Calvin M. Woodward
Encyclopedia
Calvin Milton Woodward (August 25, 1837 – January 12, 1915) was born at Fitchburg
, Massachusetts
to Isaac Burnap Woodward and Eliza W. (Wetherbee) Woodward. He graduated from Harvard College
with an A.B. in 1860.
His first job was to serve as principal of Brown High School in Newburyport, Massachusetts
.
During the Civil War
he enlisted and was promoted to Captain of the 48th Massachusetts Volunteers. He was stationed during his year of duty (1862–1863) in Louisiana
. Following his year of service he returned to being principal of Brown High School. He married Fanny Stone Balch on September 30, 1863.
At the close of the Civil War, Woodward accepted a position as Vice-Principal of Smith Academy in St. Louis, Missouri
.
In 1870, he became a professor of descriptive geometry at Washington University
, a post he held for but one year before becoming Dean of the School of Engineering. It was from this post that Woodward began experimenting with manual skills education. Following an influential demonstration of the Della Vos, or Russian, method of tools instruction at the 1876 Centennial Exposition
in Philadelphia, Woodward began making plans and gathering support for a similar initiative in the US. This culminated in the opening, in 1879, of the St. Louis Manual Training School. During the 1880s, the Manual Training School was the largest and most well-attended public high school in St. Louis.
The manual training system that Woodward introduced was akin to tools training. Students learned how to use tools by shaping wood or metal, but the products they produced had no commercial value. The worth of the instruction lay mostly in mind-hand coordination.
Woodward lectured extensively on manual training and his high school. Yet by the late 1890s, manual training was under greater criticism because of its apparent disconnection to workplace skills. Critics (such as the National Association of Manufacturers
) began advocating a system of vocational education
that trained students for specific jobs instead of giving students general tools training.
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Isaac Burnap Woodward and Eliza W. (Wetherbee) Woodward. He graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
with an A.B. in 1860.
His first job was to serve as principal of Brown High School in Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he enlisted and was promoted to Captain of the 48th Massachusetts Volunteers. He was stationed during his year of duty (1862–1863) in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. Following his year of service he returned to being principal of Brown High School. He married Fanny Stone Balch on September 30, 1863.
At the close of the Civil War, Woodward accepted a position as Vice-Principal of Smith Academy in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
In 1870, he became a professor of descriptive geometry at Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
, a post he held for but one year before becoming Dean of the School of Engineering. It was from this post that Woodward began experimenting with manual skills education. Following an influential demonstration of the Della Vos, or Russian, method of tools instruction at the 1876 Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
in Philadelphia, Woodward began making plans and gathering support for a similar initiative in the US. This culminated in the opening, in 1879, of the St. Louis Manual Training School. During the 1880s, the Manual Training School was the largest and most well-attended public high school in St. Louis.
The manual training system that Woodward introduced was akin to tools training. Students learned how to use tools by shaping wood or metal, but the products they produced had no commercial value. The worth of the instruction lay mostly in mind-hand coordination.
Woodward lectured extensively on manual training and his high school. Yet by the late 1890s, manual training was under greater criticism because of its apparent disconnection to workplace skills. Critics (such as the National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Manufacturers
The National Association of Manufacturers is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C. with 10 additional offices across the country...
) began advocating a system of vocational education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
that trained students for specific jobs instead of giving students general tools training.
Works
- History of St. Louis Bridge (1881)
- The Manual Training School (1887)
- Manual Training in Education (1890)
- Rational and Applied Mechanics (1912)