Supervising farm practice means something more than merely visiting; something more than simply checking the work. For the purpose of discussion, the activities of the agricultural teacher in supervising the farm practice of his pupils is discussed under six heads:

1. Conveyance.

2. Preliminary visits to pupils' homes.
3. Opportunity for individual instruction.
4. Checking records of the pupils.

5. Recording visits; memorandums, etc.
6. Time and frequency of visits.

Conveyance.-It is assumed that every agricultural teacher must be provided with some means of conveyance to enable him to reach the homes of his pupils without too great loss of time on the road. The common conveyance utilized by the teachers in the States at the present time is a small car, although some teachers use horses, motor cycles, bicycles, or the railroad, while some few walk. States vary in their methods of reimbursing agricultural teachers for such conveyance. Some include the conveyance as a part of the salary, while others pay for it directly from the State office. In other cases the expense is borne by the local board. Whatever the arrangement, the teacher's responsibilities must include plans for proper supervision of the farm practice, since such work is a definite part of the course. Conveyance, therefore, should be considered in accepting an appointment as an agricultural teacher, and that form of conveyance should be secured which is, in the light of the experience of others, the most economical, is best adapted to the conditions of the roads, and is generally preferable, taking into account the accessibility of the homes of the pupils.

Preliminary visits to pupils' homes.-No agricultural teacher should approve either the nature of the supervised practice or the plans for such practice without at least making one visit to the place of operation or home of the pupil. On such a visit the teacher should make a general survey, listing available material, land, and equipment, discussing the situation with the parent or guardian, and frequently should use his influence to assist the pupil in securing the best possible arrangements. Such preliminary visits are frequently the turning points of success or failure in subsequent work.

Opportunity for individual instruction.-Agricultural teachers should never lose sight of the fact that they have a wonderful opportunity for giving instruction to the individual pupil while supervising the farm practice. Associated with the project are all the elements of instruction, the problems to be solved, the equipment,

and the farm atmosphere. Teachers who lose sight of this fail to take advantage of one of the best opportunities for instructing that occurs in vocational agricultural education. The visit should be primarily for purposes of instruction and only incidentally for the purpose of checking or grading the pupil.

Instruction should be differentiated from giving definite directions. The project is the pupil's, not the teacher's. The pupil must be held responsible for its conduct, and should proceed with his work in the light of the best knowledge obtainable. The teacher's responsibility is that of teaching in such a manner as will impress the pupil with the need of following out the instruction. If the teacher attempts to leave definite directions for the manipulation of the work previous to the next visit, he becomes simply a foreman or overseer. If the teacher, the pupil, and, if necessary, the parent. discuss problems together a solution should be arrived at and agreed upon before the teacher leaves. In this way the pupil's initiative is not broken down but stimulated, his pride maintained, and interest in his work increased. Where supervision is well carried on as a result of his visit, the teacher himself has left with the pupil something far more fundamental than a slip torn off of a memorandum pad with the directions for work to be done. The teaching at the project should not necessarily be different from that of the classroom except that it is individual in its nature and the setting is more nearly ideal. The adjustment of a plow in a field might be termed a laboratory exercise, and a discussion of the depth of plowing might be a recitation. Regardless of the device used, the teacher should keep in mind that his principal and fundamental objective in visiting the pupil at his home is for the purpose of giving instruction rather than inspecting.

Many States at the present time are requiring memorandum pads for use by agricultural teachers in leaving definite directions for their pupils. The purpose of the agricultural teacher should be to arrive at a definite agreement. If it is necessary to transcribe this agreement on paper for the sake of reminding the pupil of it later on, then it should be done, but seldom should the teacher make an attempt to formally direct each of his pupils as to procedure. If at the time of the visit the pupil is not present, and the teacher finds that the pupil is not following out his prepared plan, a note to this effect should be left for the pupil at the home. ·

A large percentage of successful projects is, of course, an asset to any agricultural teacher, but the success of a project should be secured through cooperation with the pupil rather than through taking definite charge of each individual activity of the class.

Checking records of pupils.-While the teacher is visiting the project he should make an attempt to review all records and accounts

made since his previous visit. In reviewing these with the pupil many points for discussion will arise. The average pupil is not prone to spend much time in making records, and unless this particular phase of his work is watched closely by the agricultural teacher the result will be poor records and accounts. A few States provide their agricultural teachers with project visitation books, in which the teacher records at each visit all entries he finds in the pupil's records since his previous visit. The teacher then has a complete record of the project, which can be utilized in case of loss of such record by the pupil. This procedure is becoming more common in the States and no doubt within a short time will be universally required by State offices.

