PAPERS OX HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE 407 



science work will mean more to the class when several 

 reference books are regularly used. It is not enough for 

 a child to see a statement in one text book and accept the 

 same for gospel truth without getting the opinions of 

 several authorities upon the same topic. The more ref- 

 erence material used the more the course will mean to 

 the class. 



Without question the one feature of the science work 

 most disliked by all the class is the note book work in 

 connection with the laboratory experiments. Why 

 should we as teachers demand so much from these be- 

 ginning science students? Is it a natural condition to 

 report in written form every important change or inci- 

 dent noted in Nature! Why then subject the child to 

 the mental torture of this routine work? In several 

 cases I find that the note book work must be done out- 

 side the regular laboratory. Heavy note book work soon 

 becomes a drag upon the students with the result that 

 all of the science work becomes distasteful, and enroll- 

 ment in other science courses discouraged because of 

 this one disagreeable factor. Of course some note book 

 work should be given, but ample time should be provided 

 in the laboratory period for such work. Only the most 

 important experiments should be written up. There 

 seems to be no good reason why the note book work 

 could not be incorporated as a part of the English work. 

 Apparently Freshmen in High School should be able to 

 apply as much of their instruction in paragraphing 

 punctuation, vocabulary, etc., in the laboratory note book 

 as in short stories, which usually accompanies the work 

 in English. 



What, then, are to be the aims of the General Science 

 course ? It might be inferred that the student is to be 

 amused, his curiosity aroused and then be left to wonder 

 why he has taken this particular course. One of my 

 early science instructors made the statement that science 

 seeks to know the "Hows" and "Whys" of nature. I 

 believe this is not sufficient in itself. There are two 

 other very important factors to be considered in suc- 

 cessful teaching of science. They are, first "Where" 

 and second, "How does this affect my life?" This last 



