EDUCATION: TRAINING OF TEACHERS. (In continuation of E.-1c, 1907.)

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908 Session I, E-01c

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1908. NEW ZEALAND.

EDUCATION: TRAINING OF TEACHERS. (In continuation of E.-1c, 1907.)

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

No. 1. EXTRACT FROM THE THIRTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION. Training of Teachers. The four training colleges for teachers have now for, some time been in active operation, and in only one of the four, where the accommodation has so far been limited, does the number of students fall materially below the full complement for which the colleges were intended to provide. At the close of the year the students in attendance numbered 253, of whom 61 were men and 192 were women, a proportion of 241 and 759 respectively. The corresponding total for the close of 1906 was 216, of whom 48 were male students. Among those attending during the year have also to be reckoned a few students who left before the close of the period either to go into active service under the Boards or for some other reason. • The total provision in contemplation is for 80 students in each of the centres. Towards this number out of the total reported, Wellington contributes 78; Dunedin, 73; Christchurch, 66; and Auckland, 36. The course of training extends over two years, but in the case of those who have already undergone a preliminary training as pupil-teachers, it has not always been deemed necessary to require the full period of attendance. In a very few instances, as has been determined in its discretion by the Board controlling the training college, an attendance of one year has been accepted; but the great bulk of the students remain for two years, and it is so intended. The students attending for the second year in 1907 numbered at Wellington, 46; at Dunedin, 41; at Christchurch, 34; at Auckland, 28: total, 149. New training college buildings are now in course of erection at Auckland and Dunedin. An expenditure of £8,000 and £8,800 respectively has been authorised for the purpose, and requests for further sums to be expended in certain alterations or additions are under consideration. When these works are completed, wfth the necessary furnishings, the material equipment in the four centres should suffice for all present needs. The amount paid during 1907 for the training of teachers was £34,875, made up as follows: Salaries of staffs of four training colleges, £12,414; students' allowances and University fees, £13,148; grants for special instruction in handwork, £1,895; railway fares of teachers in training and for Instructors, £5,564; alterations to buildings, Wellington (balance), £632; on account of buildings, Auckland, £987; for library books, Auckland, £100; and apparatus, &c, Christchurch, £135. It must be remembered, however, that £12,414 of this total provides not only for the efficient training of over two hundred and fifty teachers, but the instruction of over fifteen hundred children in attendance at the practising schools.

No. 2. TRAINING COLLEGES. From the Inspector-General of Schools to the Minister of Education. At the close of 1907 the number of students in attendance at the four training colleges of Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Wellington was 253—61 males and 192 females. Of this number, 178, or 70 per cent, of the totaJ. were admitted under Division A, having already

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completed satisfactorily a period of pupil-teacher service, and 75 under Division B, without pupil-teacher service, on the ground of holding simply some University standing under one or other of the different headings specified in the regulations. The following table shows the classification in detail: —

TABLE A.—Number and Classification of Students in Attendance at each Training College, December, 1907.* (Excluding those admitted under the Provisions of Clause 11 of the Regulations.)

In general, students are admitted to the training colleges with the double purpose of continuing their general education and of receiving professional training. In the case of students of Class A the continuance of their education and the completion of their qualification for a certificate naturally furnish the main purpose of their attendance; those of Class B regard the training college from a somewhat different standpoint—that of the University student without teaching experience who desires primarily without discontinuing his studies to secure the necessary practical acquaintance with a teacher's duties. In either case the understanding is that the University work and the special work of the training college shall be united in the closest possible association, the University college classes furnishing the chief means of general education, and the training college providing for the instruction and training of the students in teachingmethods and in special subjects of professional practice. That the principle may be applied with success obviously requires that the earlier education of those admitted shall be sufficient to enable them to profit by University instruction. To this end the regulations prescribe among the qualifications that candidates for admission shall have passed the Matriculation Examination of the University of New Zealand. The requirement has been modified in practice so as to place on a similar footing ex-pupil-teachers who have already gained a substantial measure of success in the examination for the Class D certificate, though they may not have actually passed Matriculation. It does not appear that in fitness to receive University instruction much is thereby lost. The standards of the two examinations are in the main on parallel lines, and it must be admitted that in many cases even the successful matriculant has yet much mental progress to make before he can be regarded as an efficient student of a University course. The colleges cannot be said to have yet reached the stage at which the requirements of their students as a whole can be fully supplied by the University classes, but an intimate connection with the University college is generally maintained, and all students, whatever their future prospects or their present attainments may be, take one or more University classes, among which English is necessarily included. The tendency at present shown is rather to contract than to extend the University work of the weaker students, but the expediency of any such step, it is hoped, will only be temporary. The University classes taken by students in the different centres vary considerably both in number and character. The control exercised in this respect is at the discretion of the Principals, and has little pretension to uniformity. In one centre, as stated in his report by the Principal, who adds that in the choice of subjects he has allowed the students unrestricted freedom, the range of subjects taken is so wide that " nearly all, if not all," of the subjects taught at the University college have been taken by some of the students. Such unrestricted freedom is not contemplated by the regulations, and it is difficult to see how it can consist with any convenient scheme of organization. At other centres the latitude permitted has evidently much narrower limits. From the general return of the classes taken at the beginning of the year it appears that, apart from English, which is obligatory, though it may be taken in either year, and education, which is also an obligatory subject for the Class C certificate, the University classes taken by the greatest proportion of students were Latin, mathematics, mental science, and botany. The numbers taking these and other subjects of importance are given in Table B below, but classes in chemistry, geography, German, economics, history, mechanics, jurisprudence, and geology were also taken by one or more students under a total of twenty. In Christchurch the range of subjects covers twenty different classes, in Wellington thirteen, and in Auckland and Dunedin nine. In Dunedin forty-five of the students in attendance are reported as having kept "terms" during the year at the University; in Wellington twenty-one are stated to have been pursuing a definite degree course, while thirty-four others succeeded in keeping one year's terms. For

