TEACHERS INSTITUTE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 30 September 1907, Page 2

TEACHERS INSTITUTE.

Jibout thirty teachers attended tho meeting of the Taranaki branch of the ~ Educational Institute held on Saturday at the Education Hoard's oliicc. Mr. J. W. Mail (president of the branch) presided. The Minister of Education wrote that it was the function of the Education Boards to decide what readers the School Journal should replace. The Hoard will be asked to decide accordingly, I On the motion of Air. Tyror, seconded s by Airs. Dowling, it was decided to « nominate Messrs. J. Aitkcn (Wanganui) 1 and (ieorge McMorran (Wellington) as unollieial members of the Executive. ' Airs. Dowling and the president were elected as the Taranaki delegates to the s annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute. PUPIL TEACHER EXAMINATIONS. Air. Tyrer said he would like an expression of opinion with regard 'to an alteration of the date of holding the examinations of pupil teachers in school management and so on. At present these were held at the end of the year, practically at the same time as all the other examinations. Thus the pupil teachers had to prepare for and sit for a series of examinations all at the same time. The present system was hard on the pupil teachers as well as on the teachers in charge. Tlie president asked if Air. Tyrer was

prepared to table a motion. Mr. Tyrer: Well, sir, the last motion we submitted "was treated with so much courtesy that I think we should on this occasion ask the president to wait on the inspector, with apologies, and place the matter before him. (Laughter.) Airs. Dowling agreed. SJie considered that preparation for the "criticism" lesson took up a great deal of time. With this examination once put behind them, the pupil teachers would be relieved of much stress of work and have more time fo prepare for "the theory examinations at the end of the year. Air. Evans considered that this criti- . cism lesson on sclTool method took more out of the pupil teachers than the Departmental examinations. Air. Tyrer then moved that the president and Airs. Dowling wait upon the inspectors and request that they should endeavour to hold their part of the pupil teacher examinations before the ' midwinter holidays. The president stated that the inspectors were inclined to object to crowding x examinations in at the end of the year, t and this scheme should meet with their x approval. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded I the inspector for having postponed the teachers' classes on account of the Ins stitute. meeting. 1 Airs. Dowling drew attention to the remark of Air. Kennedy, a member of

the Education Board, "that the Institute bad no standing." She moved that he be written to, asking if lie had been

correctly reported. Air. Tyrer seconded. Some teachers remarked that members of the Board seemed unaware' of the strength of the Institute. Air. Evans (headmaster at Inglewood) read a paper on manual and technical instruction, formulating a plan of work suitable for most country schools, lie urged the necessity for uniformity in the different schools. At present scarcely any two schools were working along the same lines at the same time.

The paper was favourably criticised, the teachers recognising the need for uniformity, particularly in respect to pupils transferring from one school to another.

On the' motion of Alessrs. Tyrer and Aleyenberg a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Evans, and it was decided to forward a copy to the inspectors, asking if it could be generally adopted, or at° any rate in those schools whose pupils were unable to attend the technical schools.