PRINCIPLES DETERMINING METHOD. 161 



ber much better than he who has merely glanced at it. 

 What cannot be clearly seen by the children, such as 

 the structure of the individual florets of the dandelion, 

 is apt to be soon forgotten. 



The clearness of the mind picture can be ascertained, 

 and the power to recall it developed, by occasionally 

 testing the power of the pupils to visualize ; that is to 

 form a mind picture of what is not before their eyes. 

 After looking intently at some simple object, such as a 

 leaf or a piece of apparatus, the pupils should describe 

 it, or draw it from memory. Occasionally it will be 

 helpful to have the pupils make a " conceptional draw- 

 ing " of some simple familiar object at home, such as a 

 tea-kettle or a lamp, and afterward compare their draw- 

 ing with the object, and correct errors. 



Second. Each important idea should be related with 

 many other ideas, so that it may be recalled through or 

 by means of any one or more of these. What is isolated 

 or stands by itself is soon forgotten. What has been 

 seen about the dandelion will be remembered much 

 better when the plant is studied, not as a mere isolated 

 structure, unrelated to anything else, but as related to its 

 environment, soil and sun, and wind and insects, and to 

 other plants. Its green cup is better remembered when 

 related to its habit of closing at night, or in a storm. 

 Any point of structure is better remembered when re- 

 lated to its function. When the children understand 

 what the veins do for a leaf, that they support and carry 

 food to each part, they better remember the plan of 

 veining and the fact that a branch vein extends to the 



