, "a science teaches us to know and an art teaches us to do." If we accept the statement of Home that the environment of the child is what his race has made before him, then teaching him the scientific keep- ing of records is in very fact adjusting him to the posses- sions of his race. What could better fulfil the three spiritual ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness than the three watch- words of bookkeeping — accuracy, neatness, and dispatch. While the fundamental laws upon which accountancy is based hav not changed, their application and practical use hav alterd much to meet the constant changes in the processes of modern business. There has been much to criticize adversely in the textbooks that hav been offerd the schools, not with regard to the pedagogical principles involvd nor the arrangement of subject-matter so much as the antiquated methods of accounting practis that the books set forth, and in many, a disregard of statute law and its control of accounting processes. It is encouraging to note that a few publishers now offer the teacher texts upon which he may rely as reflecting up-to-date methods of accountancy and due observance of legal requirements. On the other hand, there ar some publications stil in wide use which far from satisfy present day standards in accountancy and business law. It cannot be douted that these faulty textbooks ar in a large mesure to be blamed Some Aspects of Commercial Training 7 for weak results in high-school classes and the meager knowledge of accountancy the majority of teachers possess. Too many teachers hav been satisfied to let the text they teach bookkeeping from be the mesure of their own information on the subject. To make the 99% success the business world demands the teacher must hav a much broader training in accounting than he has been content with heretofore. The rapid development of commercial edu- cation makes imperativ an equipment which must include familiarity with a number of the best elementary systems and textbooks as wel as an acquaintance with the work of such authorities as Dickinson, Bentley, Esquerre, Hatfield, Montgomery, and others. To this fund of information should be added a practical skill in the more highly developt phases of accountancy. To these qualifications might wel be added a season of actual experience in a modern business offis. The academic attitude should be levend by a touch of the verisimilitude of business. A Suggested Plan of a Recitation in Accounting Aim of the recitation To teach the analysis of general expense account. Unit of instruction Topic material to be designated in textbook used; e. g., Rowe, "Bookkeeping and Accountancy," pp. 147-149 inclusiv, and Budget 125, p. 49. Organization Analysis sheets in general Many uses and forms. The ruled form as adapted to the work in hand. Owner's viewpoint. Accountant's viewpoint. Sources of data. Pupil's problem (a) To develop an analysis sheet for expense from the busi- ness practis set for the fiscal period. (b) To gain ability to make such reports for various types of expense and income accounts. Assignment Study carefully the textbook and budget discussions and illus- trations of analysis sheets. Find sources of data to be incorporated in the analysis. 8 The Normal School Quarterly Use ruled form in listing the data obtaind. List data in detail as shown in illustration. Preparation A discussion and quiz on the topic of expense and income ac- counts. Oral practis in identifying different expense detail. Presentation Presentation of the completed analysis sheet. Questions on sources and arrangement of detail. Verification of results. New problem presented orally to class to secure rapidity and accuracy thru competition. COMMERCIAL LAW There is an old saying that "ignorance of the law excuses no man." Thru lack of proper information with regard to rights and responsibilities, thousands of honest and otherwise wel-traind men hav faild in business. There is another old saying that "every man has his day in court." Doutless this day in court in nine cases out of ten was not due to unwillingness or ignorance on the part of the man thus entangled to fulfil his legal duties, but rather because he did not know the legal significance of his act. It is no wonder, then, that in the development of commercial educa- tion in our high schools one of the most prominent places has been given to a course where the laws in most common use relating to business transactions and the men who make them should be included. It is not the purpose of the teacher of such a course to make lawyers of his pupils, tho no dout some naturally adapted to it hav been influenst by a study of commercial law to take up the profession of law. The high-school course and the normal-school course in business law ar intended to giv enuf of the common law and the statutes as applied to business so that the one who takes the work and understands it wel wil be able to avoid unnecessary entanglements of litigation. No longer wil it be possible for anyone to say of him that he got into trouble because he did not know his rights and respon- sibilities. As a matter of fact, if the student lerns nothing else but the significance of a contract, its solemnity and essential elements, commercial law would need no further thing to defend its position of importance in the high-school curriculum. Naturally a normal-school course in commercial law should cover the subject much more broadly, in greater