A LIVELY DEBATE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 4

A LIVELY DEBATE.

■ r b- :—— ■ . : ARITHMETIC IN SCHOOLS.- • SEQUEL TO A. CRITICISM. : !Ratier a lively passage occurred ''between. tho chairman of tho Wellington Education Board (Mr. Robert Lee) and : Mr. A. H. Vile,' one of the at tho board's meeting yesterday, when Mr. Vilo tabled the followiug niotion (in-the presence of. tlie inspectors, who wci'e 'present during tho debate):— ' . ■ "That, in view of a f/tateiuent pub-vlicly-inado by,tho,chairman of this . board, to the effect that there .are in the service of the. boavd teachers who! - do not know their trade/, the irispe'ctors ljo given an opportunity of expmining why, if they are aware-that tile statement mode is true in sub--stance and, in ,fact; they'have not so : • advised the. board."* . ■ - " ! ''Speaking to .'the motion,; Mr. .Vile,, re.ferring; to tho occasion of -the presentation of prizes awarded to the successful candidates .in the Chamber of Commerce ; school competitions, said that, tho chairman, when delivering' a speech at that function, Was understood to say that as •the -result-of an-:ex'amiiiation conducted' by him, ho (Mr. Lee) had .concluded that the' board ' had; in its employ . certain teachers who 'did not know their; business. -On the questiori^-of.-.arithmetic,'. to which Mr. Lee had particularly referred) The Inspectors'! Views. '. .Tlie'speaker- had' since' looked up-last year s reports of tlie inspectors, and, in connection;, with, this; particular subject, had, noticed the following reference: — ; -- •-."ln 'arithmetic!: the district still ''.maintains'., a satisfactory condition of; ' efficiency.' . There is sonie' apparent ' ' weakness. in' the arithmetic'of Stand- ■ ; ard V; • but -this ,wo;atttibiito ■ to .too' : ! ;se,vore ;an ;intorpretation';6f !syllabus • requirements. ';.\Y.o,'have for. years • . maintained tiiat an exaggerated' im- :, ;■ portance is attached to arithmetic as 'V a subject in;.our school course. .The ' timo and : energy .of 1 ; teacher-, and: * . pupil aro far too much engrossed, in' .' /"striyirig- for; a; 'degree . of -proficiency ' • , quite unnecessary, from the point of ■.;,;View.- either .of prabtical. .require;,. . ments, ,oi' .'.of-.- mental o gymnastics; a! proficiency,-„ moreover, / that;; ivhen iit' : - , - .is gained, is gained, at :the expense of': . ; :■ more' important." subjects in!'the; sylla-::, ::,;,biis;,: A modification-in, the, exaniina--1 . tion: tests, in, the ' direction of '!simple'r:>. .' "examples, and ; of easier problems ;: more., capable of ■ mental,;, solution,; :i would, not/ only ■ lead' to a moro rat.ional; and 'educational' treatment of .' ;the subject,.itself, : but!would."released' :; teachers' and children, froin : tlio weari- ".:': some; and useless driideery .in arith-; ! •V. metib that ; at ; ;present: consumes, such. 1 ! .-; an- undue proportion:; of valuablo school time." . - -•' - ! ... '. ! Continuing,. Mr..'.Vilo said 'that; it. was .appiiiient that, either tho chairman'or;in- , spectdrs.;ihad;.formed, : an; erroneous' estj-. ,' mato ag to! what , was correct as regarded the' tchching" of 'arithmetic.;'.!! ; ■■, / Cannot: Blame: the Teachers. '' '.In 'tlie - light , of what the inspectors had- said, ho . co'iild . not 'sob that the teachers'should, be blamejl. Moreover, .tlio!: chairman should have . given tho board, an opportunity of , discussing the niatter Viispbrsing,;. the' ,' teachers!';' .-- "'• • :■ ; '!■'.