The Teaching of Geometry Part 8

FOOTNOTES:

[40] Carson, loc. cit., p. 13.

CHAPTER X

THE CONDUCT OF A CLa.s.s IN GEOMETRY

No definite rules can be given for the detailed conduct of a cla.s.s in any subject. If it were possible to formulate such rules, all the personal magnetism of the teacher, all the enthusiasm, all the originality, all the spirit of the cla.s.s, would depart, and we should have a dull, dry mechanism. There is no one best method of teaching geometry or anything else. The experience of the schools has shown that a few great principles stand out as generally accepted, but as to the carrying out of these principles there can be no definite rules.

Let us first consider the general question of the employment of time in a recitation in geometry. We might all agree on certain general principles, and yet no two teachers ever would or ever should divide the period even approximately in the same way. First, a cla.s.s should have an opportunity to ask questions. A teacher here shows his power at its best, listening sympathetically to any good question, quickly seeing the essential point, and either answering it or restating it in such a way that the pupil can answer it for himself. Certain questions should be answered by the teacher; he is there for that purpose. Others can at once be put in such a light that the pupil can himself answer them.

Others may better be answered by the cla.s.s. Occasionally, but more rarely, a pupil may be told to "look that up for to-morrow," a plan that is commonly considered by students as a confession of weakness on the part of the teacher, as it probably is. Of course a cla.s.s will waste time in questioning a weak teacher, but a strong one need have no fear on this account. Five minutes given at the opening of a recitation to brisk, pointed questions by the cla.s.s, with the same credit given to a good question as to a good answer, will do a great deal to create a spirit of comrades.h.i.+p, of frankness, and of honesty, and will reveal to a sympathetic teacher the difficulties of a cla.s.s much better than the same amount of time devoted to blackboard work. But there must be no dawdling, and the cla.s.s must feel that it has only a limited time, say five minutes at the most, to get the help it needs.

Next in order of the division of the time may be the teacher's report on any papers that the cla.s.s has handed in. It is impossible to tell how much of this paper work should be demanded. The local school conditions, the mental condition of the cla.s.s, and the time at the disposal of the teacher are all factors in the case. In general, it may be said that enough of this kind of work is necessary to see that pupils are neat and accurate in setting down their demonstrations. On the other hand, paper work gives an opportunity for dishonesty, and it consumes a great deal of the teacher's time that might better be given to reading good books on the subject that he is teaching. If, however, any papers have been submitted, about five minutes may well be given to a rapid review of the failures and the successes. In general, it is good educational policy to speak of the errors and failures impersonally, but occasionally to mention by name any one who has done a piece of work that is worthy of special comment. Pupils may better be praised in public and blamed in private. There is such a thing, however, as praising too much, when nothing worthy of note has been done, just as there is danger of blaming too much, resulting in mere "nagging."

The third division of the recitation period may profitably go to a.s.signing the advance lesson. The cla.s.s questions and the teacher's report on written work have shown the mental status of the pupils, so that the teacher now knows what he may expect for the next lesson. If he a.s.signs his lesson at the beginning of the period, he does not have this information. If he waits to the end, he may be too hurried to give any "development" that the new lesson may require. There can be no rule as to how to a.s.sign a new lesson; it all depends upon what the lesson is, upon the mental state of the cla.s.s, and not a little upon the idiosyncrasy of the teacher. The German educator, Herbart, laid down certain formal steps in developing a new lesson, and his successors have elaborated these somewhat as follows:

1. _Aim._ Always take a cla.s.s into your confidence. Tell the members at the outset the goal. No one likes to be led blindfolded.

2. _Preparation._ A few brief questions to bring the cla.s.s to think of what is to be considered.

3. _Presentation of the new._ Preferably this is done by questions, the answers leading the members of the cla.s.s to discover the new truth for themselves.

4. _Apperception._ Calling attention to the fact that this new fact was known before, in part, and that it relates to a number of things already in the mind. The more the new can be tied up to the old the more tenaciously it will be held.

