EDUCATION: TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1904 Session I, E-01e

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1904. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. , EXTEACT FBOM THE TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL EEPOET OF THE MINISTEE OF EDUCATION. Training of Teachers. The question of training-colleges for teachers was one of the most important questions referred last year to the Select Committee on Education, and their report, reprinted for convenient reference in an Appendix to this report (E.-1e), marks an important epoch in the history of the training of teachers in the colony. The principal points of that report, which has been adopted by the Government as the basis of action, were — first, that a training-college for teachers should be established at each of the four principal centres of the colony, viz., at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, being the University centres ; secondly, that in order to avoid the expense of duplicating instruction in subjects which are taught at the University colleges, and to secure for teachers a greater breadth of view, the training of teachers in the literary and scientific work should as far as possible be provided by the University colleges; thirdly, that a two-years' course should be aimed at. Grants required to carry out the scheme were voted by Parliament last session. A circular setting forth provisionally for the present year the main features of the scheme and the conditions on which the grants would be given was issued by the Department in February, 1904; the two existing colleges at Christchurch and Dunedin have been reorganized in accordance therewith, the staffs have been strengthened, and their work is gradually being brought into line with the ideas set forth in the report of the Parliamentary Committee and in the circular referred to. These two colleges are thus ready to supply the wants of pupil-teachers and other qualified candidates for the profession in North and South Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, although, in common with the other training-colleges, they will be open to receive students from any part of the colony who intend to become teachers in either primary or secondary schools. Arrangements are now under consideration for the establishment of the two other colleges recommended, so that before long it may be hoped that the provision for the training of our future teachers may be regarded as fairly complete. The vote for the instruction of teachers in the subjects of handwork recognised in " school-classes" under the Manual and Technical Instruction Acts was continued last year, and the grants made out of it to Boards seem to have been on the whole wisely expended. At several centres winter and summer schools for teachers have been held, with, it is believed, a fair amount of success in increasing enthusiasm and in spreading a knowledge of new methods. Probably the training-colleges will be able, when they get into working-order, to do something for the teachers now in schools as well as for those who are about to enter the profession by allowing them to attend for shorter or longer periods as may be found possible and expedient.

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No. 2. Eepoet on Training Colleges foe Teachees by the Education Committee. The Education Committee, to which was referred for consideration the subject of training colleges for teachers, has duly considered the same, and recommends that— (a.) A Training College for Teachers be established in each of the four principal centres of the colony—viz. : Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin—being the University centres, and in order to avoid the expense of duplicating instruction in subjects which are taught at the University colleges, and to secure for teachers a greater breadth of view, the training of teachers in literary and scientific work should, as far as possible, be provided by the University colleges. (b.) The training colleges should be subject to the control of the local Education Boards. (c.) The curriculum of the colleges should be subject to the approval of the Minister of Education. (d.) The Inspector-General should inspect each college from time to time, and report annually to the Minister. (c.) A two-years course of training for each student should be aimed at. (/.) It is desirable that the lecturer on education at the training colleges should be given the status of either a lecturer or a professor at the University College in order that his lectures may count in the University course of the students. (g.) The practising department of each training college should include a model country school with a single teacher. (h.) In addition to the personal and boarding allowances granted to students of the training colleges who have been pupil-teachers, reasonable University college fees should be paid by the Government. (/.) Local Boards of Education are recommended to set up a Committee of Advice in regard to matters concerning the Training College, consisting, say, of the Chairman or other member of the Board, an Inspector of the Board, a representative of the Professorial Board of the University College, and a representative of the other Boards of Education, if any, in the same University district. (k.) In order to allow training colleges to prepare teachers for district high school and other secondary work, clause 35 of the Standard Eegulations should be amended as to the second paragraph by inserting after the words "district high school" the words "and in schools attached to training colleges." Tuesday, 27th October, 1903. Feedk. E. Baume, Chairman.

