1 1 8 Education through Nature 



XIII. Suggestions on the Steps. 



i. SEEING. 



The First Step, being taken by the pupil unaided, 

 requires an abundance of fresh material. A large 

 supply of material is always better than a limited one. 

 To see a young teacher trying to make a single flower 

 serve for a large class, when the lawn just outside is 

 covered with them, does not tend to develop a favor- 

 able opinion of that teacher. 



The gathering of the required material should be 

 made part of the work in nature study. But it should 

 not be made compulsory, as it may often be impossible 

 for the pupil to find the desired specimen. As a rule 

 pupils are eager to bring specimens. It has an educa- 

 tional value. It cultivates the habit of observation 

 and attention in the ordinary affairs of life, and will 

 lead to increased appreciation of interesting natural 

 objects. 



The teacher should not rely exclusively on the material 

 brought by the pupils. They often fail to respond 

 when material is most needed. The teacher herself 

 will derive much benefit from collecting material. 



The first thing to do is of course to set the pupil 

 at work. Let him know what is expected of him. 

 So long as the pupil remains busy, he may be left to 

 his own resources. Attention is evidence of interest, 

 and time spent in this uninterrupted self-activity is 

 well spent. He is probably not only seeing, but may 

 also be thinking. The secret of success in all teaching 

 seems to be the gaining of this self-activity, which 

 reveals itself in attention to the subject in hand. It 

 is said that the distinguished Louis Agassiz, than 

 whom none have obtained better results, placed a 

 specimen before his pupil, told him to go to work on 

 it; and then disappeared for weeks, returning only to 

 inquire of the student how he was getting along. His 