Division B.» Division A. (i)»<U). a<111). a(i iv). Total. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. M. F. Total. Auckland Wellington Cbristohurch Dunedin 12 9 10 10 14 41 42 40 1 1 10 2 1 2 3 1 "i 3 2 3 1 1 5 5 1 3 1 8 8 12 5 7 2 6 5 21 12 17 17 16 12 16 19 62 54 57 36 78 66 73 Totals for 1907 41 137 1 14 5 5 7 14 29 20 55 61 192 253 Totals for 1906 39 121 2 14 4 8 4 3 21 9 47 48 216 168 •Notes. —"a(i) "as havir it the University Junior Soi Jniversity college ; " a(iv) " igpai aolan as h: ssed tl ship iving ie first sectii Sxaminatior passed the i/. in of ! !atric the B.A. or '. a(iii)" as h iulation Exai B.So. degree; "a laving kept termi mination of the U ( (ii) " s for iniveri as ha\ at leai Sty. ing gi it one lined year sredit at a

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Cliristchurch the information is not available in a similar form, but the fact that forty-one of the sixty-eight students in attendance at the close of the year had then kept first-, second-, or third-yea) , terms sufficiently indicates the extent of the University connection. In Auckland apparently more difficulty is found in taking advantage of the opportunities given, only four women and six men being recommended by the Principal to try the dual work required. All but two of these succeeded in keeping terms (three subjects).

TABLE B.—Number of Students attending University Classes in the Chief Subjects, as returned in April, 1907.

In the concluding table (Table C) is given a comparative statement of the expenditure in connection with the training colleges during 1907.

TABLE C. —Expenditure during 1907 on Training Colleges.—Staffs and Allowances to Students.

G. HoGBEN, Inspector-General of Schools.

No. 3. REPORTS ON TRAINING COLLEGES IN OPERATION. IIEI'ORT OF THE PRINCIPAL OP THE TRAINING COLLEGE, AUCKLAND (Mr. H. A. MILNES, B.Sc.). Work for the year 1907 began on the 4th March, and ended on the 2nd December. The new College is in process of being built, so that the two rooms used last year have been again utilised as a habitat. As the accommodation is strictly limited, it was possible to admit only eight first-year students; so that the numbers were twenty-eight second-year students and eight first-year students, the latter being all men. When the new College is built the numbers should easily increase to the regulation number of eighty. As last year showed the wisdom of curtailing University degree work for all but the wellprepared, only four women and six men were recommended to try the dual work required, and all but two succeeded in keeping terms (in three subjects, as against two required at some of the other colleges). The bulk of the students devoted their attention to the requirements of the C certificate. The subjects included in the College curriculum were as follows:— Compulsory Subjects, Group 1. 1. Reading, taken by the Principal. —Of the thirty-six students, only one ha.d any idea of good reading, so this subject was made compulsory, though nearly all the students had already satisfied the Department's requirements for the D certificate. Not only was the enunciation and articulation bad, but the understanding of ordinary pieces of prose was deficient. The use of the dictionary, encyclopaedias, or such books as Whitaker's Almanac or Brewer's "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable " for purposes of reference was unknown, while the knowledge of English literature was little short of lamentable. Only one student had read "The Cloister and the Hearth," and the greal majority had not even heard the name. The course of literature taken hi the University is confined to the study of two or three set books, so that the hour devoted to reading was utilised for dipping into English classics. To supplement this a voluntary reading circle was held every alternate Saturday night, from 7 to 9 p.m., at the College, when a selected pro-

I Educa- T „*.„ Mathetion. Latin - mattes. aSfmce. Botan y- Music - French. Biology. Training College. English. lUckland Wellington Ihristchuroh .. )unedin 31 56 50 38 18 47 52 4'2 7 83 40 31 4 21 '2H 8 2 11 7 37 28 25 7 29 1 3 13 9 6 16 Totals for 1907 175 154 111 61 57 55 29 26 22 Totals for 1906 147 107 71 74 39 32 25' 62

Salaries of Staffs (including Normal and Model Schools). Ordinary. Allowance! Lodging. Allowances to Students. ss to Students. University Fees Total. Total. luokland Vellington Jhristchuroh )unediu £ 3,105 3,181 3,032 3,096 £ 880 1,744 1,772 1,878 £ 600 1,533 1,275 1,276 £ 208 476 921 585 £ 1,688 3,753 3,968 3,739 £ 4,793 6,934 7,000 6,835 Totals 12,414 6,274 4,684 2,]90 13,148 25,562