5. _Generalization and application._

It is evident at once that a great deal of time may be wasted in always following such a plan, perhaps in ever following it consciously. But, on the other hand, probably every good teacher, whether he has heard of Herbart or not, naturally covers these points in substantially this order. For an inexperienced teacher it is helpful to be familiar with them, that he may call to mind the steps, arranged in a psychological sequence, that he would do well to follow. It must always be remembered that there is quite as much danger in "developing" too much as in taking the opposite extreme. A mechanical teacher may develop a new lesson where there is need for only a question or two or a mere suggestion. It should also be recognized that students need to learn to read mathematics for themselves, and that always to take away every difficulty by explanations given in advance is weakening to any one.

Therefore, in a.s.signing the new lesson we may say "Take the next two pages," and thus discourage most of the cla.s.s. On the other hand, we may spend an unnecessary amount of time and overdevelop the work of those same pages, and have the whole lesson lose all its zest. It is here that the genius of the teacher comes forth to find the happy mean.

The fourth division of the hour should be reached, in general, in about ten minutes. This includes the recitation proper. But as to the nature of this work no definite instructions should be attempted. To a good teacher they would be unnecessary, to a poor one they would be harmful.

Part of the cla.s.s may go to the board, and as they are working, the rest may be reciting. Those at the board should be limited as to time, for otherwise a premium is placed on mere dawdling. They should be so arranged as to prevent copying, but the teacher's eye is the best preventive of this annoying feature. Those at their seats may be called upon one at a time to demonstrate at the blackboard, the rest being called upon for quick responses, as occasion demands. The European plan of having small blackboards is in many respects better than ours, since pupils cannot so easily waste time. They have to work rapidly and talk rapidly, or else take their seats.

What should be put on the board, whether the figure alone, or the figure and the proof, depends upon the proposition. In general, there should be a certain number of figures put on the board for the sake of rapid work and as a basis for the proofs of the day. There should also be a certain amount of written work for the sake of commending or of criticizing adversely the proof used. There are some figures that are so complicated as to warrant being put upon sheets of paper and hung before the cla.s.s.

Thus there is no rule upon the subject, and the teacher must use his judgment according to the circ.u.mstances and the propositions.

If the early "originals" are one-step exercises, and a pupil is required to recite rapidly, a habit of quick expression is easily acquired that leads to close attention on the part of all the cla.s.s. Students as a rule recite slower than they need to, from mere habit. Phlegmatic as we think the German is, and nervous as is the American temperament, a student in geometry in a German school will usually recite more quickly and with more vigor than one with us. Our extensive blackboards have something to do with this, allowing so many pupils to be working at the board that a teacher cannot attend to them all. The result is a habit of wasting the minutes that can only be overcome by the teacher setting a definite but reasonable time limit, and holding the pupil responsible if the work is not done in the time specified. If this matter is taken in hand the first day, and special effort made in the early weeks of the year, much of the difficulty can be overcome.

As to the nature of the recitation to be expected from the pupil, no definite rule can be laid down, since it varies so much with the work of the day. In general, however, a pupil should state the theorem quickly, state exactly what is given and what is to be proved, with respect to the figure, and then give the proof. At first it is desirable that he should give the authorities in full, and later give only the essential part in a few words. It is better to avoid the expression "by previous proposition," for it soon comes to be abused, and of course the learning of section numbers in a book is a barbarism. It is only by continually stating the propositions used that a pupil comes to have well fixed in his memory the basal theorems of geometry, and without these he cannot make progress in his subsequent mathematics. In general, it is better to allow a pupil to finish his proof before asking him any questions, the constant interruptions indulged in by some teachers being the cause of no little confusion and hesitancy on the part of pupils. Sometimes it is well to have a figure drawn differently from the one in the book, or lettered differently, so as to make sure that the pupil has not memorized the proof, but in general such devices are unnecessary, for a teacher can easily discover whether the proof is thoroughly understood, either by the manner of the pupil or by some slight questioning. A good textbook has the figures systematically lettered in some helpful way that is easily followed by the cla.s.s that is listening to the recitation, and it is not advisable to abandon this for a random set of letters arranged in no proper order.

It is good educational policy for the teacher to commend at least as often as he finds fault when criticizing a recitation at the blackboard and when discussing the pupils' papers. Optimism, encouragement, sympathy, the genuine desire to help, the putting of one's self in the pupil's place, the doing to the pupil as the teacher would that he should do in return,--these are educational policies that make for better geometry as they make for better life.

