CALDWELL] THE CRITERIA OF NATURE-STUDY 257 



to be : I . To stimulate and extend inherent inquiry into nature. 

 2. So to direct the processes of inquiry that the results may be 

 definite and trustworthy. 3. To direct inquiry toward those 

 phenomena which, while serving best to stimulate inquiry and to 

 develop proper thought processes, will give enjoyment and useful 

 and interesting knowledge about nature. 



1. The first of these purposes recognizes the nature interests 

 already enjoyed and calls for new and attractive related interests 

 which will become new problems. The kind of relation of the 

 pupil to the new problem is not necessarily a subject-matter 

 relationship, but a relation to the pupil's previous experience. 

 To stimulate interest the new material must contain some sort of 

 appeal to the'pupil. If it does not, and if no appeal to him can be 

 developed, the first purpose of nature-study fails. The inquiring 

 mind is not fostered, but killed, by having loaded upon it data 

 concerning which it has no questions, out of which no problem is 

 made. Even the simplest form of nature-study question asked 

 by youngest children, 'what is it ?" is a true nature-study problem 

 to which may easily be added the more intricate problems of 

 "Why?" and "How?" The materials to be presented by means- 

 of which we hope to stimulate and develop inquiry must be so 

 selected and related to surroundings and experience and so 

 presented that pupils will care to ask "What?" and "Why?" and 

 "How?" Failure to present such material in such a way, or 

 substitution of materials not legitimate in nature-study kills- 

 native inquiry. 



2. If the processes of inquiry are not so directed that the 

 results are reasonable trustworthy, the first purpose can be met 

 but poorly, and indeed is scarcely worth meeting. True inquiry 

 involves care as to the validity of the results of the inquiry. Not 

 very much can be done in establishing a spirit of wanting to know 

 about nature unless there has been some experience in getting at- 

 some really accurate, though possibly general, knowledge of nature. 

 One of the greatest obstacles to be overcome in establishing a 

 good system of nature-study teaching is to be found in the failure 

 to raise to its true importance the necessity of having the results 

 of inquiry just as accurate as the phenomena observed make 

 possible. Inquiry has so frequently met fictitious answers that 

 the inquirer has lost the spirit of inquiry. An unanswered query 

 still lives. A fictitiously answered query, if alive, is mutilated. 