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gramme was gone through. These meetings were very well attended, and at any rate the names of several books were learnt for the first time. In connection with these meetings our best thanks are due to Mrs. and Mr. Baume, M.P., and Professor Egerton, who kindly took part in the readings at various times. 2. Writing, taken by Mr. H. G. Cousins, M.A., Headmaster of the Normal School. 3. Arithmetic, taken by H. K. Burns, 8.A., assistant in the Normal School. 4. Vocal Music, taken by H. Green, assistant in the Normal School. Every class in the Normal School opens work with a song, and at suitable intervals during the school hours songs provide a change. All the students took their turn at conducting this work, and good progress was made. From my limited observation I should say that this subject is the worst-taught of any in the Auckland schools, so that special attention was given to the instruction in it. 5. Drawing, taught by Mr. Harry Wallace, visiting master from the staff of the Auckland Technical School.—ln the first year the students work at model, freehand, and blackboard work, to satisfy the requirements for the D certificate; but in the second year the time is devoted to (a) brushwork, (b) preparation of class copies, (c) further blackboard work. About thirty sets of copies, twenty in a set, have been prepared for practice in the latter branch. Each student is expected to learn by heart the thirty subjects, so that at any time in giving a lesson an illustration could be put on the blackboard at a moment's notice. The subjects are such as the annexed, and include (1) different kinds of armour, swords, halberds, helmets, &c. ; (2) kinds of ships, galleons, gondola, &c.; (3) typical scenery, lake, mountain, river, iceberg, &c. ; (4) bills and feet of typical birds—kiwi, &c. The soheme lias been drawn up and is superintended by the Principal, two hours per week being devoted to it. The time is well spent, as facility on the blackboard is probably the teacher's most valuable asset. 6. Human Physiology, taken bj r Mr. A. J. Cottrell, M.A., M.Sc. (N.Z.), tutor. —This work lias been very well done. By the use of the skeleton, slides, and the microscopes, and by actual dissections, an attempt has been made to give the students a thorough grip of the subject. 7. Methods of Teaching, taken by the Principal. Group 11, Compulsory. 8. Principles and History of Education, taken by the Principal. 9. English Language and Literature, taken by Professor Egerton.—All the students who took the C examination in this subject at the 1907 test were successful in passing. A gratifying feature was the fact that about 90 per cent, of the students applied for voluntarily, and were granted, permission to take a further course in English literature, although they had satisfied the requirements of the C examination. Optional Subjects, Group 111. With the exception of the few students who were reading for a degree, no one was sufficiently well prepared to attempt any subject in this group. Optional Subjects, Group IV. 25. Botany, taken by Professor Thomas.—A special class for practical work was organized for training-college students. The practical biology was very useful for the physiology also. As this subject was new to many of the students, the services of the tutor, Mr. Cottrell, in supplementing the lectures were invaluable. 26. Physiology and Structure of the Body, taken by Mr. A. J. Cottrell, tutor, as already mentioned. 27. General Agriculture. —As required by the regulations, a course in agriculture and naturestudy was given by V. Jackson, 8.A., instructor to the Auckland Technical School. The course occupied three weeks, and for that time all ordinary work, was suspended. A plot of ground, part of the site for the new Technical School, was enclosed and prepared by the students, and regular observations of plant-growth taken. Mr. Jackson's work is to be very highly commended. His lessons were a model in method, and his use of the blackboard was a revelation to most of the students. Optional Subjects, Group V. 41. Hygiene, taken by Mr. A. J. Cottrell, tutor. Optional Subjects, Group VI. 43. Plain Cookery, taken at the Newton East centre in connection with the Technical School.—All the women students took this course, and passed the examination of the City and Guilds of London Institute. Two or three, who failed at the first attempt, repeated the work, and succeeded in passing at the second attempt. 45. Modelling in Plasticine, taken by Mr. Harry Wallace. —The examination in this subject was held by Mr. Isaac, the Examiner for the Department, about six months after the course had been taken. Notwithstanding this, every student succeeded in passing the test. Many excellent relief models were made by the students in the course of their practical teaching for class use. 47. Woodwork, taken at the Chancery Street centre in connection with the Auckland Technical School.—The final examination of the City and Guilds of London Institute, prescribed by the Department, is too difficult in view of the time that can be spared for this work, so a special course was drawn up. In the first year the students learn the use of the various tools, by

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suitable exercises; while in the second year models for school use were made. These were such as (1) Roman sword, (2) Norman shield, (3) Ancient British chariot, (4) drawbridge, portcullis, &c, (5) sedan-chair, (6) model of gasworks, &c, &c. These models are excellently made, and are invaluable to illustrate lessons; besides, the students learnt the lesson of adapting themselves to school requirements, and are not now afraid to venture out of the beaten path when illustrations are required. Besides the above subjects taken for the C examination, classes were held in the following: — 1. Elementary Science, taken by Mr. A. J. Cottrell.—This work was entirely practical, and was most successfully carried out. The students worked on heuristic lines, following the excellent scheme outlined for public schools. In work like this much time is needed in the preparation of apparatus, and the necessity of having a special tutor for the work was amply demon strated during the year. If the work is properly done each section takes at least five hours per week, and, as a section cannot include more than fifteen, it is obvious that the time required cannot be given by one of the school assistants. This, coupled with the teaching of physiology and hygiene and the supplementing of University lectures, provides ample work for a special tutor, and to have him removed would, if carried out, seriously cripple the College work. I want to very strongly show the necessity of not interfering with the very satisfactory arrangements at present existing. 2. Physical Drill, taken by the Principal.—One half-hour per day is devoted to this work, which comprises dumb-bell and Indian club exercises. The men students are required to change into athletic clothes—either flannels or football costume —and an effort is made to make them "sweat." Drilling in ordinary clothes, with a stand-up collar on, is an absurdity. As soon as the new College is built a costume for the women students will be decided upon, and much more active work required from them. I want to emphasize the importance of this branch of work. Good health means better work all round—it means happier lives; and happier teachers mean happier scholars. Any one not engaged in active exercise deteriorates mentally and physically, and if I can only imbue the students with the love of hygienic exercise and cold bathing I shall have done much to brighten the lot of the students and indirectly of those whom they will teach in due course. 3. Ambulance and First Aid. —The five lectures required by the St. John's Association wore given voluntarily by Dr. Eleanor Baker to the women, and Dr. Dudley to the men. The bandage-work was taken by the Principal. This subject is a very useful one, for most of the students will go to backblocks schools, where doctors cannot be found, and so may be called upon to relieve suffering temporarily. All the students passed the examination, one in honours; and in the Secretary's report this sentence occurs: "The sergeant of the bearer company who examined your men in stretcher-work told me they were the best class he had ever examined." 4. Swimming, taken by the Principal.—Owing to the alterations in the Albert Street baths, which necessitated them being closed, very little practice was indulged in. All the men students can swim, but very few of the women. When the bath in the new College is ready an effort will be made to teach every student, and every scholar at a suitable age in the Normal School, to swim at least a length. A life-saving class will also be started. Apart from the above time-table work, various social and athletic work was attempted. Visits of observation were paid to (1) the Kauri Timber Company's mill, (2) Warnock's Soapfactory and tannery, (3) the Farmers' Freezing Company's works, (4) the paper-mills at Riverhead, (5) the Manukau lighthouse, (6) Plummer's hat-factory, (7) the Sweated Industries Exhibition, (8) the Art Gallery, (9) the Avondale brickworks, &c. There were also visits to the tops of Mount Albert, Mount Wellington, and Mangere. Social evenings were held on alternate Saturday nights, and dancing was taught to the beginners. The three tennis-courts were in great demand, and everybody played as opportunity arose Though voluntary, the playing of tennis was made an adjunct to the physical drill class. Matches were played with the Otahuhu and Papatoitoi teams, and a College championship was held at the end of the year, Miss J. Thorne winning the women's and Mr. H. Webster the men's competition. Photos of these two are to be hung in the respective common-rooms. - A hockey team for the men was begun, and a promising start was made. On the opening day the College team took part in a knock-out competition, and after three good games (twenty minutes each) won the final and a finely embroidered banner, which now graces the common-room. This was in open competition with six other teams. Boxing classes were held twice a week by the Principal for the men. All attended. Rifle-shooting—using the miniature range attached to the garrison drill-shed —was practised once a week under the supervision of Mr. Paterson, assistant in the Normal School. The most successful social function held was a rendering of " The Rivals," in costume, by some of the students. Three performances had to be given, and the newspaper critics were very lavish in their praise. Considering that none of the performers had ever seen similar work on the stage, their representation was very creditable. In the Intercollegiate Sports, held yearly, several members of the Training College took parl as representatives of Auckland University College, and, speaking generally, our students take a prominent part in University life. A very pleasing feature of work in connection with the College is the success that has attended the Normal School. Though placed in a district that is fast losing its population owing to migrations to the suburbs, the applicants for admission are greatly in excess of the accommodation. Particularly is this the case in the infants' department, where a list of applicants has to be kept to fill vacancies in rotation. The tone of the school is excellent, and the headmaster and staff deserve every praise. It is an accepted fact that in most practising-schools attached to

