48 THE NATURE-STUDY REVIEW u : 2 _ FEB ., , 9 o8 



But being a first-hand nature-lover, and given a love for children, 

 the school teacher will find her method and her field. 



XI 



BY I. B. MEYERS 

 School of Education, University of Chicago 



We seem to agree that in theory and spirit it should be our aim 

 in nature-study to deal with the nature materials and phenomena 

 around us which are of direct interest to the children, and to deal 

 with them from the viewpoint of their interests. If we adhere to 

 our theory it seems that our main problem in nature-study is 

 that of bringing children into free and direct contact with their 

 nature environment, to note the genesis and nature of their 

 interests, and to try to establish some method of teaching pro- 

 cedure which insures the utilization, multiplication, and growth 

 of these interests. Such practice will tend to eliminate the 

 vexed problems, so prominent in educational discussions, of 

 what to teach and how to teach it, and will turn our attention 

 to a study of conditions essential to the genesis and growth of 

 genuine interest. In fact it should do much to rid the teaching 

 fraternity of its antiquated conception of teaching for the sole 

 purpose of communicating a fund of knowledge which it believes 

 to be of future value to the children. We will strive to gain the 

 child's viewpoint, to establish ourselves in his sight as an under- 

 standing and sympathetic aid in helping him to gain an enjoyable 

 acquaintanceship and an intelligent understanding of the things 

 about him and in aiding him to establishing relationships with 

 his nature environment. If we believe that a certain phase of 

 nature should be known and understood by a group of pupils we 

 should bring the subject to their attention in the way we believe 

 most favorable to securing that acquaintanceship and under- 

 standing. If in the experiment interest is generated and if the 

 children exhibit a certain eagerness to extend their acquaintance- 

 ship with the subject at hand, and we can furnish means giving 

 opportunity for extended investigations, then we have conditions 

 for genuine school work. Some such condition as this must 

 form the basis for selection in our courses of nature-study rather 

 than certain topics which we believe essential for pupils to know. 

 This does not in any sense eliminate our pre-selection of topics; 

 it only demands that w r e secure the genuine interest of the 

 children in the subject before settling down to organized study. 



