TRAINING TEACHERS OF NATURE-STUDY 133 



are advised to find time for one course in animal and plant natural 

 history and one in physical nature-study and, if possible, supplement 

 them with the education course on nature-study. However, the latter 

 is usually impossible for the overcrowded program, and such general 

 elementary teachers must depend for methods upon the course in 

 elementary methods (Professor McMurry) which is required. 



Full descriptions of work relating to nature-study and related 

 courses mentioned above may be found in a special circular and in 

 the Annual Announcement of Teachers College, which may be 

 obtained from the Secretary. 



PEABODY COLLEGE FOR TEACHERS, UNIVERSITY OF NASHVILLE 



Biological Nature-Study 



The Department of Biology, directed by Professor J. S. Caldwell, 

 offers a course in Biological Nature-Study intended to give the pros- 

 pective teacher sufficient knowledge of materials and methods to do 

 intelligent and effective work with children in the public schools. No 

 attempt to plan a model course is made, nor is especial emphasis put 

 upon pedagogical methods, since these are given attention in courses 

 in education. A series of animals and plants is taken up, mainly 

 those which form the immediate environment of every child, from the 

 standpoint of economic biologist rather than that of naturalists or 

 simon-pure biologists. 



For this work Hodge's " Nature- Study and Life" is used. While the book 

 does not supply a statement of the biological principles which must be understood 

 by the teacher before his work can be more than mere repetition, it puts into his 

 hands an immense amount of well-organized usable material, and is free from the 

 glaring blunders found in books written by those not primarily biologists. With 

 it to draw from, the teachers' work can not degenerate into the meaningless study 

 of leaf-forms and search for curiously shaped flowers which has too long stood for 

 nature-study. 



Students are put into touch with the work of the United States Department of 

 Agriculture, and taught to look upon it as their only never-failing ally. The 

 series of papers upon nitrifying bacteria and soil inoculation are taken up and 

 discussed, cultures made, and the experimental plots are being kept under 

 observation. A batch of students from the '.J Cotton States " spent some time in 

 digesting the literature upon the cotton boll-worm, giving the results of their work 

 to the class in the form of reviews. Others studied means for destroying the 

 English sparrow, others worked over the life history and methods of prevention 

 of corn and wheat weevils. 



Thus the attempt is made to make the student an independent inves- 

 tigator and to keep his work with children within the limits set on 

 the one hand by his equipment, or lack of it. and on the other by the 

 popular demand that the work of the school be practical and useful. 



