SCIENCE OUT OF DOORS, REPORT OF THE STUDY GROUP ON EDUCATION AND FIELD BIOLOGY

 Longmans 1963.

 ‘ Our educational system mishandles a golden opportunity and kills stone dead one of the child’s liveliest interests.’

 This is a quotation from Science Out of Doors, a report made by a distinguished Study Group set up by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1960.

The task of this group was to examine the role of field studies and their relation to school education and to science teaching in general; the requirements in terms of curricula and examinations, teachers and teacher-training: the facilities needed, e.g., out-door study areas and educational nature reserves, text-books, television and radio programmes; and the implications for the various bodies and interests directly or indirectly concerned.

This joint work includes results of questionnaire surveys covering random samples of approximately 10 per cent of the primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, investigations into the position of ecology and field studies in the teacher-training colleges and universities, and a survey of the facilities offered at youth hostels, school camps and comparable countryside centres.

An opportunity then to examine the shortcomings of education in the 1960’s with those not inconsiderable ones in today’s educational system.

The dust jacket has minor rubs and splits and is slightly faded. The book is clean and tightly bound, there is a pencilled inscription. An interesting item for anyone involved with education.