The prime failure in teaching geometry lies unquestionably in the lack of interest on the part of the pupil, and this has been brought about by the ancient plan of simply reading and memorizing proofs. It is to get away from this that teachers resort to some such development of the lesson in advance, as has been suggested above. It is usually a good plan to give the easier propositions as exercises before they are reached in the text, where this can be done. An English writer has recently contributed this further idea:

It might be more stimulating to encourage investigation than to demand proofs of stated facts; that is to say, "Here is a figure drawn in this way, find out anything you can about it."

Some such exercises having been performed jointly by teachers and pupils, the l.u.s.t of investigation and healthy compet.i.tion which is present in every normal boy or girl might be awakened so far as to make such little researches really attractive; moreover, the training thus given is of far more value than that obtained by proving facts which are stated in advance, for it is seldom, if ever, that the problems of adult life present themselves in this manner. The spirit of the question, "What is true?" is positive and constructive, but that involved in "Is this true?" is negative and destructive.[41]

When the question is asked, "How shall I teach?" or "What is the Method?" there is no answer such as the questioner expects. A j.a.panese writer, Motowori, a great authority upon the s.h.i.+nto faith of his people, once wrote these words: "To have learned that there is no way to be learned and practiced is really to have learned the way of the G.o.ds."

FOOTNOTES:

[41] Carson, loc. cit., p. 12.

CHAPTER XI

THE AXIOMS AND POSTULATES

The interest as well as the value of geometry lies chiefly in the fact that from a small number of a.s.sumptions it is possible to deduce an unlimited number of conclusions. With the truth of these a.s.sumptions we are not so much concerned as with the reasoning by which we draw the conclusions, although it is manifestly desirable that the a.s.sumptions should not be false, and that they should be as few as possible.

It would be natural, and in some respects desirable, to call these foundations of geometry by the name "a.s.sumptions," since they are simply statements that are a.s.sumed to be true. The real foundation principles cannot be proved; they are the means by which we prove other statements.

But as with most names of men or things, they have received certain t.i.tles that are time-honored, and that it is not worth the while to attempt to change. In English we call them axioms and postulates, and there is no more reason for attempting to change these terms than there is for attempting to change the names of geometry[42] and of algebra.[43]

Since these terms are likely to continue, it is necessary to distinguish between them more carefully than is often done, and to consider what a.s.sumptions we are justified in including under each. In the first place, these names do not go back to Euclid, as is ordinarily supposed, although the ideas and the statements are his. "Postulate" is a Latin form of the Greek [Greek: aitema] (_aitema_), and appears only in late translations. Euclid stated in substance, "Let the following be a.s.sumed." "Axiom" ([Greek: axioma], _axioma_) dates perhaps only from Proclus (fifth century A.D.), Euclid using the words "common notions"

([Greek: koinai ennoiai], _koinai ennoiai_) for "axioms," as Aristotle before him had used "common things," "common principles," and "common opinions."

The distinction between axiom and postulate was not clearly made by ancient writers. Probably what was in Euclid's mind was the Aristotelian distinction that an axiom was a principle common to all sciences, self-evident but incapable of proof, while the postulates were the a.s.sumptions necessary for building up the particular science under consideration, in this case geometry.[44]

We thus come to the modern distinction between axiom and postulate, and say that a general statement admitted to be true without proof is an axiom, while a postulate in geometry is a geometric statement admitted to be true, without proof. For example, when we say "If equals are added to equals, the sums are equal," we state an a.s.sumption that is taken also as true in arithmetic, in algebra, and in elementary mathematics in general. This is therefore an axiom. At one time such a statement was defined as "a self-evident truth," but this has in recent years been abandoned, since what is evident to one person is not necessarily evident to another, and since all such statements are mere matters of a.s.sumption in any case. On the other hand, when we say, "A circle may be described with any given point as a center and any given line as a radius," we state a special a.s.sumption of geometry, and this a.s.sumption is therefore a geometric postulate. Some few writers have sought to distinguish between axiom and postulate by saying that the former was an a.s.sumed theorem and the latter an a.s.sumed problem, but there is no standard authority for such a distinction, and indeed the difference between a theorem and a problem is very slight. If we say, "A circle may be pa.s.sed through three points not in the same straight line," we state a theorem; but if we say, "Required to pa.s.s a circle through three points," we state a problem. The mental process of handling the two propositions is, however, practically the same in spite of the minor detail of wording. So with the statement, "A straight line may be produced to any required length." This is stated in the form of a theorem, but it might equally well be stated thus: "To produce a straight line to any required length." It is unreasonable to call this an axiom in one case and a postulate in the other. However stated, it is a geometric postulate and should be so cla.s.sed.

