NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 487, 21 April 1909, Page 4

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

(By Sooiutes.) EDUCATION IN WELLINCTON. .REPORT OF SCHOOL- INSPECTORS. 11. In The Dominion of Saturday last there appeared in this column some excerpts from the annual report of tho Wellington Education. Boar/l's . inspectors," on the progress and condition,6f primary : arid district high school ;education"in this district.; : referencewas made -to-recent criticism on tho education syllabus, and also to the teaching of English; In this week's notes space is given to further excerpts from the report. Civics and History. - : "Oivics—in.so far as it deals with the genoral principles of parliamentary government, functions of' local: bodies, taxation and cogriato matters—as a- riilo we find intelligently and successfully iauglit, }but as for history, •in the. ordinary- sense of the term/it is only too apparent that in many schools it'is rapidly : approaching .its vanishing point. As .wo have "previously pointed out, !.tho continuity of the! the,interest in its treatment aro aliko' destroyed by the provisions of tho'regulations, which -permit'.of'its being omitted m alternate years from tho school course. Tho effect, again, of teaching history .under isolated headings'and from 'notes-,iii r the teacher's' scheme, of 'work book has' been to toar it from its literary setting, and to encourago the .vicious'system of mem-' • arising tabulated facts': arid, dates'. - Wo believe oven such a book, as 'Little Arthur's History Jof bo infinitely superior in-spirit and to. a ; scheme of work book full-ofjxilaborate analysis and tabulated '. details - of "'indigestible .• historical ;matter ßy : s the.' v iiitfdduction of ■ suitable' ■ class- books an endeavour should be mado to Te'store-, history, to:' its (.proper ;place! in: English- literature. Good',work has been: done in this respect by -the ".'School Journal,' but wo do not/think", that : the subject can receive tho' necessary,' comprehensive arid . continuous- treatment ■' in->j, monthly school; paper. At . a'.tiike, • like .this,' ' when .every"" effort: is , been; made vto bring- the various portions-of tho : Empiro"; irito,"closfl'r union,it' is ,• more than ever-, important'that, tho ; youth of our Dominion should ,h(wcT some comprehension of the nation's lifo and growth. , Arithmetic. , still maintains ;a ; :satisfactory,.condition!:df efficiency.; There •is- somo'apparenti.weakness-inihearithmetio "of Standard V, but this wo attribute to too severe; atr interpretation "of syllabus:require-' nients. / W6 havo forbears, maintained that ; an^exaggerated, - is ' attached to arithriietic as.'a subject,-in:our!school course. .Thd!-time and, energy of /teacher and pupil arc far, too much engrossed in : ' striving' for a. dcgreo''!of proficiency; quite 'unnccessMy from the point of view either of practical requirements, or of mental gymnastics; a proficiency, moreover, that,.when:' it is gained-, is gairied! at'.the expense of Jmore important subjects in the: syllabus. A modilioati6ri in ; tho .e^aininatibn : tests in!the direction of'simpler.examples,and of easier problems moro capable of'mental solution, would ■not'/only.jlsiid Mfcriiprb rational and educa-; .tiofial ."of^tho ' subject .;, itself;- but' ' ivoiild rele,a'§e..-teachers".and;.children, from the Twearisomeaui'd in arithmetic. such an uridiio pro-, portion of valuable school timo.' , :-y Writing. ' 'In handwriting considerablo improvement has taken vpliicq throughout , the district.. \Vith a few 'exceptions tho ;writteri work: done in the •schools is legible and neat, and in quite ' avsatisfactor/ -number! of 'pasos; it-, receives - special commendation., ~' Geography and ( Na\uro Study; • While'reiterating what has' already' been 1 Bai'd/l)^-US:ifi : pfem we feel oon-sti&hed-.to.take':this opportunity.-of emphasising .the-ne'Cessity-for more thoroughness ,'of ' treatment;! and,, definitenes-s ■ of aim in-!.',tho ;teachmg aridfnature. study. -Wo ! would, however, preface - these remarks by stating;:distillctlj" that-whatever-'-good'work l j in these, respects be done, -bid | may; be/ done;"and 'donio mdre.:'effeotivelyf jiin-, ! der'.lhb new'syllabusj'-for tlie 'critidiSm that it licks deliniteness is ; in> reality, a reflection on the teacher's alrility to plan out his own .iv-brk alqrigjhis-bw'n lines. In theso days we !rightl}'_ &eek,a! psychological. basis' for all 'our. educational ;iheones. : :' The! child-, has' natural and spontaneous! interests,! and, ' taking full adyantagq of these, wo-gain a ; powerful impetus to _work, and! consequently secure tlra bf'the pupil .in . his own mental training: - So ; .potent-a factor is this.gain, and so does it .biilk - in .our sdhool :'work, that "we -may easily overlook two," important facts. ' In. the first place, wo may gain a -Epecioiis"; interest -by diffuyivcriess, arid super-'* ficiality; ' ; After all, Earthquakes - and' !nvh- ! tochos! are!only.;.iiicidents l ..in !th4 slow' and /imperceptible;.moulding, of 6ur : land surface, :,'ana t-hould bo subordinated;to the inonplaco which -do'/not easily ;command the active: attention iof the ' pupil. ,Th'e ' interest revoked 'by the .descriritioa. of animals ,or :plants 'is : v lost.-#s v -a real educative fnctbr if "their study is' riot baked on,.' some: elementary j-knowledge of common ati'iTna]s :^6r\ways.ido)plants.''.'',-In!t .the-sEec6nd ■ place,-.\Vo. miist remember!,that the ' child• has its innate /weakness! as well : as! its'innate 'strength; rporitaneotis : - interests','. alone %yill-"lead"-to'""tlie,,ii'nduj>, of the lat*t«r at ,the, expense, .of the Tformer;,. We have had a' cognate fact exemolified 'in our .reform of thd old .'systems' of :r>hyisieal training.'Not. Fpontaiieoiis, but ; compolkd ■mohiilVbtivitjyis nee'e'psnry to exercise .those :focul.tio3;!natiirally:;fl'eak,'" "writes' Professo r: ;:A%ltori in ■< discnssirip.'.'tJie ; : curriculum of a sccond.-irj; . With, how mucli, greater 'forco''dpcst;this : :a'pply to bur primary, school cnildren! . , • • ■ ' ..!'!"-."