Recording visits; memorandums, etc.-The agricultural teacher does not wish to be burdened by a lot of notes, nor does he care to make many notes while on the premises of the pupil's farm or home. Driving a car precludes the making of notes en route, and hence some simple procedure must be devised to enable the teacher to make some suitable record of his own work, and such notes relative to the progress of the supervised practice of each individual pupil as may be necessary. State offices require of agricultural teachers a record of the visits, and local boards are becoming more and more interested in what the teacher does in the community. Not uncommonly it is found, at the present time, that teachers are using the prepared teacher's visitation book, in which each pupil is assigned a page on which simple notations may be made, giving date of visit and general conditions as required. This is in addition to a record of the accounts that the teacher may make. These records should be kept on file in the teacher's office in order that they may be subject to the inspection of the representative of the State board or local board, and may also serve as information for future teaching.

Time and frequency of visits.-It is possible for a teacher to visit a pupil too often, though this rarely is the case. The more common offense is that the teacher visits too infrequently. Unless conditions are very unfavorable, the teacher on a visit should expect to remain with the pupil at least one hour. During this hour a review of the work in supervised practice can be made, records inspected, plans discussed for future work, and other problems relative to the farm work taken up. The teacher should not make himself a nuisance on any farm by insisting upon following out the above procedure, if some important farm operation is being carried on by the pupil, but should rather delay a discussion of the supervised practice until some more opportune time. Where pupils' homes are supplied with telephone service it is always advisable, if possible, for the teacher to call up previous to his visit and find out when the pupil's time will be available.

Visits should be distributed about equally to different members of the class, although the teacher may visit some of his pupils more frequently at one season of the year and others at other seasons. Under normal rural conditions one agricultural teacher can not well supervise over 50 pupils. Good roads and close proximity of farms to school centers may enable the teacher to handle a somewhat larger number, but usual distances and the poor condition of roads during certain seasons of the year make it generally advisable that the agricultural teacher undertake not more than the maximum number of pupils named above.

Measuring the pupil's farm practice.

Leaders in agricultural education have been attempting for some time to find some measuring stick by which the supervised practice of the agricultural pupil can be measured. As yet no universal score card or measuring stick has been found, nor has any association national in character adopted any such measure for the work. The Illinois State Board for Vocational Education has worked out a score card which has perhaps received more recognition than any similar device for this work. The main objection that educators seem to have found to score cards in the past is the fact that there are many elements entering into the success or failure of supervised practice that are not found on the score card. These elements differ in individual cases, and a score card which would contain all of them would not be equitable for universal use. Again, many object to a score card upon which arbitrary values are placed. For a poor teacher the placing of arbitrary values on the items used is perhaps a good thing, but not for the good teacher. For instance, skills in the manipulation of some projects would have a high value while in other types of projects they would have a minor value. It is doubtful, therefore, if any score card by which weights are placed for use with all types of projects will ever be evolved that will be accepted universally. It is, however, quite possible for a State to work up a score card for supervised practice with corn, for example, and another one for wheat. The Illinois card is included here as a type of such a score card.

Score card for judging the success or failure of pupils in home projects.

1. Initiative. (Originality shown by pupil in planning the project.)

2. Aim.

(Such aims as economic gain, knowledge, credit, and the like.)

3. Completeness. (Foresight of pupil indicated by details

of plan.)

1. Completeness. (Records of time spent, amount of reference reading, conclusions drawn, cost items, and profits.)

2. Neatness.

3. Accuracy. (Correct calculations, accuracy of detail.) 19 C. Efficiency in performance.

1. Judgment. (Common sense in application and development of scientifice principles.)

2. System. (Managerial skill in executing project as a whole.)

3. Punctuality. (Promptness in performance of processes, reporting, etc.)

OUTCOMES

10 D. Economic income.

1. Total net income.

2. Percentage of profit. (Based on total investment.)

12 E. Skills.

1. Skills developed.

(Number of different skills developed

in the performance of the project.)

2. Facility in performance. (Degree of skill developed in the processes involved.)

15 F. Knowledge.

1. New subject matter. (Factual knowledge gained through the performance of processes.)

2. Social implications. (Knowledge which will aid the pupil in adjusting himself in the social group. Development of larger group consciousness.)

3. Related knowledge. (Facts of related value gained from reading, classroom, and experience.)

15 G. Attitudes.

1. Interest in work. (Inherent interest, growth of interest, and desire to continue work.)

2. Evidences of cooperation. (Desire to cooperate with teachers, parents, and fellow pupils.)

3. Interest in science. (Development and application of principles.)

It is to be noted that the home project score card does not take into account supervised practice which may be taken supplementary to the project or in lieu of the project.

Probably the most complex element that enters into the supervised practice is the human element, which is very difficult to measure and is particularly so for inexperienced teachers. After the score card has been made up for the pupil's work, it should then be weighed against the human element that has entered into the procedure. By human element is meant such influence as is brought to bear upon the pupil by members of his family, by his physical fitness, and by the pupil's own mental development. Too frequently