SCIENCE TEACHING IN ADULT EDUCATION 347 
possible way, and lead to the application of the scientific method to all 
problems of life.’ 
At Liverpool the teaching is ‘ purely non-vocational, and for purposes of 
wider culture.’ 
At Cambridge, in the Extra-mural courses: ‘ The teaching of lecturers 
and tutors is non-vocational in character and, broadly speaking, their aim is 
to interpret science to the layman and to relate scientific developments to 
daily life.’ 
Another aspect of the problem was discussed by Dr. Charles Singer (London). 
He traces the ‘ current distaste for science ’ to defects in the history teaching 
of ourschools. Starting from the agreed proposition that every adult should 
know the main results of science he specifies particularly the differences 
science has made, (a) in our way of thinking, and (5) in our way of living. 
These he characterises as the most important events in the history of the 
last 300 years. 
He regards teaching of the nature of these differences or changes as one 
of the prime duties of a teacher of history, a duty which, in his opinion, the 
teacher grossly neglects. 
The remedy for this distaste he considers ‘to consist primarily in 
reforming the teaching that goes by the name of history, and making it 
essentially the history of civilisation. Until history teachers teach that the 
most important event of the last 300 years is the rise of science, they will 
continue to teach false history.’ As this aspect of the problem is beyond 
the scope of this inquiry, he suggests that much might be done ‘ by attractive 
adult teaching on the nature and origin of scientific discoveries, and by 
making lectures centre round such personalities as Descartes, Harvey, 
Boyle, Galileo, Newton, Pasteur, Darwin, Davy, Faraday, Helmholtz, 
Fraunhofer, and so forth.’ He advocates such ‘ lectures in which simple 
historical experiments could be repeated and their meaning developed in 
the field of more modern knowledge. Such historical experiments would 
give a human interest to science.’ 
To render these experiments most effective he suggests that ‘ arrangements 
might be made for lecture-demonstrations to last 14 or 2 hours rather than 
t hour, and that the experiments be performed by an assistant in the middle 
of the hall and away from the lecturer. Thus the audience might gather 
from time to time round the experimenting table and then return to their 
seats.’ 
6. Aims and Motives of Students attending Adult Science Classes. 
The aims and motives of the students attending adult classes are less 
definite, and more difficult to interpret. They are probably very mixed, 
and change as their interest and knowledge increase. 
“The motives which lead students to enter classes naturally vary. Some 
come from purely intellectual curiosity, others because they believe that 
science has an important contribution to make towards the understanding 
and control of modern civilisation ’ (Bristol). 
“The average Literary Institute student has neither time nor energy for 
acquiring a thorough knowledge of any science. He is interested rather in 
the conclusions which have been reached and in the theories which are 
being tested. He seeks to coordinate and synthesise his knowledge so as 
to reach an interpretation of experience which is satisfying to himself. It 
is impossible for him to follow out the detailed processes whereby the 
conclusions of science are reached, but he is intensely interested in scientific 
generalisations, which he can link up with his experience of life. This view 
