In this normal
school a course in physics, in which the experiments are all performed
in the class room by the teacher, is followed by a course in chemistry,
in which the members of the class perform the experiments for themselves
in the laboratory. And, notwithstanding the age, maturity, and previous
observation of the pupils, a great deal must be done both in the
laboratory and in the recitation room to be sure that all that happens
is seen--that the purpose is clearly held in the mind--that the reason
is fully understood.
With older pupils and greater facilities, however, the experiments
should be performed by the pupils themselves. Constant watchfulness is
necessary, it is true, to insure to the pupil the full educational
value of the experiment. With this watchfulness it can be done, and the
advantages are numerous. Among them are:
1. The learning of the use and care of apparatus.
2. The learning of methods of actual construction, from materials at
hand, of some of the simpler kinds of apparatus.
3. The learning of the importance of careful preparation. An experiment
may be performed in a few minutes before a class which has taken an hour
or more of time in its preparation. The pupil fully appreciates its
importance, and is in the best condition to remember it only when he
has had a part of the hard work attending that preparation. Again,
conditions under which an experiment is successfully performed are often
not appreciated when merely stated in words.
Pages:
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84