412 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [11:9— Dec, 1915 



should not be confused with vocational education intended to teach 

 trades and "life work. For example, agricultural nature-study 

 should be industrial in aim; high-school agriculture is vocational. 



Course in Nature-Study with Prospective Teachers 



Fred T. Ullrich ^ 



Platteville, Wis. 



In a recent investigation* of the status of requirements in Nature- 

 Study and Elementary Agriculture in the elementary schools in 

 the several states and territories it has been shown that either 

 Nature-Study or Elementary Agriculture or both are required in 

 one or more grades of either or both of the city or country schools 

 in 32 of the 53 states and territories: and taught, recommended, 

 or suggested to be taught in an additional 13. This data clearly 

 shows that Nature-Study and Elementary Agriculture have 

 become integral parts of the courses of study in the elementary 

 schools. It further implies that if the boys and girls in these 

 schools are to be successfully instructed in these subjects, teachers 

 must be specifically trained in the teaching of Nature-Study and 

 Elementary Agriculture. This task naturally falls to the schools 

 whose chief function is the training of teachers for the elementary 

 schools — the Normal Schools or other equivalent institutions. 

 That these institutions have assumed the responsibility is evidenced 

 b}^ an examination made two years ago of 120 Normal School 

 catalogues from 41 different states. These catalogues! showed 

 that 85 of the 120 Normal Schools, or about 70%, offered courses 

 in Nature-Study or Elementary Science. Of the many conditions 

 necessars^ for the success of Nature-Study training of teachers in 

 these Normal Schools one of the most important is the proper 

 organization of a course in Nature-Study with these prospective 

 teachers. The purpose of this paper is to consider some of the 

 problems involved in such an organization. It seems fair to assume 

 that no person is qualified to teach Nature-Study, or for that 

 matter anv subject, unless he has a knowledge of the materials of 



*Present Requirements in the United States in Instruction in Nature- 

 Study and Elementary Agriculture. Dr. Elliott R. Downing, Nature-Study 

 Review, September, 19 15. 



fTen catalogues contained announcements for the year 1910-11, 33 for the 

 year 19-11-12, 34 for the year 1912-13, and 43 for 1913-14. 