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training colleges there is a tendency for the children to play pranks with the students; but I have never seen the slightest attempt at anything of the kind here, even when students are left in sole charge of large classes without any supervision. At stated periods throughout the year open days are held, when the parents are invited to come and see their children at work. These meetings are excellent for promoting good feeling between the parents and teachers, and they give us an opportunity of addressing the parents on points of interest, such as attendance, school badges, &c. The school gardens, though at great disadvantage owing to fronting on a dust-laden road, have nevertheless improved greatly in appearance. The prizes for the best-kept gardens were presented by Mrs. Baume to the winners at the annual prize-giving held on the 16th December. The terminal reports furnished to parents are greatly appreciated. Twice a week classes are held for Indian-club instruction for girls after school hours, and the Principal and two students have enough enthusiasts to keep three sections of about twenty each at work. The walls of the school have been marked out for a modified game of fives, and the girls play with zest. Practice in Teaching. The great problem to be solved in connection with the Training College is how to provide sufficient practice for the students without unduly interfering with their courses of study. In an ideal college students would on entrance already have reached a sufficiently high standard of knowledge of the subjects to be taught, so that the whole of the time could be devoted to actual training in the art of teaching. Under existing conditions, however, the students are themselves ignorant of much they have to teach, so that concurrently with their technical training the studying for examinations has to go on. After very careful consideration, the most time that can be devoted to the actual practice of teaching is about two weeks per term —that is, six weeks per year —plus about two hours per week for watching a criticism lesson given by a student, or a model lesson by the Principal. This is twice the time allowed in the English training colleges, and yet for those students admitted under Division B is obviously not enough. When a student's turn for school section comes, all lectures except those on school method are suspended, so that he can devote the whole of his energy to the task. The first week he teaches in the mornings and prepares the lessons in the afternoons; for the second week this is reversed, so that he is bound to take every lesson in turn. The preparation is done in a special room under the Principal's supervision. A plan of the lessons and proposed method of procedure is written out and submitted for criticism. Maps, models, diagrams, &c, are prepared beforehand. A good reference library is in the room, so that the student learns how to work when alone in the future. When the time comes' the student takes sole charge of the class—marks the register, conducts all change of lessons, &c, just as he will when the College is left. The class-teacher supervises and makes a written criticism of each lesson in the student's preparation-book. As opportunity arises the Principal and headmaster go round the school from class to class, and supplement the class-teaoher's criticism —a part of one lesson at least each day is criticized for each student. Besides the written criticism, the Principal sees personally each student at the end of the day's work for the purpose of talking over mistakes and offering suggestions. This plan allows six school sections in the two years, so that every student has the opportunity of working in turn in the Primers, in Standards I, 11, 111 or IV, V or VI, and the model school, when the whole of the standards are taken together. In this way an attempt is made to give a general perspective view of the work of a school, so that students are fairly well prepared for taking sole charge of a backblocks school —the work they are almost all called upon to take up immediately after leaving College. The above is the general plan followed, but it is modified for Division B students, who in their first year spend most of their time on school section in observing the class-teachers, hearing model lessons, taking small sections of children, and generally in being shown how to teach. In addition to the above w T ork, all the students have in turn taken a section of a class into the Domain for open-air nature-study work three or four times in the course of the year, and have also taken charge of the weekly magic-lantern lessons. It has been decided to issue no testimonials to students until they have served two years in thu schools after leaving College. Each year a special report is to be made on the work of the late student by one of the Inspectors, on a special form agreed upon by the Chief Inspector and the Principal. By combining these reports with the records kept of the two years spent in the College a testimonial will be issued that should carry weight. General. At present, owing to the number of students being below half the regulation limit, the staff is quite adequate. To expect a college of eighty students to be taught by one man, however, which is apparently what the regulations require, is not likely to lead to good results. The headmaster of the Normal' School and the assistants have ample work in their proper spheres without being required to take odd subjects with the students. With their ordinary teaching, together with supervision of the students, the writing-up of criticisms, &c, their whole time should be fully occupied just as it is in any ordinary school of the same size. To require them to take in addition certain selected subjects with the students is, to put it plainly, " sweating " pure and simple. To o-ive them a few pounds extra per year does not alter the matter, as they can only properly do a certain work per day, and to attempt to do more can only lie a very qualified success. The teachingwork of the students is not done by the University professors, as was apparently expected when the regulations were drawn up. The students here, at any rate, are not up to the standard required for University work. There is too big a jump between Matriculation and the keeping of first year's terms, "so that very little of the work required can be done at the University, and what is done requires very careful supplementing to make it effective. Hence at least one, and possibly

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two tutors are required, whose sole time can be devoted to lecturing in the various subjects at present taken by the staff of the Normal School, and to supervise private-study classes as occasion arises. In no other similar institution in the world that I have ever heard of—certainly not in the British Isles —is the attempt made to run a training college by means of a normal-school staff. It is a great pity to spoil a good ship for a barrel of tar, and an extra grant of £200 per year would make all the difference between mediocrity and real efficiency. The only point not touched upon of great interest is the question of providing suitable lodging accommodation for students who are required to live away from home. It is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for students to get suitable accommodation, where the surroundings are conducive to work, at a rate within their means. From newspaper reports this problem is being solved at Wellington by the building of a hostel. This scheme will be watched with interest, and, if successful, a similar one will be pushed forward here. The question of holding a special course for backblocks teachers was suggested by the Department in a letter of inquiry as to what was being done. It was decided not to hold one, for the following reasons : (1.) The Principal's time is very fully occupied at present, and any time devoted to such a scheme must of necessity be deducted from that given to the students in ordinary training. (2.) The regulations allow such backblocks teachers to come into the College for a course of one year's training, which is the least time in which anything but a mere smattering could be given. It is the personal contact that such teachers want more than anything. (3.) Holiday courses in nature-study and handwork are already taken by country teachers, under the auspices of the Technical School, and to take them from their schools for a further period would disorganize their schools seriously.

