hatch] WHAT TO TEACH IN NATURE-STUDY 13 



Cornell Teachers Leaflet No. 13. Evergreens and How they Shed their 

 Leaves. 



{The illustrations used in this article are taken from the Cornell Nature-Study 

 Leaflets.} 



HOW TO DETERMINE WHAT TO TEACH IN NATURE-STUDY 



BY L. A. HATCH 



Principal of Training School, Northern Illinois State Normal School 



There is a general feeling concerning much of the work that passes 

 as nature-study in our schools that it is somewhat fragmentary in its 

 character and that it tends to lead to nowhere in particular. It is held 

 that it concerns itself too much with a multitude of little things that 

 are more or less unrelated. In the study of any topic, a few more 

 facts tacked on here or there, or left out entirely, is of little concern. 

 There is no feeling of loss or inconsistency by teacher or pupil. The 

 big thing to do is to observe and gather data, hoping in the meantime 

 that all will be well in the end. In fact, the more little things brought 

 together, the more educative is the process thought to be. 



Now. it is easy to fool one's self into thinking that such work con- 

 tains the essential elements of value in the process of education. It 

 breaks down in that it does not recognize the worth of discriminating 

 as to relative values in dealing with the content, side of nature-study. 

 Like the farmer's hayrake, the scheme of teaching nature-study re- 

 ferred to gathers everything that is in the way — hay, thistles, last year's 

 stubble, roots, etc., and all passes as "hay". As the farmer occasion- 

 ally discards a "bull-thistle" or a root, so the teacher may occasion- 

 ally discard a few of the noxious things, but as a rule all is garnered 

 and labeled, "hay", "nature study", "educational food", "mental 

 pabulum ' ' . 



What is the matter? As has been indicated, no standard is usecT"! 

 by which the relative worth of subject-matter is measured. There is / 

 no basis which serves as a guide in the selection of material. As a re- 

 sult the place of beginning and ending is not clearly defined, conse\ 

 quently the teacher rambles here and there in her teaching. Pupils \ 

 bring to the recitation anything and everything and the teacher rejoices 

 and is exceeding glad, because of the quantity. As a teacher, she is 

 lauded and is pointed out as one having the ear-marks of an artist in 

 the teacher's profession. 



