ARITHMETIC

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 138, 6 March 1919, Page 7

ARITHMETIC

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Mr. Combs opened up a big question in his article last Saturday. Two factors suggest that methods of instroc-. tion. need revision. Leadmg. pedagogio writers appear to be unahluibus demanding that less time be givea to aritlimetic, whilst 011 the other hand employers coming in contact .'.with tho raw product of the' school; asse'rjt that the work is inferior

When it is considered- that approximately one-fifth of "the school hours are 6pent' in arithmetic, whilst the annual cost to the State ia something like a quarter of a million sterling annually, and the net result is that "we shy, at figures," it will be admitted that the subject is a serious one. I am strongly of opinion that instruction is commenced too early. Ml'.- 1 Marshall Jackman, tried the experiment in his London school of diving the infant entrants of one year into t>vo sections. Some commenced arithmetic according to ' orthodox time-table; the others deferred any formal instruction until nine years of age. He found! that finallv, when leaving the • elementary school, the deferred pupils were not inferior to the others in arithmetic, but iu other Bubjects-notably, English-in consequence of additional time available —I:iiey were far superior. Dr.' Stone, in his "Arithmetical.Abilities" gives the results of nmclnscientific investigation of the subject. Oil page 62 lie remarks: "A laree amount of time spent 011 arithmetic is no guarantee of high efficiency. If one were to choose at random' among i the schools with more tlwn the. medium time given to arithmetic the chances are that he. would get a school with an inferior product." • Parents who have assisted their children with their arithmetic are aware that problems often make greater demands on the child's thinking powers, than need be. Often the English is quite bevond tlieni, and there is every evidence that the bulk of the time, ifi devoted to the mechanical drill essential _ to the gymnastics of the subject. Metric systems of measurement would liberate 'much time which is now spent in monotonous drill, and leave much more time for real study. . AVliat the' tradesmen -""think of tho problems relatin? to their particular businesses, would form an interesting commentary. T certainly think that accountant associations could do good-by devoting their attention to the subject as taught in primary schools.—