AN ADVOCATE OF NATURE STUDY

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 3

AN ADVOCATE OF NATURE STUDY

MISS RACHEL RICHMOND. Miss Rachel Richmond, who, in conjunction with Miss Baber, had a private school in Wellington some years ago, has'just returned from England where she lias been studying educational methods and teaching for the last six years.; Miss Richmond went Homo meaning to stay a year, dividing her time between I'rbebel Institute and other educational centres.. It -was also her desire to attend as many conferences of teachors as possible,, to get into touch.with those who had studied tho praotico and the theory of education, and then 'to return to New Zealand to make application of what she had learned. The first part of this programme was carried out. Miss Richmond completed her course at Froebel Educational Institute, and took tho higher certificate of tho National Froebel Union. Sho visited many of the larger schools — especially experimental schools, such as t-lie Bedales Co-Educational School at Potersficld—and .she was able to attend many conferences. But she did not return to Now Zealand as intended. First of all a temporary position'in tho Manchester Girls', High School was offered. At the endof her term Miss Richmond was asked to remain, but she had hoard of a big private school for girls whoso principal wished to introduce nature study right through all the classes and was in search of somoone to organise it. This was Heathfield School, at Ascot, and thero Miss Richmond has been touching for three years. Miss Richmond was offered a post at the Frocbol Educational Instituto just before leaving England, but though much tempted to return to that centre of educational reform; sho felt that now,. if ever, was the time to return to New Zealand. Sho is very glad to hear that- it is probable that'studeiits will be able in the near future to take the Froebel National Union certificates in Now Zealand, as the study required is both broadening and inspiriting.

One hears a good deal of talk nowadays about naturo study, and in tho booksellers', shops aro many little boc%s intended to encourage the study of plants and animals— vory attractive books, which we covet for the children we know, for without knowing, very much'ahout this new branch of education we vaguely understand that it is good for children to learn about the marvels of nature —that it broadens their minds, quickens their sympathies, and opens their eyes to tho world about them. Just why it should do so wo hardly know, and wo are not clear about tho sort of facts that should bo taught to a child, nor how they, should be'taught, but probably nine out of every ten of us, if we saw a child sitting in a room on a bright, sunny day, poring over a book about animals, would be quite satisfied if wo were told that ho was a nature student., But that: is .not the idea of the enthusiastic advocate of naturo study. The word has a much bigger meaning than that, and it means work of a very different kind.

Miss Richmond was fortunate in having a fair field for working out her theories. Heathfield was not an over largo school (tho number of pupils is limited to 70), so "that it was possible to watch the development of each scholar. And Miss Richmond is very sure that naturo study does develop the student's mind.' Sho points out thatCa child acquires all its first knowledge by personal observation of the objects around' it, and it is interested in them all. It is only the older children who go about the world with their eyes shut, absorbed in trivial interests, knowing little of the wealth around them. Tho young child wants to know; lie is a perpetual query, and the wise teacher is the one who, taking advantago of this doairo for knowledge, leads the thoughts of the child into fields where the mind expands bv tho means that delight it. One of tho faults of modern education, said Miss Richmond, is that it docs not make children think. They are filled with information from one'source and another, but though thoy v can give it out again in the form in which'it was. given, they do not apply it. They do not reason. Tho student of nature must reason out things for himself as ho goes along, or he very soon gets into difficulties. Miss Richmond used to watch with great interest tho development of the reasoning faculty in the students at Heathfield.. At first thoy would make rash statements based upon a very littlo knowledge, but as they went on they became very

accurate in tho observations, and careful in the inferences they drew. There is no doubt that- if nature study can assist us in attaining well-balanced minds, that it has done a great work, but its valuo lies chiefly in the fact that one cannot study tho simplest forms of naturo without boing brought face to faco with tho great eternal laws which govern every phase of these forms, and that this contact with tho results of law must affect our whole- attitude, towards naturo. Miss Richmond had a class for the older girls for child-study, and they were keenly interested in this new branch of their education, which would probably be of the greatest valuo to them in later years. It is a study that ono would like to see introduced into New Zealand schools, for tho older girls in a school are very ofton' perfectly ignorant of childrnature. Thoy think a little child is a miniature old girl, and have no idea of tho differences in naturo. To teach them this is to bring thorn into sympathy with tho child world, and one can hardly think of a moro important work.