Suggestions and Course of Study 119 



were mature students, however; yet the principle of 

 self-activity as the source of power is doubtless as true 

 of the child as of the mature man. 



Observing an object means that the pupil be allowed 

 to use all his senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, 

 smell, etc.), on it. Plenty of time should be allowed, 

 for the pupil is getting sense-impressions, the primary 

 elements of knowledge. 



Too much should not be expected in this first lesson; 

 for what the pupil is able to discover is largely a 

 matter of chance, since he lacks, it may be, that con- 

 trolling idea which guides research and makes work 

 systematic. Nevertheless this first step is very im- 

 portant, because it may contribute in various ways 

 to the enjoyment of the work. Thus (a) he enjoys 

 freedom, the free exercise of his power; (6) he enjoys 

 that success which need not be wanting when his 

 powers are freely exercised; (c) he is stimulated by 

 discovery. Nature study owes much of its fascina- 

 tion to the great variety of facts that can be found by 

 careful observation, even in the most familiar object 



2. DISCUSSION. 



The Second Step in the study of an object must be. 

 directed largely by the teacher. The pupil has now 

 a few isolated facts. They mean little or nothing to 

 him. He may feel that he has exhausted the subject. 

 The few facts he has discovered probably have little or 

 no relation to one another so far as he is aware. Yet 

 every fact is related to every other fact; and it is the 

 consciousness of that which leads to systematic ob- 

 servation. Much more can be seen when once this 

 connecting thread has been discovered. In the first 

 step, no premeditated plan of work precedes the dis- 

 coveries made. All is chance. When such a plan is 

 first consciously or unconsciously made, the result is 

 investigation. Such planning is the result of general:- 