What, now, are the axioms and postulates that we are justified in a.s.suming, and what determines their number and character? It seems reasonable to agree that they should be as few as possible, and that for educational purposes they should be so clear as to be intelligible to beginners. But here we encounter two conflicting ideas. To get the "irreducible minimum" of a.s.sumptions is to get a set of statements quite unintelligible to students beginning geometry or any other branch of elementary mathematics. Such an effort is laudable when the results are intended for advanced students in the university, but it is merely suggestive to teachers rather than usable with pupils when it touches upon the primary steps of any science. In recent years several such attempts have been made. In particular, Professor Hilbert has given a system[45] of congruence postulates, but they are rather for the scientist than for the student of elementary geometry.

In view of these efforts it is well to go back to Euclid and see what this great teacher of university men[46] had to suggest. The following are the five "common notions" that Euclid deemed sufficient for the purposes of elementary geometry.

1. _Things equal to the same thing are also equal to each other._ This axiom has persisted in all elementary textbooks. Of course it is a simple matter to attempt criticism,--to say that -2 is the square root of 4, and +2 is also the square root of 4, whence -2 = +2; but it is evident that the argument is not sound, and that it does not invalidate the axiom. Proclus tells us that Apollonius attempted to prove the axiom by saying, "Let _a_ equal _b_, and _b_ equal _c_. I say that _a_ equals _c_. For, since _a_ equals _b_, _a_ occupies the same s.p.a.ce as _b_.

Therefore _a_ occupies the same s.p.a.ce as _c_. Therefore _a_ equals _c_." The proof is of no value, however, save as a curiosity.

2. _And if to equals equals are added, the wholes are equal._

3. _If equals are subtracted from equals, the remainders are equal._

Axioms 2 and 3 are older than Euclid's time, and are the only ones given by him relating to the solution of the equation. Certain other axioms were added by later writers, as, "Things which are double of the same thing are equal to one another," and "Things which are halves of the same thing are equal to one another." These two ill.u.s.trate the ancient use of _duplatio_ (doubling) and _mediatio_ (halving), the primitive forms of multiplication and division. Euclid would not admit the multiplication axiom, since to him this meant merely repeated addition.

The part.i.tion (halving) axiom he did not need, and if needed, he would have inferred its truth. There are also the axioms, "If equals are added to unequals, the wholes are unequal," and "If equals are subtracted from unequals, the remainders are unequal," neither of which Euclid would have used because he did not define "unequals." The modern arrangement of axioms, covering addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, powers, and roots, sometimes of unequals as well as equals, comes from the development of algebra. They are not all needed for geometry, but in so far as they show the relation of arithmetic, algebra, and geometry, they serve a useful purpose. There are also other axioms concerning unequals that are of advantage to beginners, even though unnecessary from the standpoint of strict logic.

4. _Things that coincide with one another are equal to one another._ This is no longer included in the list of axioms. It is rather a definition of "equal," or of "congruent," to take the modern term. If not a definition, it is certainly a postulate rather than an axiom, being purely geometric in character. It is probable that Euclid included it to show that superposition is to be considered a legitimate form of proof, but why it was not placed among the postulates is not easily seen. At any rate it is unfortunately worded, and modern writers generally insert the postulate of motion instead,--that a figure may be moved about in s.p.a.ce without altering its size or shape. The German philosopher, Schopenhauer (1844), criticized Euclid's axiom as follows: "Coincidence is either mere tautology or something entirely empirical, which belongs not to pure intuition but to external sensuous experience.

It presupposes, in fact, the mobility of figures."

5. _The whole is greater than the part._ To this Clavius (1574) added, "The whole is equal to the sum of its parts," which may be taken to be a definition of "whole," but which is helpful to beginners, even if not logically necessary. Some writers doubt the genuineness of this axiom.

Having considered the axioms of Euclid, we shall now consider the axioms that are needed in the study of elementary geometry. The following are suggested, not from the standpoint of pure logic, but from that of the needs of the teacher and pupil.