February, '11] DISCUSSION: TEACHING METHODS 85 



of lectures. An assistant does work Avith the students one hour in 

 the morning, and four afternoon hours in the divided classes, so that 

 every student gets a little information early in the period. Every 

 one of the questions the president has asked has come to me, and 

 at the same time I do not make the slightest effort to teach system- 

 atic entomology, beyond the teaching of orders; but what I do under- 

 take is to teach how to tell the difference between an injurious 

 insect and one that is not injurious, or between one that can do a 

 certain kind of damage, and one that can do another kind. And 

 then, in regard to another matter that was brought up, and that is, 

 how do the men recognize these insects. I make it a point to have 

 collected during each season, as many of the common injurious insects 

 as it is possible to get hold of. Of course, we cannot get all the 

 injurious insects, but we can secure plenty of plum curculio, plenty of 

 bark borers, and plenty of the work of these insects, even if it is 

 necessary to bring in the trunk of a whole tree that they may see the 

 actual work, and they are expected to do some practical work. I think 

 we can do a good deal of teaching, even in a short time, in this way. 



Mb. Rogers: The question of using charts and lantern slides to 

 present beautiful pictures may not be the best way of teaching. I 

 know a teacher who, in his books, has some very fine diagramatic 

 illustrations, and prior to the time we would go into the room we 

 were expected to draw these exactly. Now it struck me that was not 

 the best way of presenting a subject. Personally I am poor at draw- 

 ing, but I would rather draw one part, and extend that to another 

 until finally I had made the whole diagram, as requiring less effort 

 than some other form of study, but it would be good training if the 

 student applied it in entomology. Now, there was another point 

 brought out, and about which I talked with Mr. Headlee here, and 

 that is, teaching a certain subject back end to. I found that I had a 

 little more work than I could handle, and in teaching physiology it 

 occurred to me that I was not teaching anatomy just right, that 

 instead of going over all the bones of the body, then finally the muscles 

 uniting them, and so the whole frame, I would take just the trunk, 

 and then the ligaments and then the bones. The main object J had 

 in view, was that the student had to obtain certain ideas when he was 

 in school. I never supposed when I was gathering Vermes and 

 Arthropoda that it would ever be up to me to teach the subject, so 

 I thought it was better to proceed in zoology with a definite study of 

 one species, and learn that thoroughly. I note that some of the 

 discussions here suggest preceding the study of entomology by zoology. 



Mr. Gossard: I should like very much to hear from Professors 

 Washburn and Summers on this subject. 