- ■ • ilr.'William Allan :setondcd'. thb m'o,'tion pro ; forma. ;! lio said that -lie - had beeri equally astonished at what' had been ■ said : by._ Mr- Lee on' tho occasion under! . :mentionf : :arid:had"-;beeii inclined to; thiiik that^--.tho ..chairman : did sot .mean, exactly. ;what ';lie:. said. . The iriotion;:; if - '.passed, give .tho'inspectors ail: opportuhity. of oxplaihihg .their - position. /•' *, ' ';. ■ Tho Chairman's Reply. •' . , ... Mr. Leb.' remarked Mr. Vilo. had ~ evidentlyti.discovered av.'maro's,'nost. ' : He had put a certain construction upon what he speaker); hud'.said; oil' : that , qccasion,., arid had allowed '.his ' mind to run riot.; Continuing,, Mr. Leo said;,that when first approached ..by',tho, chamber.-, for suggestions'for the "competition,' lie-had said: :."You.:,havo.-been iindiug fault with the writing; ;in'. /our; -'schobTs^'(Mr:' "Aitkeu: ■ Hear, hear; not without cause)—tho lan-Buiige,'!and"-'thb arithmetic.";--Obviously, continued ■ tho';:' chairman;"' ; pupils :..'who -'wbro- ; weak . in" these . : fundariieritals : were unlit lor. commoroial '■ work; If Mr.-' Vile! . thought ~ that our . scliobls were' so ' perfect bven "in . thesb; throb:'subjects, then , he was Hviug/,iu ii'celestial Jparadise/' There never was a : timo when- there- was not -soinp .rablliciericy in; ' the Schools. In . the ;ant!imetio- paper/ set ' byhim,'. tlio ' tests' •wore . well: within the. capacities of the scholars,; and,,;inthe.,fflajorily. 'of cases; 'had. been:'quite" satisfactory. "Two .Schools Lamentably Weak." V-Biit, 'said:-Mr., Le'e,. in /two,cases!■ it /was plain . that tho. teaching . staff'■ of . the .schools , concorned'.• did -:not ,know -,!their ,tra(lo.; ,In .'one caso'/ only /seven out of twenty problems had-been correctly !doney the - othertwenty were - accomplished: ' Further; : the examiuation ..was • a.competitive, : uot v a - Pass,, test, andit: . was - reasonable :to Vas,auffle N .;th4fc - the;'.competitors. represented ,the i)ick ot their- respective schools. Therehe jsaid-.'v that ; "sonic: teachers V "n°i - th . eir<; ho ,w-0"s quite .iustified. rhe.se two schools wore lament..ably.weaki ..-.;/.; ; ■ ~. ; But it \yas absurd to suppose- that' tlio .inspectors; ware, at, fault.' ,-'--Mr., Vilo nad^, arrived at- an absurd'.'conclusion that respect;; he. had :'■ talked out >! of all reason, arid-had clearly'shown that Jie: did; not possess a gi-asp of .the .'question; : For; himself,/ he . considered' that he was fullj- competent to pass judgment on tho matter. y,' ■ ■ ... A Lively; Passage. ~ 'warmth:' I- have-heard it. stated that; the, person' who set that examination was not. ! .:. ' The chairman,. sharply- What soiuopeople have to say upon such .matters 'is not worth , that—and he , snapped his .hngers. - ■ .Vilo:, You havb;been saying ; things you caiindt;. verify—l .was there/and heard ■you. ;■; The: chairman,- warmly:; ,Ybu!nre, making. n chargo, against me. ■ I : specified: the spools—two! out of'-'thirteen. ': . "6:.-.I havo, heard : very, strong;expressions of opinion— ■ ; ■' chairman:;; What' is - the' opinion ol . those peoplo worth? . Mr. V/ile:! /The .inspectors should . at ™9?'. hay» been given ;an opportunity of defending .' themselves. . : i! , . Tho! chaii'mnn:, My dear." sir, they do .not, require'to- defend themselves.' About one-third. of our teachers are not up- to ' the renuirements of their: work, and won't be until; the training colleges have been in oporation for some timo; ;.You liavo biien listening.'to. the'- wrong people, and'in.the wrong place. ' - Ml'. Vile: I am not going to bandy words,:with ; tho: chairmani'i', ,; ; .. Tho-motion, was , then put. to the meet- : inl and lost. ■ ;-■ ' 'Vory unfair to tho inspectors'ami the teachers, , remarked .Mr.-'Aitken, as the chairman: passed on to'the next business.' '