Report of the Pbincipal of the Training College, Wellington (Mr. William Ghat, M.A., B.Sc). Enrolment and Classification. —The enrolment at the commencement of the year's work was 77 admitted in the regular way under Division Aor B. During the year 4 more were admitted, ,'i of them under the teacher's special clause—clause 11—and one transferred from the Christchurch Training College, This brought the total up to 81, though as a matter of fact npt more than 80 were actually on the roll at any one time. The following figures show the numbers of students in the different divisions, and the number provided respectively by each of the educational districts represented by the College : — 1. Arranged according to terms of admission : — M. F. Total. Ex-pupil-teachers, Division A ... ... ... 9 41 50 Non-pupil-teachers, Division B ... ... ... 7 21 28 Teachers in actual service, clause 11 ... ... 1 2 3 17-64 ■ 81 2. Arranged according to year of training:— M. F. Total. Students in second year ... ... ... 12 34 46 Students in first year ... ... ... ... 4 28 32 Students from three to seven months ... ... 1 2 3 17 64 81 ■'5. Arranged according to districts : — Ex-P.Ts. Non-P.T.s. Teachers. Total. Wellington ... ... ... ... 21 13 0 34 Wanganui ... ... ... ... 18 6 1 25 Hawke's Bay ... ... ... 9 1 0 10 Nelson ... ... ... ... 0 7 0 ,' 7 Marlborough ... ... ... ... 1 0 2 3 Grey ... ... ... ... 1 0 0 1 From Christchurch Training College ... 0 1 0 1 50 28 3 81 In the number allotted to Wellington are included two or three whose homes are in other districts, but who have either served their apprenticeship, or have undertaken the last part of their school training in Wellington. Eventually, no doubt, these will settle in the districts to which they belong. Scarcity of Men. —Probably the most striking fact disclosed in these figures is the small proportion of men students in the College. It has become a commonplace now that teaching has ceased to be attractive to men. There is no gainsaying the fact, seek to disguise it how we may. A larger proportion of men must be found; and I believe that it is the uncertainty of promotion rather than the smallness of the remuneration that at present warns off men whose natural instincts would otherwise lead them into a profession that offers the prize not of wealth, but of a life of untold usefulness and influence. A starting-point as good as is given in other lines of life, security of tenure, reasonable and fair promotion independent of accidental circumstances, a fair competence for old age and infirmity—given these—and surely they can be given—and it is almost certain that men of brain and heart will not be found wanting even in an age and in a land which offers so large inducements in other directions.

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So far Taranaki has not been represented at all in the College by a single student A or B. Nelson, while strongly represented in its B students, has not furnished any under Division A. According to the departmental report of 1906, there are in Nelson twenty-five pupil-teachers, and in Taranaki twenty-four. Need of Trained Teachers. —lt may be noted here in passing that the total number of pupilteachers in the employment of all the Education Boards in the Middle University District is 261. Counting three years (and this is probably too high) as the average length of the pupil-teacher's course, eighty-seven should complete every year. When it is considered that the highest number of ex-pupil-teachers admitted so far in any one year has been thirty-four, it will be understood that mora than half of those who enter the profession by way of apprenticeship receive no further training than can be given them as pupil-teachers. When it is further borne in mind that, out of 916 adult teachers in the Middle University District, 229 have no examination status whatever, it will be abundantly evident that the need for bending all our energies towards improving the average status of our teachers is very urgent. So far I have represented the needs of our primary schools. These are more insistent, and, I take it, more urgent, than those of the secondary schools. But a glance at the figures following will show that a very fair proportion of our students are setting their faces towards secondary work, and that the College is serving its purpose as a training-ground for secondary- as well as for primary-school teachers : — 4. Secondary-school Teachers. —Arranged according to University status : — M. F. Total. M.A. ... 0 1 1 B.A. ... 1 5 6 First section B.A. ... ... ... ... ... 1 8 9 Sitting first section B.A. ... ... ... ... 1 4 5 Kept one year's terms ... ... ... ... 10 24 34 This list shows twenty-one students who are wholly or partially qualified to take positions in secondary and in district high schools. Add to this the number of graduates who pass into the secondary schools direct from the University, and we may conclude that the supply of teachers for secondary schools is not likely to fall short. Duration of Period of Training. —The majority of the students enter with a view to a full two-years course of training, and it is advisable that they should. Only in exceptional cases has the one-year's course been agreed to. These cases hitherto have all come under Division A. 1 would suggest that, in the case of B students who have before entering gained the Master of Arts degree, and who could not conveniently prolong their period of training, a one-year's course might be accepted, provided that the major portion of the year of training be devoted to the practical side of the College work and to the study of the principles and history of education. At the end of the year forty-six students retired, all of whom have completed a full two-years course. Some fifteen of them received appointments before the end of their term, and others have been appointed since, so that before long all who are eligible for appointment will have been settled. In seeking appointments the students have not limited their choice to their own district, but have applied irrespective of district for positions for which they were eligible and suitable. A certificate showing the courses of practical and theoretical instruction undertaken at the College and containing a general estimate of their proficiency in the art of teaching was awarded to all who had satisfactorily completed their course. A copy of the certificate is appended. Winter School — Special Course for Selected Teachers. —In accordance with suggestions made in last year's report a special three-weeks course of instruction adapted to the needs of teachers working in localities removed from centres was arranged. The number of teachers to be selected was limited to twenty, apportioned to the various Boards thus : Wellington and Wanganui, 4 each; Nelson and Hawke's Bay, 3 each; Maryborough, Taranaki, Grey, and Westland, 2 each. Some of the Boards failed to provide their quota, and the final selection was made up as follows: Wellington and Wanganui, 5 each; Nelson, 4; Marlborough and Grey, 3 each; Hawke's Bay, 2. The travelling.expenses of those attending were defrayed by the Education Department. The course of work was framed chiefly with a view to the needs of teachers having sole charge in a small country school. It included : — (1.) Instruction in the management of the country school. (2.) Illustrative blackboard drawing. (3.) A course dealing with records and experiments suitable for school-work in natural phenomena—wind, rain, &c. (4.) Observation in the practising-school, more particularly in the country school and infant departments. (5.) Educational handwork for junior classes. The students undertook their work with zeal and enthusiasm, and their united testimony was that the contact for even so brief a time with the College was to them a great gain. They had received an impetus which would enable them to attack their own work with fresh spirit. Not a few of the twenty were teachers of considerable experience—men and women who had already done good service in their own district. Though it was not for such that the course was originally intended, yet I feel that for them, too, the opportunity of seeing the various teachers at work was a source of fresh light and inspiration. The advantage of such a course is not all on the side of the visiting teachers. The College itself is a great gainer in that it comes into closer touch with the actual needs of schools. To be occasionally brought face to face with the difficulties of those in actual service will enable us more effectually to plan our work for the students who will in time fill these places. I would recommend that, this year or next, a similar course be held either for the same class of teachers or for the assistants in two-teacher schools.

