I believe that all education, in the ultimate analysis, is self-education. I have come to the conclusion that for the majority of persons this is most efficiently and pleasantly achieved by getting as much experience in and information about the functioning world as soon as possible; then, such an experienced person is in a good position to construct the working hypotheses and models, devise the experiments, and (very important) make the syntheses by which human understanding is increased. Reversing the order of these events invites disaster. In the areas of my special concernÅecology and evolutionary studyÅthe success of this sequence in the lives of Victorian greats like Charles Darwin, T. H. Huxley, and Sir Joseph Hooker is matched in our times by the achievements of the more influential ecologists and evolutionists who have followed this path. However, there seems no reason to believe that this formula is not equally suitable for students generally.

Nevertheless, in the decades after World War II, we moved away from this pattern; as almost unlimited funds became available for laboratory equipment and science, students began specialized research before they had acquired any corpus of information upon which to build. I think we can see now that we were wrong, as technology threatens the destruction of the biosphere, as students rebel against the èlack of relevance" of much in the academic program, as they refer wistfully to the èreal world," and as they drop out to become at least temporary Wanderkinder .

My belief that the budding biologist should see what is going on out there has led me to travel as much as possible, internationally and domestically, armed with camera and notebook, and has provided me with an invaluable resource for teaching as well as the conduct of my own research. Whenever possible, I try to get students out with me on field tripsÅwhether these be official class outings or (much to be preferred) informal occasions with pick-up groups of interested graduates and undergraduates. In addition to what we see, the discourse in field surroundings is, I believe, far more meaningful than the rhetoric of formal meetings or even kaffeeklatsch rap sessions.

Where field work is impossible, the armory of slides must be brought into play and be supplemented whenever possible by living material. It is here that the opportunities provided for me to build up a teaching collection at the Botanical Garden have seemed invaluable.

As experience accumulates, syntheses are possible. I believe that they should be encouraged more than has generally been the case. Instead of assuming that each student will become a specialist, probing deeper and deeper into a small field, I want to encourage broad-visioned students to struggle with the task of bringing together the contributions of the specialists (always adding something of their own). I am an incurable holist, believing that the synthesis does much more than merely compile.

Provided that students in a course are really interested in the subject, I have found that they can usually contribute significantly in discussion, and I like to be involved in it, especially to relieve the one-sidedness of the lecturing process. Opinions and attitudes brought to light in these discussions can be put to the test in the field, in the laboratory, or in the library, and I believe that we should all be encouraged to undertake these follow-ups even though the results may often be negative. On the other hand, I feel much more particular about lectures, which I believe should be carefully prepared and conducted because the time of so many people is at stake. Full explanation of the material in as nearly a logical sequence as possible and with appropriate illustration should lay the foundations for more freewheeling discussion.

At the climax of a course I detest having to give grades, but I confess I have no idea how they can be avoided entirely. I hope that we can somehow restore the idea that the informational content of a course and the opportunities it offers for investigation and the cultivation of ideas are of the greatest importance. On the whole, I think I see a healthy trend toward the re-establishment of a brotherhood of inquiry socii et discipuli united in a studium generale and away from grade-grubbing. If I didn't, I'd drop out, too!

Revised: 1993