author
Calvin Olin Davis
1871–1954
A longtime educator and school reform writer, he focused on how history and secondary education could be taught more thoughtfully. His books capture an early 20th-century effort to make classrooms more practical, observant, and student-centered.
1 Audiobook
A Guide to Methods and Observation in History Studies in High School Observation
by Calvin Olin Davis
About the author
Born in Macomb, Michigan, in 1871, Calvin Olin Davis went on to study at the University of Michigan, earning a bachelor's degree in 1895 and a master's degree in 1904. The archival record also identifies him as the son of Calvin and Roselia Phillips Davis.
Davis is best remembered for writing about teaching and school organization rather than for fiction. His works include A Guide to Methods and Observation in History, High School Courses of Study, Our Evolving High School Curriculum, and studies of secondary schools in the North Central Association.
Taken together, his books show a writer deeply interested in how schools work in practice: curriculum design, teacher preparation, and the teaching of history. He belongs to a generation of American educators who helped shape modern secondary education in the early 1900s.