THE COURSE OF STUDY IN NATURE-STUDY FOR RURAL SCHOOLS* 



By CHARLES MdNTOSH, County Superintendent, Montkello, Piatt Co. III. 



Anyone who attempts to prepare a course of study for use 

 in our public schools should take into consideration the condi- 

 tions under which that course is to be applied. It is possible to 

 have a course which presents splendid material that is well or- 

 ganized and logically arranged, and yet be an absolute failure <o 

 far as securing results are concerned. 



It is perhaps reasonable to suppose that the county superin- 

 tendents who spend about one-half of their time in visiting coun- 

 try schools, who have a knowledge gained from recent experience 

 of the conditions under which the country schools operate, should 

 know something of the characteristics of a course that would be 

 usable and helpful in our country schools. It was on the suppo- 

 sition, I presume, that I could say something worth while on this 

 phase of the subject, that I have been asked to take this number 

 on the program. It is the only phase of the subject that I shall 

 attempt to consider. I am very willing to leave the selection of 

 material to those who are making a special study of agriculture, 

 who have an intimate acquaintance with the body of knowledge 

 that is included under the term, and who are better able to select 

 from the mass of material that which is most suitable to be pre- 

 sented to our boys and girls in the grades. 



The only concern of the county superintendent is to have 

 this material so organized and arranged that it can be of greatest 

 service to our country schools. 



There are two distinct views held by educators as to what 

 should be the nature of a course of study. Some hold that the 

 course should be made out only in the most general terms, cover- 

 ing the larger topics and showing the ground to be covered in a 

 term or in a year, leaving the teacher to fill in the outline, to 

 select the material which she thinks is best suited to the needs of 

 her class, and holding her only for the larger results secured. 

 Such an outline does not in any sense hamper the teacher, it does 

 not destroy her individuality, it does not prevent her from using 

 her power of initiative, but leaves her free to adapt her instruc- 

 tion and method of procedure to her class. 



Others hold that the course should be more specific — that it 

 should show not only what is to be done in a year or a term, but 

 what should be done each month. It should show what material 



♦Address before Conference on Teaching of Agricultural Nature- 

 Study held at the University of Illinois March 24, 25 and 26, 1910. 



