author
Frank M. (Frank Morton) McMurry
1862–1936
A leading American educator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he helped shape how teachers thought about classroom method, geography, and the art of making lessons meaningful. His books brought progressive, child-centered ideas to generations of students and teachers.
1 Audiobook
How to Study and Teaching How to Study
by Frank M. (Frank Morton) McMurry
About the author
Born in Indiana in 1862, Frank Morton McMurry became one of the best-known American educators of his era. He studied at the University of Michigan and continued his education in Germany, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1889. Along with his brother Charles Alexander McMurry, he was associated with the Herbartian movement, which pushed for more thoughtful, structured teaching.
McMurry taught at several institutions, including Teachers College, Columbia University, and became especially influential through his writing. He produced widely used books on geography, elementary teaching methods, and classroom practice, with a strong interest in helping teachers connect schoolwork to children's real lives and interests.
Remembered as both a teacher and an educational theorist, he played an important role in bringing new ideas about lesson planning and curriculum into American schools. His work reflects a period when education was being reimagined as something more active, humane, and carefully designed.