de- Some Aspects of Commercial Training 9 tail, and should approach its topics with greater technicality in expression than would obtain in high-school classes. In addition there should be due consideration of ways and means of presenting the subject to high-school classes. The principles laid down in courses in teaching process and general method should come into use in teaching the course. The field of commercial law in the normal-school course should cover the topics of contracts in general and special applications in the cases of sales of goods, negotiable papers, credits and loans, money and banking, bailments, partner- ship and corporation finance, real and personal property, and enuf of the general subject of personal relations to cover the laws of master and servant. In addition to these there should also be some instruction in the individual's responsi- bility to the state, mainly a survey of court procedure, and of criminal laws as they touch commercial transactions and accountancy. As in accounting, the teacher should be wel acquainted with the best available textbooks. He should also be able to read intelligently some of the more technical works on such legal specialties as touch business law, i. e., the best authorities on contracts, sales, agency, partnership, bils and notes, corporations, and property, and make intelli- gent use of these authorities in the conduct of his class. A Suggested Plan of a Recitation Aim of recitation To teach the laws pertaining to the rights of an unpaid seller of goods. Unit of instruction Material to be designated in the textbook used; e. g., Huffcut, pp. 87-91, Gano, pp. 108-111, Bush, pp. 207, 212, 218-223, Whigam, pp. 234-236, The Uniform Sales Act as adopted by many states. Cases : Arnold vs. Delano, Mass. Reports, Vol. 4. (Vender's Lien). Tufts vs. Sylvester, Am. State Reports, Vol. 1. (Stoppage in Transitu). Organization 1. The rights of the seller against the goods themselvs: (a) Seller's lien (introduce above cited case). (b) Stoppage in transitu (introduce above cited case). 10 The Normal School Quarterly (c) Resale as agent of the buyer. 2. Rescission of sale and resumption of title. 3. Rights to action for breach of contract : (a) Action for damages. (b) Action for price. Pupils' problem , To gain a working knowledge of the remedies a merchant may secure thru the law, or means by which he may protect himself. Assignment Review parties to a sale and warranties in a sale. Study with care the text material, including the cases accom- panying the textbook. Read at least one reference. Make notes on cases in the textbook. Preparation Recitation opend with a short review of parties and agreement in the sale of goods. Presentation Questions on subject-matter of the textbook. Presentation of cases mentiond in organization. Introduction of references. SHORTHAND Herbert Spencer's idea that the first object of an educa- tion is to enable a man to make a living is echoed all thru this commercial age in which we liv. Shorthand is a com- mercial subject and since the first organized system was publisht, early in the sixteenth century, it has been regarded by the majority of people merely from this point of view- its erning power. Shorthand has revolutionized the modern business world, it is true, and perhaps it is for this reason that the dollars-and-cents side of it has been overemfasized. Its value to the business world generally, rather than to the individual student, has been thought of. Aside from its commercial value, it has first a mental-efficiency value, and secondly a cultural value. The shorthand student recievs an abundance of train- ing for mental efficiency. By insisting on accuracy of out- line the power to think exactly, execute promptly, and make quick decisions is cultivated. The eye, ear, and hand ar traind to coordinate with the brain both in rapidity and accuracy. The memory is developt by committing word- signs and contractions and by the necessity of retaining in mind many words dictated while writing others. Short- Some Aspects of Commercial Training 11 hand requires a constant attention and an alertness of mind seldom to be found in other subjects. The cultural value consists of training in the discrim- ination of fonetic sounds, increasing the vocabulary, famil- iarity with the principles of English grammar and punctuation, and a broadening of the student's general knowledge. When the average high-school student takes up the study of shorthand he has almost no knowledge of the pri- mary vowel sounds. He has been accustomd to think of words in their longhand form with silent letters. His spell- ing is correct or incorrect as he remembers the "look" of the word. Dril in sound analysis of words should therefore be given to teach him to discriminate between the vowels common to shorthand, to note absence in the pronunciation of silent letters and to determin the accent of words. Many pupils ar without any* conception of accent. This dril is necessary to produce an analytic and dynamic mind, with- out which a student may write practist matter at a high rate of speed but wil not be able to take dictation containing new words and phrases. His memory assists him somewhat, but is of little avail if not supplemented with the proper kind of dril in fonetics. New words ar constantly occurring — many of them un- familiar to the student. He should be requird to look these words up in the dictionary and as he writes the word over and over