48 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [12:2— Feb., 1916 



mental requirement for the normal development of the child 

 intellectually, and highly advisable for his growth physically, since 

 to study Nature means to live out-of-doors with her. Nature- 

 Study must be a part of the scheme of things by which the child 

 is stimulated to educate himself. 



This re-establishment on a more certain foundation means, cer- 

 tainly, that teachers must be prepared to deal as intelligently with 

 Nature-study as with arithmetic or spelling. I shall attempt to 

 point out some ways in which such preparation demands particular 

 attention. 



The placement of the new foundations are, of course above the 

 old. The renewed interest in Nature-Study as a necessary factor 

 in education has its origin in the study of the child himself; in his 

 instinctive interests, and his physical needs for an out-of-door life. 

 There is no longer a question as to the value of the subject nor the 

 desirableness of its universal ntroduction, in some form or another 

 into the curricula of the schools. The largest and most ponderat- 

 ing problem concerns neither the subject, not its pedagogical value, 

 but the teachers thereof. The need is apparent. 



For the outstanding criticism, and the conspicuous failures have 

 been, as they must ever be, the result of poor teaching. On the 

 other hand, signal successes, large results, and commendable dis- 

 coveries have been brought about by good teachers, qualified both 

 by interest and training to deal with the subject. It is obvious 

 then, that the preparation of the teacher is the largest problem with 

 which we have, in the immediate future, to deal. 



At the outset, that it may emphasize the points later to be made 

 it is desirable to call attention to a source of error commonly found 

 in the minds of those concerned with the problems of education. 

 Many such are outspoken in their condemnation, not so much of 

 the subject, as of the manner and results of its teaching. And, 

 when you think about it, nothing other may justly be expected. 

 They complain that the teaching is fragmentary, poorly organized, 

 lacks content, and is uninterestingly presented. These criticisms 

 are too frequently true. How, in fairness, expect otherwise? The 

 materials of Nature-Study are drawn from a very large field — from 

 biology, astronomy, geology, chemistry and physics — and without 

 very broad training the immature teacher, attempting to follow 

 an outline, is speedily and hopelessly lost. She has had possibly 

 a year, or, at the most, two, of special training beyond her high 



