SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1297, 16 May 1878, Page 3

SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS.

At a late meeting of the Otago Educational Institute a discussion took place as to the teaching of science in schools, when the following remarks were made by Professor Macgregor: — He had listened to the suggestions made with great pleasure, but he had to confess he was only half-convinced. The first move ne cessary, if there was to be any success in this matter, was to prolong the period of childhood for another five years. That, would be going to the bottom of the subject. The fault, he believed, in teaching in these colonies lay in a tendency to fiddle away time over many subjects with small results as regarded any of them. This had been the fault of the High School, and was that, to a great extent, of the primary schools. The energies of teachers should be concentrated upon getting up thoroughly the ordinary English subjects and arithmetic, &c. The only proposal for scientific teaching in primary schools he would listen to would be the teaching of that science for which Nature herself supplied the necessary apparatus —such a science as botany, for instance. In this branch of science the apparatus was to be found in the green fields and hedgerows around the schoolhouse. But, on the whole, he was inclined to look upon all this talk about science in schools as an unmitigated mischief, and he was sure both the gentlemen who had read the papers would agree with him. [Captain Hutton—“l quite agree with you.”] At the most, he was strongly of opinion the sciences should be attempted to bo taught only in their observational aspect. Chemistry and physics were an absurdity in primary schools. Even the abstract lessons in the ordinary school books upon physics were altogether beyond any child’s understanding, or even any ordinary teacher’s. [Applause.] He was inclined to give utterance to a note of warning in reference to this subject. He would wish to see the energies concentrated upon the thorough teaching of the more necessary subjects. If there were any energies to spare after this had been accomplished, these might be used in the direction of science teaching, but anything like a thorough overtaking of this would be rendered impossible from the expense of the apparatus necessary.