422 REPORT— 1903. 



books for the facts whicli are needed, and tlien to throw the facts into a 

 new mould, may be excellent discipline for an advanced class. Let the 

 teacher who is not afraid to innovate set before him as his ideal that 

 the class is in future to do for him what he has hitherto done for the class. 



In the laboratory it is a good plan to use no book at all, where a 

 whole class works simultaneously at the same things. In biological teach- 

 ing the abundance of the material, and the simple means of investigation 

 which suffice for elementary students at least, make it possible for large 

 classes to work at the same objects — a great advantage to both teacher 

 and pupils. In botanical and zoological teaching, more than in other 

 scientilic courses, it is easy to adopt improved methods, such as that the 

 teacher shall rarely give out infoi'mation, but chiefly directions and 

 questions, the class observing the object, making drawings and returning 

 answers ; that the laboratory work, if sepai-ated from the work of the 

 class»room, shall always come first ; and that the practical exercises of the 

 students shall furnish the materials upon which the class teaching is 

 founded. 



The principle of helping the pupil to work for himself will not be 

 abandoned in the later stages of study. Honours candidates in uni- 

 versity or college should spend at least part of their time in original 

 work. Those who are so ill-directed as to read instead of inquiring during 

 their whole academic course lose a great opportunity, that of carrying on 

 a genuine research with the co-operation of a more experienced investi- 

 gator. To many students the opportunity never recurs. 



A Substitute for Cfnsx Lectures. — Some years ago lectui^es were dis- 

 continued in the Biological Department of the Yorkshire College. A class 

 of beginners is at first questioned about their recent work in the laboratory. 

 After a few weeks, when confidence has been gained, the students are 

 invited to give more continuous expositions. .Several topics (usually five) 

 are written up at the beginning of the lesson, and these are handled by 

 members of the class, called up one at a time by lot. The student whose 

 name is drawn comes forward and treats his topic in his own way, making 

 his own diagrams and answering questions when he has done. The topic 

 on which he speaks is always familiar to him by work which he has 

 already done in the laboratory. If he describes a structure it is one 

 which he has examined and drawn for himself. Inferences and comparisons 

 are often asked for instead of mere facts. In advanced classes more 

 comprehensive topics are proposed, and one student may occupy the whole 

 hour. It is hardly necessai-y to point out that the teacher must scrupu- 

 lously avoid har.sh criticism. A domineering or sarcastic manner would 

 be fatal to the success of any such method as this. 



Inquiry in the Botanical Chiss. {]ijj A. C. Seward.)— A method 

 which I have adopted in dealing with advanced botanical classes may 

 prove useful in a modified form in teaching elementary Botany. After 

 an hour's lecture the students work for two hours in the laboratory. It 

 was during the time devoted to practical work that the following plan 

 was followed. Instead of preparing a common syllabus for all to work 

 through I suggested a separate piece of work to each student requiring 

 six, eight, or more hours to complete. On the completion of eacli piece of 

 work the student was asked to give a concise account of his results 

 illustrated by blackboard sketches and by numbered sections accompanied 

 by very brief notes. On the conclusion of the short lecture, which usually 

 occupied from ten to twenty minutes, the other members of the class aske4 



