AN EXPERIMENT IN THE TEACHING OF BIOLOGY 



By C M. McCONN, Principal of the Academy of the University of Illinois. 



One of the most mooted of the larger questions confronting 

 those who are interested in nature-study is certainly that of the 

 traditional formal or ''pure science" approach versus the "hu- 

 man" or "practical" or "economic" approach now so widely ad- 

 vocated. The experiment here described is an effort to contrib- 

 ute something of tangible fact to the almost wholly theoretical 

 discussion of this point that is now raging. It may be interest- 

 ing, also, as an application in the field of school science, of a 

 comparatively new method of investigation, that of parallel 

 groups — one that could be used in any grade or any subject in 

 the school, and that promises to furnish much more definite 

 data than any that are now available for most phases of metho- 

 dology. 



This experiment w^as originated and is being conducted by 

 Mr. John P. Gilbert, instructor in biology in the Academy of 

 the University of Illinois. It has reference primarily, therefore, 

 to secondary work; but whatever evidence is obtained can hard- 

 ly fail to have at least suggestive value for the nature-study of 

 the elementary school as well. 



Mr. Gilbert states his specific problem and outlines his 

 method as follows: "The purpose of the experiment — is to de- 

 termine the relative merits of two methods of approach, two 

 incentives, to a study of biology. Section A studies the subject 

 from the standpoint of a cultural and disciplinary aim. Section 

 B covers the same ground as section A, but emphasis is laid 

 strongly upon the economic relations and the relations to the 

 transference of disease, of the forms studied." 



He is comparing with some definiteness — that is, in math- 

 ematical terms: 



(i) The interest of the two sections; 



(2) The amount of biological fact assimilated by the two 

 sections; 



(3) The power of interpreting biological phenomena and 

 attacking simple biological problems developed by the two sec- 

 tions. 



The first point, interest, is tested by the amount of volun- 

 tary extra work, in the way of optional reading, optional field 

 trips and extra laboratory practice done by members of each 

 section. The second point, assimilation of fact, is determined 



