isa-normaladvance-1909-00145

Description:	THE NORMAL ADVANCE145definition is by Dr. Bigelow of Teachers College, Columbia University. Nature Study isprimarily the simple observational study ofcommon natural objects and processes for thesake of personal acquaintance with the thingswhich appeal to human interest directly. Another says it is the training of the mind andeye to see and comprehend and thus to gaina sympathetic attitude toward nature for thepurpose of increasing the joy of living. Anexamination of a dozen or more definitionsshows the following characteristic marks ofnature study:—(1) It is a study of commonnatural objects (2) primarily by means ofdirect observation (3) in as independent amanner as possible (4) in order to becomeacquainted with ones natural environment(5) so that he may enjoy life more from thisstandpoint and (6) be the better able to succeed. When summed up, nature study is one ofthe educational means employed to connect theschool with the real things of life.It will be seen from Dr. Bigelows definitionthat nature study is in the first place, the observational study of objects. Now accordingto this it will be difficult to classify, as naturestudy, the beautiful little story telling how therobin got her red breast. Nor does the definition include the pretty little plays in whichchildren personate natural objects or parts ofobjects. And it is equally difficult to see howthe scores of natural readers now so extensivelyused could be considered as observationalstudy of natural objects. The teacher lecturing to her class on some of her travels, describing some natural scenery, or rehearsing whatshe has read are in no sense the kind of naturestudy which Dr. Bigelow has in mind. And agreat advance will be made in the work whenthose who teach it realize that nature study isthe study of nature at first hand.In the next place it is stated that commonnatural objects should be selected for study,those which are closely associated with thechilds life. It is worse than useless for an inland school to send to the sea coast for starfish, barnacles and sea weeds as long as thereare grasshoppers jumping about in the schoolyard, tadpoles in the neighboring ponds orrubber combs with which to produce electricity.Too often teachers feel that they must presentsomething strange and startling. Let it be repeated that the best things to study are thosecommonplace things which are in direct touchwith the students life.I know some one will say at this point whydont you give a suitable list of objects whichmay be studied in the schools. But you askwhat is impossible. No two schools have exactly the same environment, so an outline orseries of lessons could not be made for allschools. It might be said here that there areplenty of books on the market which claim tocontain outlines of nature study lessons for allschools and grades and for the several monthsof the year, but at most they can be of generalvalue only in so far as they suggest the natureof the work or serve the purpose of modellessons.Again, in some schools, nature study is falling short of the best results because the teacheris failing to discriminate between it and naturalscience. One of the best established principlesin the nature study movement is that naturestudy should be clearly differentiated fromscience. The reason why this is not done in suchcases is probably because the teachers who havebeen required to teach nature study have doneso without any special study of the subject andas a matter of course they teach it just as theystudied nature in the sciences in the high schoolor university.In the second place it may be due to the factthat nature study and science have some features in common. Each deals with nature.Both employ primarily the observationalmethod of study. The best writers on the subject agree that the method in each is the sameexcept in degree of advancement, that is, thematerial is granted to suit the maturity of thechild. But on the other hand, the essential difference between them, according to Dr. Bigelow, is the point of view of each. Nature studystands for educational organization based on
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34175
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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