Object lessons: notes on geometry in Norman Allison Calkins’ textbook (Brazil, end of nineteenth century, beginning of twentieth century)

Abstract

Primary object lessons, by Norman Allison Calkins, ranslated by Rui Barbosa, a book that was widely disseminated in Brazil during the final years of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, presents object teaching as a general method to be used in every subject or primary school. This article analyses Calkins’ book according to its presentation of mathematical content, focusing particularly on geometry lessons. It also iscusses five features of the approach adopted by Calkins: the presentation of plane geometry before geometry in space, the several materials necessary to the teaching of geometry, the drawing lessons associated with the lessons on shape, the sequence of presentation of the contents and the relations between geometry teaching and children’s pleasure and curiosity. Comments about the utilization and circulation of Calkins’ manual in geometry teaching in Brazil are also provided.