Science for Beginners an Introduction to the Method, and Matter of Science (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Science for Beginners an Introduction to the Method, and Matter of Science

Only a generation ago, it was the prevailing idea that all instruction in schools and all learning by pupils should be confined to the schoolroom and to books. Nature study was unknown, except that once in a while curious relics from foreign countries were brought in to emphasize some phase of the pupil's study. A little later more material was taken into the classes and used to verify to some extent the state ments of the books. But these were only fragments of the part of nature which they represented, and for that reason aroused very little interest in either teacher or pupil. Out of this somewhat fragmentary study has grown the laboratory method which is used in the better schools at the present time. But even yet there is not enough use of the real thing and the whole thing. The material for study is gathered by the teacher or is furnished by the school authori ties, and the pupils are required to handle only those portions which will illustrate the point under discussion. Gradually, however, teachers are coming to see that to get. The best results the pupil must, whenever possible, gather his own material. When this point is conceded, it is readily agreed that the pupil may oftentimes sludy his materials to greater advantage in their natural environment. The ih evitable conclusion to be drawn from all such reasoning is that in many cases the study Of nature requires that the pupil should go out of doors and, under proper guidance, observe, examine, describe, reason upon, and finally draw his own conclusions concerning the matter in hand.