No. 3. Lettee from the Secbetaby foe Education to the Education Boaeds of Auckland, Wellington, North Canterbury, and Otago. (Memorandum.) Education Department, Wellington, 10th February, 1904. I have to inform you that the Minister is desirous of carrying out as far as possible, and at an early date, the recommendations of the Select Committee on Education of the House of Bepresentatives in regard to training colleges. He would therefore be glad to have the expression of the opinion of your Board with regard to the control of the training colleges—(clause (b) of the Education Committee's report) —and to any other points that seem to call for special consideration. With a view to enabling you to arrive at a decision, the following details as to the management and maintenance of the training colleges are given : — I. Entrance to Training College. It is proposed that the following shall be the conditions—students to be admitted under clause 1 or under clause 2 :— Clause I. — (a.) That the candidate shall have completed the pupil-teacher course in some education district of the colony. (b.) That he shall have passed the Matriculation Examination of the University of New Zealand. (c.) That he shall give satisfactory evidence as to health, character, and ability to teach. (d.) That he shall make a declaration of his intention to become a teacher in a public or secondary school in the colony. [N.B. — (b) may be modified for one or two years with the approval, previously obtained, of the Minister of Education.] Clause 2. —That he shall have kept terms for at least one year at the University College, or have gained credit at the Junior Scholarship Examination of the University, and satisfy conditions (c) and (d) of clause 1, and such conditions as to probation in teaching as the Principal of the Training College, with the consent of the Minister, may require. That the following allowances shall be paid to students at the Training College :— For the first year— To those under clause 1, the salary and allowances of a fourth-year pupil-teacher, together with University College fees ; To those under clause 2, nil. For the second year— To every student, whether under clause 1 or 2, who keeps terms at the University College during the second year, a bursary of £10, payable at the end of the University year on a favourable report from the Principal, together with University College fees.

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11. Curriculum. The curriculum should include attendance at the University College in English and in some ■other subject approved for each student by the Principal of the Training College ; and, in considering the course to be taken up by any student, the requirements of the Teachers' Certificate Examination, and, if possible, of a University degree, should receive due weight. The curriculum should also include— (i.) The several branches of the subject of education, as defined by the regulations for the examination of teachers in classes A, B, and C, the instruction being given either at the University College or at the Training College, except as regards methods of teaching, which must be given at the Training College. (ii.) A special course of kindergarten work and science for public schools. (hi.) A course in drawing, singing, needlework, &c. (iv.) A course in other subjects of manual instruction. (ii.), (iii.), and (iv.) would be given at the Training College. (v.) Practice in teaching at the school connected with the Training College. 111. Staff, Salaries, &c. The following grants would be available : — 1. The statutory salaries in a school of the size of the practising school and in a small model country school (that is, two schools) in accordance with the Public-school Teachers' Salaries Act, with the house-allowances under the same Act. 2. £150 a year out of the grant already given to the Boards for special instruction of teachers in the manual instruction suitable for public schools, and the capitation payable for such classes under the Manual and Technical Instruction Act. 3. The district-high-school grants which would be payable in the secondary class of a district high school of not more than forty pupils, as referred to under clause (&) of the Committee's report. 4. A sum of £600 out of the Consolidated J?und. 5. A sum of £100 to be paid to the Principal if selected as Lecturer on Education at the University College. (See clause (/) of the Education Committee's report.) 6. The allowances already referred to for students. It is suggested that the sums 2, 3, 4, and 5 should be allotted partly as additions to the salary involved in strengthening the staff of the school as a practising school for the Training College, so that the staff should be sufficient for the school without the assistance of either students or pupilteachers, and partly to provide for the instruction in special work, including that of providing a tutor for those who require special attention to enable them to profit by the lectures at the University College. IV. Size of School. It is suggested that the best size for a practising school attached to the Training College should be one of about two hundred and fifty pupils, but local circumstances may make it desirable that this number should be increased to, say, not more than four hundred pupils. I should be glad to have an early reply to this letter, in order that the next steps may be taken in the establishment of the Training College. The report of the Education Committee is annexed. G. Hogben, Secretary for Education.

No. 4. Ebpoet on Normal School, Cheistchukch. Sib,— I have the honour to present my report on the work of the Normal School for the year 1903. At the beginning of the year 21 pupil-teachers who had completed their course as such entered the Normal School as students. Of these, 16 were females and 5 males. Five of the previous year's students were retained for a second year. Of the new students, 3 had already matriculated (of whom one had also obtained D) and 2 had passed higher University examinations. In addition to these the Board admitted 9 other students (8 being females and 1 male) who had not been pupil-teachers, but who were University undergraduates at various stages of the degree course. Of these, all except one took up some work at Canterbury College, and at the end of the year 1 of them passed her final B.A. examination, 2 passed the first half of the 8.A., and 1 passed the second year at Canterbury College, while 4 others sat for the Departmental examination for D. Of the students who had been pupil-teachers, 1 passed the 8.A., another passed the first half of the 8.A., and another passed first year at Canterbury College. Twenty-two sat for the Department's certificate examination, as also did the 4 non-pupil teachers before referred to. The result was that 6 obtained full D, 10 obtained partial D (including one who also obtained full E), and 7 obtained partial E. These results are such as I, for my part, cannot regard as satisfactory. But they are quite as good as I anticipated, for in arranging the work for the year I had to accept a plan not in accord with my own judgment. Some allowance, however, must be made for the time lost through the epidemics of the year, one of which —sore throat—always requires care in the case of a teacher to prevent the sufferer from having later relapses, entailing periodical absences from school, and consequent additional expense to the Board. At a time when it is the fashion to declaim against the certificate examinations as being of no difficulty whatever it is instructive to note that of the four University undergraduates who sat for the D examination, and who had not been pupil-teachers, not one succeeded in passing for a full P, and one obtained only a partial E.