; ; - "iff e P®f Eon J; presentation, .association,, formulation, • and. application are somewhat hackneyed, terms connoting a .very, proper attitude on the part of the teacher, towards hisj wprk; but,-;these, .without the dynamic power ot the. tcacher to compel mental activity,?are„all; as ..useless as an elaborate machine without jts.-motoi;.power. ' Much memorising 1 drudgery, .-had..been relentlessly pruned , frphi'- .otir "school ;;Worliv not.: solely because Oertain/facts" jwere-mseless,.:but rather that ,-moro -reasonable ./moansshould be used in arriving at 'those, facts^/and,.-further, that fmterfir:'-u'.'gaued : ;S^6iild''''be^ii(^^o^an .increment,to:.a:useless"heap;.but an-'integral fart of an /intelligence , ever increasing in power to think i and''act ;■ rightly. For- example, knowledge of-the sea-ports, of -the pacific coast-of - America is : not compulsory in' any standard, and": as a disconnected mem-. .ory. Je.S3on , ; thpy would j.be a senseless waste of .tlffio,,_but. international relationships and comiuprcial some .knowledge of-'tlio phief-ports ; and,coaling stations of the Picific -an .'.essential part of. any,- sensible geo-' gijaphicahrscheme.'coverihg .'the "standards. Agiih, 'tho' sizKy'shapejvand texturs of leaves as| mere' - facta to .bo. learned are worthless, but; as a key to tho '.relation of tho -plant to its . environ nionfc .t-he knowledge 1 is absolutely. es-sential.' Elomontary Agriculture. - . : i "111 practically one-third of our .schools elementary agriculture and school gardening form regular, subjects of instruction, and our .teachers deserve: .special commendation for the zeal; they ; havs"displayed in .fitting- tliem■solycs for,tho iiewworkv Attendance at Mr. Davios's classes,"- private study, and 1 practical. gardening work have all been willingly .used as'a .means-to this end. The result'has been a direct gaiii'Hb 1 our scholars,: and both tho press and the.genbral public aro. showing a most hopeful."interest in what they, rightly consider ii practical outcome of our nature study and science teaching. We, .know of tnany : instances tfhero the'school experiments are being, keenly;, watched' and criticised by tho farmers of the. district. • We aro further pleased to report that in some two dozen :schools tho work of beautifying the grounds has been,,made ,a. special featuro. In tho matter of the instruction of teachers, Mr. Dayies-saysl. -The woi'k- this year has been ■carried; 1 out by means of "periodical schools, thrco m number,'hold at Groytown iri February, May, and September. The total numtor attending .during the year has. been 56i ? and thero 'is/ cVpry, reason to feel gratified at'the interest, and onorgy displayed by-the students.; ...That/this .interest shows ..no sign of! abating is evidenced bv the largo number «f; applications .for admission to th'o summer school, commencing on January 25 last. 'I liavo to acknowledge with - thank's tho'Valuable -assistance rendered by tho officers of .the Agricultural Department.'"