Arizona republican., 1900-12-22
The Most Successful Meeting
 Of Arizona Teachers.
Discussion of Nature Study Continued Through the Closing Day-Pres- colt Secures the Next Association Meeting.

Arizona ended what was the most bril- liant and successful meeting of teach CTS ever gathered in Arizona. The results of the past weeks session will be far reaching, for many new and present educational questions were fully discussed with an interest and enthusiasm seldom exhibited even in teachers institutes. The numerous pa pers have proven most profitable and the teachers carry away with them many valuable suggestions and solu- tions.
 The morning session was opened at o'clock by President Adams Prof Blount Of Phoenix offered prayer. Next there was a cornet solo by Prof. Bird. accompanied by Mrs. C. w. Miller on the piano.
 David Griffiths of the university gave one of the most interesting lectures of the week on Biology in Public Schools He talked of the great amount of work confronting a teacher ard the problem of selecting from the wide field of knowledge what to give to the pupil. He explained the relation of biology to other studies pursued in schools. He said that nature study which consisted largely of biology composes a part of the work of all we'll regulated schools. The more ad- vanced pupil is the greater thorough ness of detail should be enforced All work in school should culminate in well established principle being brought out. In biology, especially, select con- crete specimens for study. These should be carefully selected so as to represent some principle around which other facts can be placed. He em phasized the importance of a correct aim and that it is often the case with teachers when studying some object or phenomenon to draw a conclusion of less importance than is possible, and often the real principle involved is not brought out. Principles reached by these processes of induction should be well correlated and more general prir- cipIes reached. NO5 only should there be a central idea in each lesson, but in the whole course of biology as a whole. The teacher should come to some principle or great central idea at the end of the pupils course in that subject. The entire course should be planned by the teacher prior to it's presentation. He said the methods or plans of the teachers might differ but that could make no material difference so long as the central idea to be de- veloped was kept in mind and the work culminated in definite principles.
 SOME ILLUSTRATIONS.
 MT Griffith then gave a number of interesting Illustrations as to how prin- ciples could be developed. concretely, them being some of the follow ing:
 Plant two seedlings. keep one in the dark and one in the light. Notice the difference in color of the leaves: let light fal! upon the one formerly in the dark, and darlzen the one formerly in the light. Note the effect of light on the color of the leaves. IL is interest," ing to let the sunlight cut letters on leaves. Cut out a letter oh black pa per- put the paper over a leaf and note the color of the leaf After a short time the leaf will be white except where the letter was. Cut out a black letter and put it on the leaf and the leaf will be black except where the let ter was and that will be white. Va
 
 to the principle of the effect of light on plant life.
 Another interesting operation was this: Turn a pot in which a plant is growing on its side. Note that shortly the plant turns up and tends to grow up straight while the roots so down, and in this way bring out the principle involved
 Thus it is seen that interest is gained in the subject and more benefit is de- rived by the pupil from the simplest kind of experiments requiring little or no apparatus than by long treatises in text books on the same subject.
 Several other experiments were made by Mir. Griffiths to illustrate the pre- of a lesson and the induction of the principles involved. He gave as a very good book for a guide Me DougaTs Elements of Botany" It is 1900 book, published by the MacMillan Publishing company.
 A general discussion followed the talk of MT. Griffith, which waXed quite warm It was in part, a renewal of the nature study question so extensive ly discussed and criticized in these ses- sions.
 Prof A. J. McClatchie dWelt on the importance Of the study of natural sci enccs. and especially the study of mouIds spoken Of by MT. Griffith. He gave as a reason that plant study is interesting the fact that in botany the leaves of different plants are studied together thus losing the correlation of the parts in the plant. He said plants like animals should be studied as a whole, and that at the end of the course there should be brought about definite ideas by pupils of the animal and of the plant kingdom.
 As to the objects and value of natu-' raI sciences Prof. McClatchie gave the following: They give knowledge, which is power. They furnish develop ment of the faculties, cultivating the observation. Here he brought in c,ear of observation of child ren. The pupils should express them selves in three ways: by drawings written and oral work This power of