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The only feature of the year's work to be specially recorded is an attempt I made to extend the former inadequate set of criticism lessons. I can at best describe the result as a partial success. This work, which has practically had to be shelved for many years in the Christchurch Training College, forms in the well-equipped training colleges of the Old Country and America an integral and important part of the course of training. In a series of lessons of this type each student in turn gives some specially well-prepared and well-thought-out lesson, while the other students watch the delivery of the lesson, note defects and merits, and afterwards hear criticisms from teachers who have a good many years of experience behind them, and perhaps not a small measure of success. Such a course will, I feel sure, do much more for our students than simple continuous drudgery at the every-day type of work. I know too well that the teacher's success later on depends perhaps more than anything else on the cheerfulness and earnestness with which he can face his daily drudgery, and endeavour to give life and spirit to that which always tends to become mechanical; but practice at this part of the work only—or even mainly —will not prove a stimulus to enthusiastic study of the art of teaching. The young teacher's course should be one in which he has a fair chance to acquire a habit of preparing carefully every lesson. Working on this line a normal school might to some extent look towards being, as was said by the late E. W. Parker (of American fame as an educationist) " an educational laboratory, an educational experiment station, whose influence permeates and improves all education and educational thinking." The value of careful preparation of the plan and method of the lesson, in addition to preparation of the material, is too often not realised by the mere scholar. The non-expert fails to see that (to use again the words of Colonel Parker) " knowledge itself is one thing, and knowledge pedagogically arranged is another," and that " actual teaching is the culmination of the teacher's profession, but it is by no means the main or the most difficult part of the work. Finding and arranging subjectmatter for the mental nutrition of every pupil and for all grades of pupils is the problem of problems." No young teacher who has not realised this can become thoroughly efficient, and it is my earnest hope that a more liberal treatment of training colleges will enable us to work closer to this ideal. I have, &c, Edwin Watkins, 8.A., Principal. The Secretary, North Canterbury Education Board.

No. 5. Ebpoet on the Training College, Ddnedin. Sik,— I have the honour to submit my report on the Training College for the year 1903. Twenty-two first-year students were enrolled (5 males and 17 females), and of these 12 had been trained as pupil-teachers and 10 were admitted by the entrance examination and had no previous experience in teaching. Of 6 second-year students only 4 remained until the close of the session ; the others were withdrawn to supply urgent vacancies in the public schools. I hope that in the future all the students who have had no experience in teaching before entering the Training College will be allowed to remain for the full term, and receive the benefit of a two-years course at the Normal School before being placed in charge of small schools or as assistants in any of the larger schools. The attendance at the Training College classes was : Second-year students, females 6; first-year students, males 5, females 17, total 22; number left during the year,, females 2 ; number in attendance at the close of the session, males 5, females 21, total 26. The whole of the students were required to attend the Normal School classes in English, school-management, science, singing, drawing, and gymnastics. Those not qualified to attend University classes received a course of instruction in Latin, Euclid, algebra and arithmetic, history, and geography. Seven students attended University classes, and all of them with one exception were able to keep terms —that is, they passed in at least two subjects at the University examinations. The classes attended were English, French, Latin, mathematics, mechanics, chemistry, physics, and mental science. The practical course of training included most of the subjects of public-school instruction as follows: 100 lessons in the infant department on word-building, tables, writing, and drawing; 25 lessons in reading in the standard classes and 16 on language-exercises ; 48 lessons on writing and 52 in arithmetic, and some forty lessons in geography and grammar. A brief course of practical lessons in kindergarten exercises, object lessons, and extension exercises completed the year's work. Twenty-four students were presented for examination, with the following result : C, partial, 2; D, 10; D, partial, 6; E, partial, 2 ; 3 failed to pass matriculation, and 1 failed for D. The first, second, and third prizes in experimental science, open in competition to the whole colony, were carried off by our students. Messrs. Strachan, Lomas, and Scott were the successful students. Miss Jane Sim received special mention in music, and Mr. E. Lomas in school-manage-ment. I have, &c, The Secretary, Otago Education Board. D. B. White, M.A., Principal.

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