52 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 



behind it no more than does handwriting; both ought to 

 be as good as possible, but both are subordinate. 



Individual Work. — Observation must be made as in- 

 dependent as possible and this means individual work 

 rather than general class exercises. It is hardly necessary 

 to argue for this method, for it lies at the very center of the 

 idea of the laboratory method which has penetrated and 

 revolutionized all education. To lean upon anyone else 

 for an observation is to make it ineffective, and the majority 

 of pupils will lean if permitted to do so. General exercises 

 are often conducted in which some object is held up before 

 the class, different things about it pointed out and named, 

 and an occasional question asked. Under these conditions 

 the pupils fall into four categories: those who do not listen, 

 those who do not observe, those who do not answer, and a 

 few eager ones who do all the listening, observing, and 

 answering. 



Individual work means individual responsibility, a most 

 important lesson to learn early and to learn thoroughly. 

 It takes those who do not listen, or observe, or answer out 

 of the class of drones and makes of them workers. This 

 sort of work means more effort by the teacher than a 

 general exercise, but its results are worth much more than 

 the difference in trouble. To individualize material or 

 experiments in the classroom is simple enough, even if it is 

 laborious, but to individualize work in the open is often 

 regarded as impractical. The school garden work should 

 be based upon this idea of individual responsibility just 

 as soon as the maturity of the pupils permits; in fact, a 

 school garden would hardly be justified if it were made a 

 general exercise throughout. 



