CANADIAN DEPARTMENT 



EDITED BY PROFESSOR W. LOCHHEAD 

 Macdonald College, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec 

 [All communications concerning this department should be sent to Professor 

 Lochhead at the address given above.] 



NATURE-STUDY WORK WITH INSECTS 



In the November issue of The Review, Dr. C. F. Hodge concludes 

 an article bearing the above title with the expression. of the hope that 

 "a number of teachers may give to readers the benefit of their expe- 

 rience with this line of work." I take it for granted that the writer 

 of the spirited criticisms of nature-study methods in Vol. VII of the 

 Pedagogical Seminary (pp. 95, 208) will not take any objection to the 

 letter or spirit of the following acceptance of his invitation. 



A large, and let it be hoped an increasing number of teachers recog- 

 nize the great difference between educating children by the use of 

 natural objects, insects for example, and informi7ig children about 

 these objects. Judging from lists of books recently published and 

 commented upon in The Review, there are writers on the subject 

 who evidently regard the latter as the purpose of nature-study. 



A considerable part of the teacher's time and effort has ever been, 

 and probably will continue to be, devoted to imparting information. 

 It is now and always will be impossible for lack of time, if for no other 

 reason, to communicate to children the half of the information that 

 it is desirable nearly every person should possess. Further, certain 

 information that is of great value to some people is of little or no use 

 to others, and lastly the value of information to those who may need 

 it varies greatly with the age and apperceptive fitness of the recipient 

 at the time it is imparted. These considerations raise the question 

 whether as a city teacher I should give any time, and if any how 

 much, to informing my pupils about insects. It is quite another 

 question whether I can with insects profitably employ the children's 

 time in developing their observing and reasoning powers and enrich- 

 ing their sympathies. To one if not both questions, Dr. Hodge's 

 answer appears to be affirmative; he quotes approvingly a city 

 teacher's remark, "the finest nature-study I have ever tried." With 

 the training aim in view I go to his article bearing the title above 



