THINGS ESSENTIAL TO BOTANICAL TEACHING 59 



done in the independent investigation spirit. The stu- 

 dent should be led on by having each new thing placed 

 before him in the form of a problem, so arranged that 

 its solution comes just within his own powers. In gen- 

 eral, nothing should be told a student that he can find 

 out for himself, though with beginners, where every- 

 thing is new and unfamiliar, this principle must be 

 followed with caution. There are many occasions on 

 which it is best to tell a student minor things outright 

 to help him to the solution of important questions; and 

 there are other occasions when leaving him unaided 

 would result in discouragement followed by a distaste 

 for the subject. The best principle in such cases is to 

 ask a question or give a suggestion in such a way as 

 to allow the student the pleasure of finally solving 

 the difficulty for himself. It is in such points as this 

 that sympathy and judgment count for so much. The 

 teacher will, of course, constantly use such common 

 pedagogic devices as proceeding from the known to the 

 unknown, and of recalling to a student what he already 

 knows as a basis for building new knowledge upon. 

 Another important principle is the refusal of the teacher 

 to examine any piece of work until it is as complete as 

 the student can make it. If the teacher is willing at 

 each step to tell the student whether he is right or 

 not, responsibility is shifted from the student, who will 

 simply do the mechanical work, and let the teacher do 

 the thinking, thus losing that training in self-reliance 