again in his shorthand practis work and repeats it to himself each time, he wil increase his vocabulary. In transcribing his shorthand notes into printed lan- guage the student must be able to apply the ordinary prin- ciples of English grammar. He must understand the rela- tion of the different parts of a sentence to each other and be able to punctuate. He must also be able to spel correctly and know the use of synonyms and homonyms. The choice of material to be dictated should be very carefully made. Wel-organized and wel-constructed letters of all types should be used. Good sermons, good addresses, and court proceedings of all kinds may be dictated. In choosing articles the dictator should use discretion and should select excerpts from the best standard authors — selec- tions which wil broaden the student's horizon, increase hig 12 The Normal School Quarterly general knowledge, and familiarize him with the best usages in English literature. A Suggested Two=year Course in Gregg Shorthand First Year. — Textbooks: Gregg Shorthand Manual; Practical Drils in Shorthand Penmanship; Progressiv Ex- ercises ; Gregg Speed Practis ; The Gregg Writer. The work should begin with practis of vowel sounds and ordinary elementary penmanship drils. As each lesson of the manual is presented additional work in the execution of characters in the lesson should be given. Board work is advizable. The progressiv exercizes follow along with the manual work and the "Lerners' Plates" in the "Gregg Writer" afford excellent material for sight reading and addi- tional practis. Supplementary dictation may be given from the Beginner's Letter Drils. After the manual has been thoroly masterd speed work may be given. The letters of the "Principle Series" in the "Gregg Speed Practis" offer excellent material for review of the principles and the "Phrase Letters" giv the student material for reading and writing practis. After one year the student should be able to take dicta- tion on average business-matter at 75 words a minute for a period of five minutes and transcribe with 95% accuracy. Second Year. — Textbooks : Gregg Speed Practis ; The Gregg Writer; Supplementary dictation manuals such as Shorthand Dictation Exercises, by E. H. Eldridge; Expert Speed Practis; Actual Business Dictator; The Universal Dic- tation Course; The Accumulativ Speller. This year's work should begin with a thoro review of the manual together with the "Principle Series" in the Gregg Speed Practis. At least eight weeks should be devoted to this review. An abundance of sight reading of the Gregg Writer plates, and drils in execution of characters should be given. The Gregg Speed Practis should be completed and supplemented by dictation of unpractist matter covering the commonest forms of the retail and wholesale business, manufacturing, engineering, banking, railroads, and the professions. Dictation of legal forms and specifications should be given. Speeches, sermons, and testimony of both civil and criminal trials should be reported. When possible Some Aspects of Commercial Training 13 it is an excellent plan for students to attend actual court pro- cedings and try the reporting practis to be obtaind there. At the end of the second year the average pupil should be qualified to "take" at speed of 120 words per minute on common business letters and 90 to 100 words per minute on solid matter and transcribe with 95% accuracy. A Suggested Plan of Recitation Aim of lesson; To teach — 1. Sounds of the downward characters in paragraf 13. 2. How to join fr and fl without forming an angle. 3. How to join circle vowels to these consonants. 4. The position of words in relation to line of writing. Unit of instruction Gregg Shorthand Manual (1916 edition) pp. 8-11. Practical. Drils in Shorthand Penmanship, by G. S. McClure, Plates 8, 9, 10, and 11. Organization of subject matter 1. Names of the consonants in paragraf 13. 2. Execution of these characters. 3. The position of words on line of writing. 4. Application of rules for joining circles to these consonants. Pupils' Problem 1. To become familiar with the new consonants in paragraf 13. 2. To write fr and fl without an angle. 3. To place outlines correctly on the line of writing. 4. To join circles to these consonants correctly. 5. To execute outlines in general exercizes dexterously. Assignment Review vowels and consonants of Lesson I. Review rules for joining circles to consonants in Lesson I. Write two pages of practis work on plates 8, 9, 10, and 11 of McGlure's Practical Drils in Shorthand Penmanship. Write four pages of practis work on words on pages 8-10 of the Gregg Shorthand Manual. Read notes back at least once. Preparation Review vowels and consonants of Lesson I. Review rules for joining circles to consonants in Lesson I, and apply these rules to consonants in Lesson II. Presentation Oral dril on vowels and consonants of Lessons I and II. 14 The Normal School Quarterly Board work 1. Dril in execution of the new characters and joining them to other characters. 2. Dictation of words on pages 8-10. 