March 1, 1895.] 



SCIENCE. 



231 



The coiKlitions which had to be faced 

 were these : A class, numbering towards, 

 and in one year over, 'JOO men, and likely in 

 the future further to increase, composed of 

 beginnei-s ignorant of how to study thiiifj", 

 comes in for a course in General Botany, 

 extending from the middle of February to 

 the first of June, in all some fifteen weeks. 

 There are two regular weekly lectures. 

 The Laboratory work cannot for academical 

 reasons exceed an average of four hours 

 per week, and lor practical reiisous it must 

 be confined to the hours 11-1 and 2-5 Tues- 

 day, the same hours on Thursday, and H-l 

 Saturday, /. e., only 14 hours in the week 

 are available. The normal seating capacity 

 of the Laboratory is 7."), but the supply of 

 dissecting microscopes and boxes for stu- 

 dents' utensils, books, etc., is enough for 

 over three-fourths of the class. 



I give thus fully a statement of the con- 

 ditions at Harvard, because they illustrate 

 in kind, though perhaps in unusuallj' favor- 

 able degree, the difficulties which in more 

 or less modified form must be faced in all 

 large colleges pro\iding elementary labora- 

 tory instruction, and to wliich an eflicient 

 sj'stem of laboratory management must be 

 adapted. These conditions may be classified 

 for purposes of discussion as follows : 



1. The classes are too large for individual 

 teaching by the instructor. 



2. Laboratory hours must be adjusted to 

 other academic work, to insufficient ac- 

 commodations and sometimes to jx't other 

 considerations. 



3. Many students of diverse attainments 

 must be taught how to work and to think 

 scientifically, and must be kept j)rogressing 

 together tln-ough the stages of a logically- 

 graded course. 



4. Large quantities of special material 

 must be provided at an uufiivorable season. 



I have placed first what all admit to be 

 the greatest drawback to large laboratory 

 classes, but one which seems inseparable 



from our unwieldy colleges, ». e.,the impos- 

 sibility of individual knowledge of and con- 

 tact with his students by the instructor. 

 That this kind of teaching, this diagnosis 

 of each case and fitting of proper treat- 

 ment to it, is the only good kind, and that 

 no development of methods or sj^stems, or 

 of leadership of the whole class by one man, 

 can replace it, is pedagogically so axiomatic 

 that the instructor should here take his 

 stand squarely and insist that his students 

 shall have it, if not from him directly, then 

 from competent assistants trained l)y him. 

 I regard this as the first gi-eat essential in 

 the laboratorj^ teaching of large classes — 

 competent assistants. 



The source of supply of such assistants is 

 not far to seek : thej' should come fi-om 

 amongst the advanced students who have 

 been through the course and who intend to 

 make teaching a profession. Any college 

 witli elementary courses large enough to 

 need such a sj'stem as we are discussing 

 must have advanced students in propor- 

 tional numbers, and skillful management of 

 the real advantages of the position should 

 give the instructor his choice from among 

 them. In Harvard College the supply has 

 always exceeded the demand; the prestige, 

 experience and money attaching to the po- 

 sitions make them attractive to the best 

 men. 



The assistants having been thus selected, 

 it is essential to place each in full charge 

 of a section which he keeps without change 

 to the end of the term, in order that he may 

 come to know well and teach well each in- 

 dividual. These sections should never ex- 

 ceed thirty men, and twenty-five is a much 

 better, and twenty the best number. The 

 instructor himself will, of course, visit the 

 laboratory constantly, but he will do far 

 better to go about among the men generally 

 than to take a section himself. Moreover, 

 great freedom should he allowed to the judg- 

 ment of each assistant in the details of his 



