A SOUNDER BASIS

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 131, 5 June 1919, Page 7

A SOUNDER BASIS

FOR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

CONFERENCE IN WELLINGTON.

The Conference on agricultural education continued its sittings in the. Old Parliamentary Buildings yesterday afternoon, with the object of placing primary, secondary, and university schemes of agricultural education on a sounder,basis than it now has. Dr. W J Anderson, Director of Education, presided. „

In his paper on the aims and njethods of teaching agriculture in primary schools, Mr. F. R. Callaghan stated that the first steps in the study of agriculture should begin in simple nature study lessons in the lower classes, to stimulate Ihe child's natural curiosity. The presence of the objects studied was essential. With the study, drawing," modelling, paper-cutting, reading, writing, and story-telling should be correlated. When Standard IV. was reached the children might be gradually introduced to more systematic work, and the school garden formed a good beginning for this. The bulk, if not all, of the theoretical studies could and should be based on outdoor practical work. As the pupils proceed to matriculation and higher,. examinations the outdoor work would decrease, and would be replaced by more intensive laboratory studies upon materials ggther!ed from the garden. It was in the upper division of the secondary' school that the value of the training' in exact science, became apparent. There' was always a grave risk that with a large area of school garden valuablo time for education would be squandered 'on manual work. The paper ' then dealt with, indoor work and observations, and in regard to'the question of notes the'opinion was expressed that note-books, were but half-satisfactory, in that they did not allow of additions being 'made -in the proper pla-ee, as when a subject/ taken elementarily at oue stage was'amplified later. "' Loose-leaf folios would ' obviate that difficulty The present school year affected adversely the teaching of agriculture, for tho September and Christmas, vacation occurred at time's when the gardens needed attention. Abstruse [chemical and'botanical terms bewildered 'the pupil, and gave him an utter disI taste for the subject. SIMPLE GARDEN . OPERATIONS. Mr. Stnckey opened his paper ("Factors -a. Success or Failure in Primary Schools") by, stating that agricultural work in primary schools'should'., confined as far as • possible "to himple garden operations, easily understood indoor and outdoor experiments, aud carefully, guided observation. The cperatilons in the school garden should not be confined, to the spring and early summer, but should extend' wherever possible, throughout, the year.! Elaborate and detailed individual notes of observations and 'experiments, Mr.' Stuckey. considered, should be avoided, and the individual note-book should be replaced by- a class "record of operations, together with, individual graphic- expression of observations and oral discrrasioiison'topics 'arising out'of nature study, garden1 'routine, etc. Teachers must be specially trained for teaching nature study and agriculture, and the requirements for the teachers' certificates should bo made such as to ensure 'that the teacher who passed the examination' was really equipped for giving instruction in nature study' and agriculture. It was hoped that the confei'ence would not' only make recommendations ' for a . course of study for all training college students, but would also be able' toformulate''a plan for' the more efficient training. of those teachers who had not had the advantage of that course.' -Competition for challenge shields, cups, and the'like, was' adversely criticised as being\ injurious to the real worth of agriculture in primaryschools." '■ ■ "■ '■'.',"