RESUME OF LECTURES ON EDUCATION, DELIVERED BY C.C. HOWARD, ESQ, F.R.G.S., AT THE NORMAL SCHOOL, CHRISTCHURCH.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 168, 26 February 1878, Page 2

RESUME OF LECTURES ON EDUCATION, DELIVERED BY C.C. HOWARD, ESQ, F.R.G.S., AT THE NORMAL SCHOOL, CHRISTCHURCH.

Second Course—Methods of Teaching

and Organization,

Lecture IX. — Subect — Writing : True principles of teaching it; different theories. Mulhauser's method. Other systems. Hints on copy-books. Eules for young teachers.

Writing is not, as frequently thought, a merely mechanical exercise, but should be made a directly educative subject. Writing is drawing, and both subjects should be laught as if one, and the same habits of careful observation and reflection should be fostered by one as much as by the other. The teacher's aim should be threefold—lst, to train the eye to observe accurately ; 2nd, to train the hand to reproduce faithfully ; and, 3rd, to cultivate the taste, and teach the pupils to recognise the fundamental principles of beauty in design, as well as discriminate between what is true and worthy in art, and that which is false and unworthy. Both writing and drawing are alike lessons on form, The lecturer here traced the history of writing from the earliest period of time through the changes it had undergone as picturing and picture writing. A picture of an object ultimately came to stand for a syllable or an initial letter. The English alphabet is Egyptian in its origin, but has come to us through the Phoenicians, who borrowed a series of Egyptian symbols, and assigned to them different names. Thus A is the Hebrew Aleph, an ox, and originally represented the ox horns and yoke. Bis Beth, a house, though it is not easy now to trace out the resemblance. C represented a camel's head and neck. D, or Daleth, a door. Though the letters had become greatly altered by lapse of time, yet it was possible to trace the changes they had undergone, and the study is one of considerable interest. Children liked drawing better than writing, because it dealt with objects they were well acquainted with, while writing was connected only with meaningless symbols. Writing is a popular test of the school, and reflects the character of the teacher. Writing should be taught as carefully as drawing, and slate writing as carefully as book writing. Slate writing should precede paper work, and should be so arranged as to be the best preparation for the more difficult stage. Children should first study the letters, and learn how to make them with a pencil before commencing pen work ; and the proper position of the body and the method of holding the writing instrument should be attended to just as carefully in slate writing as in writing on paper. Classify the letters in copy setting, be methodical, and do not pass over any difficulties. In the lecturer's opinion, the use of plain ruled exercise books, in which children could copy a course of writing exercises from the teacher's pattern, would be found preferable to copy-books with head lines. Copy slips are very unsatisfactory substitutes for hand set copies. Speaking of Mulhauser's method, Mr Howard considered it deserving of attentive study, as affording valuable help in classifying the letters and arranging a set of copies, but it had defects in being too mechanical in its operation. In large schools, books with engraved head lines were almost indispensable in spite of the defects which seemed inseparable from their use. In the choice of copy-books, undoubtedly Vere Foster's holds the first place as the most serviceable and original of modern copy-books. Muster's holds the next place, but no particular set could be recommended as likely to meet all the wants of any teacher. ' In conclusion the lecturer pointed out to' the young teachers how best to manage a writing lesson, so as to make it an interesting and profitable study, and gave some very useful hints on the choice of copy-books.

The three succeeding lectures were devoted to the study of arithmetic.