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Extension Lectures. —In conjunction with the winter school a series of evening lectures was delivered in the College hall. The lectures were open to all teachers, to students, and to the general public, as well as to the visiting teachers. The subjects and lecturers were, — The Greek Ideal of Education ... ... Professor Eankine Brown, M.A. The Study of English Literature ... T. R. Fleming, Esq., M.A. The Maori ... ... ... A. Hamilton, Esq. Insect-life in New Zealand "... ... G. V. Hudson, Esq. The Study of Natural Phenomena ... Eev. D. C. Bates, M.A. School Hygiene ... ... ... Dr. Mason. I wish to thank very heartily the lecturers for their ready response to my request for assistance in this matter. A hall well filled with an interested and appreciative audience of students and teachers was, I think, some small compensation for their generous services. Our thanks are also due to Mr. W. C. Davies who, at considerable personal inconvenience, undertook the lanternwork in connection with Mr. Hudson's lecture. I would recommend that this also, if possible, be made a permanent feature of our College work. The small fee of 2s. 6d. charged for the outside public resulted in the raising of a sum of £10, to which the Board generously added a subsidy of the same amount. The total of £20 thus raised formed the nucleus of a fund for the better furnishing of the students' common-rooms. Needless to say, the result was greatly appreciated by the students. Needs of the College in Building and Equipment. —The alterations and additions contemplated in the original plan of the Training College have now almost all been carried out, and from a year's work with a full College I am able to judge how nearly they meet the requirements in point of accommodation and equipment. The lecture-rooms give just enough accommodation and no more. The smaller one, which provides tables and chairs for only thirty, is occasionally uncomfortably full. The ladies' common-room requires additional lockers. One laboratory is not sufficient to provide for both students and scholars, and a second laboratory, to be specially adapted to the needs of the physiology and nature-study classes, is urgently needed. Provision should also be made for a Kindergarten Department. It is well to have this latter steadily in view; for if we have not yet arrived at the stage when we can embody the kindergarten in our State system (I mean as a department below the Infant Department) we have surely come to the point where such a department might be established in our Training College with a view to assist in the training of kindergarten teachers for the semi-private institutions already in existence. It is necessary, too, that the students, one and all, should have opportunity for observing and studying children at this an earlier period of their development. A beginning has been made with the equipment of the library and of the gymnasium, and I trust that by the end of the current year both these indispensable institutions will be in good going-order. I would again urge the need of additional ground, and in this connection repeat what I said in my report last year : " The need of xnore spacious grounds is an urgent one, from the point of view alike of the educational work of the institution and of the recreation of the students and scholars; and if, as seems likely, the present is to be the permanent home of the Training College, no time should be lost in securing an adjacent section or sections, if such are obtainable. If the College is to serve adequately the needs of rural schools, a much larger area than is available at present should be at the disposal of the instructor in elementary agriculture." University Work of Students. —The conditions of entrance to the Training College require that all students shall undertake some University classes. Such work is considered part of their training—not something added to it, but an integral part of it. Considered from the point of view of University work students may be arranged in two groups—(l) those who are aiming at a degree, and (2) those who are not. A glance at Table 4 shows that twenty-one students have been pursuing a definite degree course, while thirty-four others have succeeded in keeping one } r ear's terms. Doubtless some of these will next year go a step further. Of the remaining twenty-five, the majority have passed in one or more subjects, some having aimed at keeping terms and having failed, others having aimed simply at passing in perhaps one subject each year. I have not so far urged unduly the matter of keeping terms, and in future, so far at least as probably one-third of the students are concerned, I shall recommend a reduction in the number of classes to be taken. Some students cannot profitably take more than one subject; others may take two ; but in any case I feel sure that it will conduce to a much better all-round training that those who are not anxious to obtain a degree should undertake only what they can manage with ease and comfort. As is to be expected, the strain is greatest upon those who are definitely launched upon the degree course, and particularly upon the honours students, who of necessity have to devote much time to researchwork. Hitherto I have aimed at letting all students have, as nearly as possible, a clear half-day to themselves. Those reading for degrees have always had more than this, so that in the matter of time for study our student* are comparatively well off. I am forced to the conclusion that where undue strain is felt it is due, not to the amount of work attempted, but to the shortness of the University session, with the inevitable crowding of fhe work, and to the pressure of outside examinations. The University College attempts to teach in less than six months what mi<rht well be spread over eight or even nine, and when is added to this the fact that for the best part of two months—October and November—the student is in the throes of examinations, there is little wonder that even the strongest sometimes feel the strain. Course of Practical Training. —Naturally the paramount interest of the student at the Training College is his teaching, and the methods, practice in drawing up plans and schemes of work, teaching special lessons, and taking part in preparation he has to make for this in his practical classes. Instruction in methods, discussion of continuous teaching—all these receive systematic and full treatment throughout the course of training. The general plan of practice followed

2—E. lc.

