marshall[ COURSE IN NATURE-STUDY FOR TEACHERS ^7 



has it, but he cannot realize the students' position, or assumes no 

 responsibility for it. They study type plants, type animals, 

 are given principles and hear a discussion of evolutionary prob- 

 lems. And all the while the trouble is, they have such a meager 

 outfit of facts from which to generalize. One cannot be a scientist 

 who is not a naturalist. It is very instructive (at least to the 

 instructor) to watch a class of students or teachers out upon a 

 field trip, and see how lost they are in the world of nature about 

 them. Perhaps the instructor will be saved from an over-criti- 

 cal attitude by discovering that even he is barely on speaking 

 terms with very common forms. Let it be understood that this 

 is not criticism, but an attempt to state the situation clearly. 

 Those who are to teach nature-study must know nature. At 

 present the lack of knowledge sufficient to teach successfully is 

 very great. This great defect is going to be removed. But it 

 is going to take time and skill. A great responsibility rests on 

 institutions for training teachers. The success of the movement 

 lies largely with them. We must be patient to wait ; let there be 

 time for nature culture to reach down into the schools and 

 communities. 



A tentative effort to frame a course in nature-study for teachers 

 was made in the University of Nebraska and offered in the winter 

 and spring of 1908 for students preparing to go into the work of 

 teaching. The same course was given in the summer school 

 following. The work consisted of two lectures a week for one 

 semester with from two to four hours on Saturdays for field, 

 laboratory or museum work. The subject-matter was the 

 common plants and animals of the regions in their life histories 

 and relations to man, with directions for collecting, keeping and 

 studying them, together with methods for presenting the subject 

 in schools and a discussion of the literature of nature-study. 



The lectures began with a discussion of the meaning of nature- 

 study, its scope and its aims in elementary schools; and then 

 followed definite subjects in the order which seemed best adapted 

 to the aims of the course and the season of the year. The at- 

 tempt was made to give such informational matter as would 

 help the students to make up their own deficiencies and put them 

 in position to gain more knowledge for themselves. Emphasis 

 was put on those phases of the subjects best adapted for elemen- 

 tary schools, and practical suggestions were given for presenting 



