The Function of the Laboratory in Secondary Education

Excerpt from The Function of the Laboratory in Secondary Education: An Address Delivered at Los Angeles Before the Science Section of the Southern California Teachers' Association, Dec. 21, 1900 An important question in all science teaching is the use to be made of text and reference books. Only by observation and experiment can a sure foundation be laid; but it is neither necessary nor desirable to limit the student to these means of instruction. On the contrary he should be taught to make profitable use of scientific literature; for in so far as he does so he becomes heir to the great wealth of scientific knowledge already accumulated by the labor of others. The danger, how ever, is that the student will rely too much upon books rather than too little; for in his other studies he has learned to regard books as the first and principal source of information. But the use to be made of books will be mainly determined not by the pupil for himself but by the manner in which the course is conducted; and in this regard there are at present in vogue two widely divergent methods of procedure, and an intermediate method fairly differentiated from the other two. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.