NOTES ON EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 126, 20 February 1908, Page 11

NOTES ON EDUCATION

> , r .(By Sochatfs ) : MEDICAL- INSPECTION OF SCHOOLS. ; The-rßntish:''Medical''"Association, ■ says a. Hoino paporjvhas-'sent to'tho Board of'-Educa-s-.^?P.-'.®/'®C.niwap 1 4unii > Verobo(lyraE..its ideas on; .■ the; matter cof / mcdical inapccfcidn .of- schools. A specialsCojnmittoo .of tho Association has .: bceii ';consMermg tho ' subject. ' One ,/point strongly, insisted on-is-that there shall be mcdical ofßcors specially appointed for carrying , out ..the/> /actual' inspectionof ;school children. Iney may_be "part; timo" officers, romuncratod according to tho tuna spont in • the work j., but- the-prcsont'-mcdical olficora ; ! of.health QOuld nbt/ in addition to thoir pre-. . sant .-autics; ./efficiently do . thci; work. -, As ■to whether in largo districts :tho present medical officers >should =havo- tho- gonoral supervision of';sohool,inspection, tho'Association.has not, como to ; .a.|fmal .decision.. A-numbor. of dotailed.suggestions ;are mado/as to tho .pro-, ceduro -of; soliool. mspectorsrr-that the lnspec-. /. tiori; shall-jrbo in:- Bchcol': hours-,and • in ,school;, .pronusoss 0r..-at conveniom -special ; oontros,-soias-to 1 -mtorfore as little as possible \7ith school routine; than an annual re- . port -shall/bo made to tho local education, authority and bo; printed'; that throughout' tho'countrj' one imifoj-iri year-—the. calendar, year—shall;; bo - adoptedy- to- -facilitate comthe'crcsults of- inspcotioji ■ shall ibo aoystoraaticallv tabulated /so r ''as-. to fonh/.part'^of?thopanth'ropdrnotric -survey' to , : whioh tho. Act should contribute in duo timo , CORPORAL PUNISHMENT ■A. goody-goody. - "Education Reform' Committee," . awed. ;byi.the 1 Independent Labour party, liavc... - tried -m -/am to sccurc ■ tho ab6li,tion of;tho cano.in London:schools.' ■■ As it ~-was .vpointed.i.out-i to/ the petitioners, - tho choice, lay tibotween . tho cane -- and pande--,momum.; Boys, it was said,, prefer tho risk of caning to tho long-drawn-out torture of tho so-called/moral suasion. -Somo silly teacher, who, dares to touch the sacred ■ body '?■• ,?' son > - such people. .would.; receive i but little ,sympathy from him. / r - i : xThe .rightr of-. teachers -to inflict corporal punishment. ..when : necessary' has : boon vindicated by, tho recent .decision-of Justices Philhmoro and Walton.. nThe judges derided i . - .that.this .was .a;co t mmonilaw right jvl ioh-rests, nithjovpij teacher,' and not-exclusiroly with the. head,,teacher,-t"N.Z.-Schoolmnster." CLASSICS IN EDUCATION In-a circular Jotter, Sir-Oliver Lodge-calls ettention-;to jtho report- on secondary school curricula, which was drawn' up for tlio n efetippof.fthe British Association at r;uoster last . year . by. a committee appointed; at the Association meotmg of 1906.,, Ihe lepoit (says'.an English exchange) advised fie djf- . ferontiation of secondary schools of different types, and ;i went • on< to, express/grave - concern that'the .oiitranco examinations at tho great Enghsh puVlic schools gave un,due.prominonce to :tho ,study of,.Latin: and - Greek - in" tlio . course... of . j., education - at: the --, preparatory : ools,- tliG, result 'being - ! that - too little time was ~available ,foi .-tho teaching of / English, manual science,' and 'mathematics, ,'2.Accompanying .the-copy of tho report v.'hich ; Sir-Oliver . Lodge circulating is a fiysheot containing ..two individual ■ opinions- One of these/,by jDr.j.H.^B...Gray, is concerned with tlio ckaminations" for scholarships, and ."the ~other,; l( by,- . Professor/ Armstrong, with the toaching of classics. -Professor Armstrong is of opinion that wo need to considor whether; the-:teaching<of..-Latin'and Greek' in tho.oonvontional .way has not a directly dttn-meilUl.-Bffectin -hindering, thebroaddevelopnieiit- of mental-faculties.:' Soine explanation is required of'the fact that those ivlio have been l thoroughly trained m classics • dften prtvo . themselves eto <be ■ unreceptive' of • now ideas, . and- iinprogr6ssivc. / . •> ,Ho wduld not ■ advocate tho omission of' - Latin,ihoweyer.s'but":' that" it'shoiild be'taught, alwaysifcogethoriiwith .'other-'- subjects, • ; whi'ch' _nould,: afford i.-tho'-necessary. corrective'to its baneful influence'" 'i v '' / " * the/Bri- i tish-; Association ion- seebndary schools- is ! a 1 report_-.draftcd, by. teachers of classics' as- well ss of.-.science, .of -ancient -as well as of ir.odern ; - lt/suggests that-up to twelve thero mightt.be va.i general course - for - all,- the timo allotted to .various divisions,- m ■ a twenty-six- •- h?«r> school week.-boingv-^-Literary' work;-' ]'3' hours j l ' mathematical arid' - s"cieiitifio, ; '9" hdiir*s; - manual andi drawing, 4 hours For those beginning.- Latin -after 12—Literary • work,l6' ■ hojirs jimithematiCal;.-'scientific', -mahual', anddrawing, 10 hours , L-,One...modern -foreign>danguage,Mt is ; sugEcstedf .'. should be begun ,at an /'early, ago,'' but, systematic;: teaching of .Latin should bo pOstpohcd/till -twelve. Continued teaching of the.classics to those laakmg no progress may . db.iposihve ;hkrm;' fEarly- specialisation is -do- . precatedi ind Stat'e-impbsca rigidity -in'school organisation condemned. -i--"- : '','.'Ov.crcroTv;ding' ,: 'o'f subjects/'iri- tho T.sual . fori-'by.-' the. ■ : disproportionate time / given to the classics •' a nd : ' partly-: by/-'-the - ill-founded- belief that the should be an. abstract of all modern lshowledge!" ' •' - ' ■ '