3. Read notes back. TYPEWRITING Speed in typewriting has now reacht a point which a few years ago was considerd beyond the ability of any hu- man being, and what was once thought hypernormal in operating attainment is now normal. Many people hav entertaind the erroneous idea that typewriting is simply mechanical — that anyone can sit down and write on a typewriter just as anyone can lern to operate a sewing machine or a similar devise. The opera- tion of a sewing machine requires practically only the co- ordination of the larger muscles, while in typewriting the finer adjustments ar necessary. It takes a longer time to make the movements of the smaller muscles automatic than it does those of the larger ones. It is true, indeed it is nec- essary, that the movements in typewriting become mechani- cal ; but as soon as the mind ceases to work ahed the fingers can no longer move with accuracy and precision. On the other hand, the person who runs a sewing machine may be merely an automaton, for his muscles once adapted to the movements of the machine his mind may be far from the task in hand. Supervision in typewriting is one of the first essentials in securing the right kind of technique. It is the exceptional case where a textbook, a typewriter, and a student without supervision produce a touch-typist. Without supervision the theory student wil soon acquire bad habits, such as faulty fingering, incorrect position of the hands and poor posture, which later wil require much time to correct. The touch of the beginning student should be carefully watcht — it should be made even and rhythmic. The Vic- trola can be used here to great advantage. Music relievs the monotony and tends to increas speed as wel as firmness and smoothness of touch. With the beginning student it is es- pecially advantageous, as it relievs the nervous tension un- der which the beginner is inclined to work and adds to the attractivness of the subject. A ten-minute dril with the Vic- trola at the beginning of each hour wil hav a decided effect Some Aspects of Commercial Training 15 for good on the work for the remainder of the hour. The Victrola can be made to increas its speed gradually, and un- consciously the student wil increas his speed in order to keep in time with the music. Stretching exercizes of various kinds ar of great value to the typist. They giv strength and elasticity to the muscles of the hand and wrist and also promote a free blood circula- tion and prevent "writers' cramp." The speed element should not be introduced into the student's mind until he has proven himself an accurate oper- ator at a slow rate. If the student acquires accuracy, speed wil naturally follow with practis. Artistic arrangement of work and gaining of speed without sacrificing the essential accuracy ar two of the problems confronting the advanst student. The same piece of work may be arranged in many different ways. Allow the student to try several ways and then judge which is the most pleasing to the eye. It wil be several months before he can judge at sight just how to place an article on the page to secure the best effect. In the advancement of operating skil artistry plays no insignificant part. It is advisable to combine a course in offis training with advanst work in typewriting. This wil giv the student an insight into the work done in a large offis. The handling and filing of correspondence, the division of work among several stenographers and the management of an offis, would be included in the work. Visits to the larger offises in the vicinity would enable the student to see these things in actual practis. Properly supervized field trips ar recognized to be of pedagogical value. The direct values of typewriting to the individual stu- dent ar very numerous; some of these ar concentration, alertness, quickness of mind, accuracy, neatness, and keeness of perception. Beside these the student acquires di- rectly punctuation, spelling, grammar and composition thru formal training. Training should include proficiency in the touch method of operation. As a basis for this work any standard manual, such as Fritz-Eldridge, Twentieth Century, Ra- tional, and others may be used. Copy from plain copy, copy from manuscript, use of the tabulator, and copy of legal forms wil be incorporated in this elementary work. The care and use of the typewriter should also be included. 16 The Normal School Quarterly Some suggestions for additional work: (1) Making of stencils and use of the mimeograf; (2) Blindfold drils; (3) Speed tests; (4) Carbon copies; (5) Direct dictation; (6) Transcription of shorthand notes. Suggested Plan for One Day's Work Teacher's purpose To teach student to make capital letters by use of the shift key. Unit of instruction The use of the fifth finger (foren fingering) and the shift key. Organization Review of key board. Fritz-Eldridge's Expert Typewriting, Lesson 10; or the lesson on the use of the shift key in any standard typewriting manual. Pupil's Problems 1. To keep position of keys in mind. 2. To operate shift key with little finger before desired key is struck, and releas it after the key is struck. 3. To bear in mind that when the letter to be capitalized is a right-hand letter, to use the left shift key, and vice versa. 4. To make perfect copies. Assignment Make one perfect page of each of the first five in the first group, p. 27, of Fritz-Eldridge, writing the sentence ten times. This assignment may vary according to the textbook. Preparation As a preliminary dril write the words in Lesson 9, capitalizing the first letter of each word. Presentation Review keyboard by writing the alfabet several times. If a Victrola can be used, play a march and hav the students strike one key to each count of the music. Make one perfect page of each of the first five sentences in the first group, p. 27, of Fritz-Eldridge, writing the sentence ten times.