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during the past year was this : With first-year students an endeavour was made to introduce the students to the general principles underlying all method, and to the practical application of these in connection with the central subjects of instruction —number, language, and nature-study. Practice and observation were given in the standard classes and in the infant-room—in the latter only observation. With students of the second year the discussion and application of principles is continued, but here an attempt is made to get the student to specialise in the department for which he is most suited. Students aiming at secondary work are given most of their practice in that department; those specially fitted for infant-work are allotted more practice and observation in that department. Similarly with those to whom the country school seems the suitable sphere. All the students thus receive an insight into all departments; but at the same time they have their own special aptitude considered. The various courses of instruction were apportioned among members of the staff as follows :— General method : The Principal. Physiography : Mr. J. C. Webb, B.A. Secondary-school method and cardboard modelling : Mr. J. Caughley, M.A. Physical and military drill and physiology : Mr. A. J. Cowles, B.A. Nature-study and school method : J. Tamblyn, M.A. Singing: Mr. J. K. Edie. Infant-school method, model-drawing, brush drawing, and physical culture : Miss Fitch. Blackboard drawing, modelling, paper-folding, and brick-building : Miss Sinclair, M.A. Needlework and reading : Miss A. Hall. Woodwork: Mr. E. Howe. Cookery : Mrs. Nealy. Teachers' 'Examination. —An almost inevitable part of the Training College work is preparation for the certificate examinations. Provision has to be made for some of the compulsory subjects of the D certificate such as sewing, singing, <fee, and if possible arrangements are made to suit the needs of students in some of the C subjects, such as physiology and hygiene. It is reasonable to expect that at the end of his two-years course of training a student shall be well on the road towards his C certificate. The results of the recent examinations show that for the majority of the students this is not a difficult goal. Yet there are some for whom I think it would be possible to provide a certificate which would be of equal value with the C—a certificate more special in character, aiming particularly at securing more effective training in infant-room method. This certificate might be called the Infant School Certificate. It would be taken, as the C is, following the D certificate, and would rank as of equal value with C. In such a certificate a strong point would be made of the teachings of Pestalozzi and Froebel, of handworking, of music, of naturestudy, and of English—special attention being given in the last subject to the literature for children. The student of the D certificate is sufficiently high for the requirements of school-work generally; and the substitution of such a certificate for C would furnish the most suitable goal for ' a great many of our women teacher-students. Practising-school. —The practising-school, an essential and integral part of the College, continues under Mr. Webb and his staff to do good, sound educational work. I have watched very carefully the influence upon the scholars of the practice-work of the students ; T have examined the various classes from time to time, and T am able to report that the interests of the scholars suffer little, if at all. In many respects they are the gainers. Fuller equipment, smaller classes, and the consequent closer individual supervision more than counteracts the distracting influences arising from the presence in the class-rooms of the students for their practice and observation. Mr. Tamblyn reports, and my examination confirms his report, that in the case of the country school-children progress has been well maintained. In the Secondary Department the continuous practice of the senior students has proved, under the guidance of Mr. Caughley, a source of strength, individual supervision being available where it is most required. The formal work in the Infant Department suffers a little ; but if we could rid ourselves of the notion that little children under eight must be letter-perfect along certain lines, and lay hold on the saner one that fullness of active expression is to them a far cheater gain, there would be cause of rejoicing rather than otherwise that the crystallizing process of formal work had been delayed for a year or two. There have been no changes in the staff during the year. In the incoming year Miss Hall leaves for Europe on a well-earned furlough. The vacancy thus made is to be filled by Miss I. Wilton, one of our own students. One and all the members of the staff have worked with zeal and earnestness for the welfare alike of students and scholars. I desire to thank the members of the Committee of Advice and of the Education Board for the interest they have manifested in the College work and in the students. The medals given by Captain Kebbell and by Mr. Allan for proficiency in military drill for the men and in physical drill for the women students were much appreciated, and evoked keen competitions. To the Secretary and staff of the Board for their ready response to the many demands made upon them from time to time my best thanks are due.

Report op the Principal of the Training College, Christchurch (Mr. Edwin Watkins, 8.A.). Students in Attendance. —Of the students who were in attendance in 1906, 34 remained for a second year of training, 9 being males and 25 females. During 1907, 38 new students entered, 29 under Division A and 8 under Division B, and one young teacher came in under clause H.