' ENGLISH EDUCATION QUESTION _ The;- Bishop of "Southwark, :• Lord - Itobort .. Cecil r . and; Mr. Alfred Lyttolton were the principal speakers at a well-attended meet- •. ln S recently/.in"' supportof, the • Cfiurch - Schools, of -London.:■', J.;-V;;.', - ! 'i-Tha-Bishop:,said-,that the great effort toraise - money for )the; schools which had; been•;'«E M dy/.mftde*.in"Sotttli - .-Lqnddn:.ihdicated : 'the ; stropg'conviction of, tlioso concerned that 1 . the discharge;of- th.is /duty towards the'children., v;as J one : of the greatest r responsibilitiesi which lay upon the Church . of.. England .> They Were Hving now, -as, they had lived before*, on ,'the:;e.y.e;.:. o f::attempted: ■' legislation.C-- -Thcy- . knoWjj'fle ispcak '(jiiite. whence that-legislation came. : It camo from the desire of the Government to, satisfy tho-. Nonconformists.; 'It wolild ' be■ A' -'monstrons failure-_iri the discharge. ,of* the highest functions of .the Government if they introduced a measure .which was drawn up,, and fashioned to/ please 4he;rN6nc6nformi?tsj ; . instead o.f a . measure which attempted to do judgment and .jus|.ice;;..b,(.'feen : tho . various claims, i (Ai> }~ini.nr) ,-v • : '--n ;^^^'4'^KP^^ s i"ißv®'-'reß6iution'li!fliit'' -. .mending the .'schools of South London to the .^onortsifcyaofi.Gliurch;-people, said .that the" : proposals-which wero being urged upon-the Government\ would, , if' they were accepted,'-' - atftJuhatadel of national duty.'of. every piti-, 'siSiv' J>tjs'.t9;/®detyp^'tb.pe^ade^ft : GoViwjip rnfciit,' - by, -weans which might, inclucje coer-. ; cioji; .their 'these proposals were: bad,-for;the' country; and : bad -for,rthem., '. The -fa'et -to-rita.'-, press upon t-hom ; was that there was, on. the; 'Jfert of .those who thought with/them/ i wik lingneis to make rsaciificfe's" for 'the convictions whioh ..they.;.felt. , ; .Therattitude of jtha" State . towards jeli&ous; education, Jiisteaa. of: ibeirig that: of- negation'-,and- discouragemeht-j/shbuld be.that ; 6f welcome .arid of- sympathy. -v >-; , i -Robert. Cecil . moved: —"That-'the prit-' the'face-of political "Uncertainty anddiscouragnrnejit, provesthat Churchmen arc. iibt 'prepared to '"surrender?-either the' principle irreligious. equality,jm./t-hb matter: off education, .-or the right oftparjerits.to claim; in: accordance with their, convictions', definite religious teaching;for- their, Children Mr., <T, F. Rawlinson, M;P.,.seconded, and the'resolution was carried. ;t Mr. 5 David Kennedy,. Piekon, who has just been appointed of ot, > ictoria. College, ..Wellington, has a -brilliant- funiversity ; .record, .auji : should be a decided;: acquisition.to..the, ..professional staff. Mr. Pioken ,was sixth wraiiglor at Cambridge in 1902, and graduated 'B.A. with honours. Then he went', to'; Glasgow Univorsity, and took-., his _M.A'...>nth;'-ljfrst-class/honours in mathemiitici' and: natural philosophy. In 1003, at, the age of 24, he was appointed chief assistant to.-the Professor of Mathematics, , and bah 'fiad fooi;.! experience/ ~ taking cb arge .of - .the, ; mathematical,, depa'i tment as okief,.' lecturer,, in;-fh'o'summer sessions. His credentials include; qxc?llerit testimonials from the , : Iato: Lprd'-.Kelvin, -Professor ■ VVv Jack, LL.D.,' DSc., Professor, of Mathematics :at Glasgowy arid Professor Andrew Gray, LL.D., DSc., F.Tt'S.,''Professor of Natural Philosophy. Mr. Picken, who was selected from 28 applicants, is 28 years of age, and is. married, but has; no family.