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Of these, 8 were males and 30 females. This gave a total of 72, but of these, 4 withdrew before the completion of the year. At the end of the Canterbury College year in October, 35 students passed an examination at that institution, of whom 9 gained credit mention and 2 obtained exhibitions. There were 3 failures, and 5 were absent from examination through illness. The students' studies, 1 may note, were considerably affected by the prevailing influenza epidemic. Students' Studies. —The courses of study followed by the students have been much the same this year as last, Canterbury College having been taken advantage of to the fullest extent. The range of subjects taken has been very wide, nearly all, if not all, of the subjects taught at Canterbury College having been taken by some of our students; and in this choice of subjects 1 have allowed the students unrestricted freedom. In addition to the subjects taken at Canterbury College, the students have to take other subjects of study at the Training College, and in this part of the work our course has been amplified this year by the inclusion of physical culture, woodwork, practical agriculture, and experimental science and nature-study. The whole number of subjects taken by those students who aim at a University course and who have also to take the special professional subjects is so large that time is not available for doing some of the above-named ones and others as thoroughly as might be deemed advisable; for if the University subjects are to be done well enough to satisfy the University professors and lecturers, the other subjects cannot have the time and attention requisite for their successful treatment. At the same time it may be said that what is done in these subjects, though limited in extent, will enable the students to follow out more fully, later on, any of them that they may take in schools where they become responsible members of the staff, it is satisfactory to note that the important subject of cookery continues a popular one with the students; they take great interest in the work they do at the School of Domestic instruction, and we may well hope that if facilities should, in the future, be afforded to teach the subject in the primary schools, they may be found qualified to undertake the work. Teaching-practice. —Owing to the students having to carry on at the same time University studies and training in teaching, no little difficulty is found in arranging a scheme which will give students practice in teaching that shall be reasonably sufficient in the various subjects of the school standards and in the various stages of a child's school life. 1 have endeavoured to find out what methods are adopted in training colleges in other countries, and it seems to me that wherever courses of study and practice in teaching are carried on together, the practice in actual teaching is a weak point. The time given to actual teaching, or observation of teaching, in this Training College—viz., from three-quarters of an hour to an hour per day—is, I believe, more than is usually given in training colleges. This may be sufficient for the students of Division A, but 1 doubt whether it is enough for students of Division B (i.e., those who have not been pupilteachers), though they do some additional continuous teaching during Canterbury College vacations. And yet, if more teaching be required from the B students, it will militate largely against their being able to maintain their standing at Canterbury College. Of the B students, however, many give promise of becoming good teachers when they have had more practice with classes. Last year students all took their practice in teaching between 9 and 10 a.m., the subject taught at that hour being changed at intervals so that practice might be obtained in the various subjects of the school course. The classes of children were broken up into drafts at that hour, but for the rest of the day were, for the most part, left to the teachers of the permanent staff. This prevented the children's work suffering to any great extent, as it might do if the children were handed over for much of the day to the students. A change in the Canterbury College time-table prevented the continuance of this plan. Accordingly the students were divided, so that some took their teaching at one part of the day and others at another part. For the greater part of the year two "criticism lessons" per week are given in the presence of the whole body of students. Some objections have been raised against " criticism lessons," but they are included in most trainingcollege schemes, and 1 regard them as a valuable part of the training-college course. Although, here and there, the desire to give their energies to University work preponderates too largely, I am glad to say that on the whole the students have shown themselves in earnest in endeavouring to qualify themselves for their work as teachers. Staff of Training College and Normal School. —Principal, Mr. Edwin Watkins, B.A. ; tutor, Mr. Joseph H. Wilson, M.A.; headmaster and instructor in method, Mr. Christopher T. Aschman ; headmistress and kindergartner, Miss Harriet E. Starkiss; first A.F. and instructor in needlework, Miss Gertrude M. Glanville; second A.M. and instructor in science, Mr. George H. White; third A.M., Mr. Wilfred W. Garton, 8.A.; second A.F., Miss Ellen Grand; third A.F., Miss Annie Ansley; four A.F., Miss Elizabeth E. Bevin; master of Secondary School, Mr. James W. Mcllraith, M.A.; master of Model School and instructor in agriculture, Mr. Michael J. Lynskey. Statistics. Number of students remaining from 1906, — M. F. Total. Division A ... ... ... ■•• •■• •■• 8 18 26 Division 8... ... ... ... ••• ... 1 7 8 Total ... ... ... ... 9 25 34 Number of students who entered during 1907, — Division A ... ... ' ... ... ... •■• 5 24 29 Division B ... ... ••■ ••• ••• ... 2 6 8 Under clause 11 ... ... ■•• •■■ ... 1 0 1 Total ... ... ... ... 8 30 38

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Number of students belonging to the College during 1907 ... 17 55 72 Number who withdrew before the end of the year ... ... 3 1 4 Number in attendance in December, 1907 ... ... ... 14 54 68 Examination status of students in December, 1907, — Not passed Matriculation ... ... ... ... 1 4 5 Passed Matriculation ... ... ... ... ... 13 50 63 Passed Canterbury College first year ... ... ... 4 10 14 Passed Canterbury College second year ... ... ... 6 14 20 Passed Canterbury College third year ... ... ...2 5 7 Passed B.A. degree ... ... ... ... ... 1 2 3 Passed first section of degree ... ... ... ...2 6 8 Examinations sat for in November, 1907, — M.A. degree ... ... ... ■■•■ ... ... 1 1 2 B.Sc. degree ... ... ... ... ... ... 0 1 1 Second section B.A. ... ... ... ... ... 2 5 7 First section B.A. ... :.. ... ... ... 6 11 17 Departmental status, — Full B certificate ... ... ... ... ... 0 2 2 Full C certificate ..'. ... ... ... ... 0 3 3 Full D certificate ... ... ... ... ... 5 19 24 Partial C, or part of C... ... ... ... ... 4 18 22 Partial D ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 17 21 Without classification ... ... ... ... ... 3 8 11

Report of the Principal of the Training College, Dunedin (Mr. D. R. White, M.A.). The following report summarises the chief facts in connection with the work of the Training College for the year 1907. The classes assembled in the first week in March, with the following attendances : Second year in class, 7 men and 34 women = 41 ; first-year students, 12 men and 27 women = 39 : a total of 80 students, the maximum number permissible under the Training College Regulations. Of the second-year students, seven left towards the end of the session, taking service under the Education Board; one first-year student withdrew, thus leaving a total of 72 as the roll attendance at the end of the year. The Attendance at University Classes; — All of the students attended one or more classes at the Otago University. The attendance at each class was as under: English, 37; mental science, 35; education, 39; Latin, 31; French, 8; mathematics, 8; physics, 1; mechanics, 1; and geology, 1. Many of the students secured first place in the University classes—for instance, of the ten first classes gained in mental science, eight were College students. Forty-five students kept terms. The number is not so large this year as last, quite a number failing in Latin. If we reckon subjects of instruction, there were 25 first-class and 59 second-class passes secured at the annual and terms examination. I think this is a very creditable result. The following have presented themselves for University examinations : 14 for the first section of the B.A. degree, 1 for the B.A. degree, and 2 for the M.A. degree. This shows that the College students appreciate the privileges of proceeding to graduation. Teacher's Certificate Examination. —For the 1907 examination the results were approximately as under: — Full D certificate ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 25 Partial D certificate ... ' ... ... ... ... ... 18 Full C certificate ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 11 Partial C certificate ... ... ... ... ... ... 17 Passed in four subjects or fewer ... ... ... ... ... 5 Absent or failed ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 80 The Course of Study and Training at the College and University.—A. record of the successes at the University and at the departmental examination constitutes but one aspect of the work of the College; the other aspect, and that perhaps the more significant, is the practical training which the students receive in the art of teaching. The arrangement of the practical course must always be, I suppose, a source of anxiety and thought to the head of the College. Is the course the best possible? One is often led away on side issues—often tempted to exaggerate the value of this or that view of training. Looking at the full course of two years' training, I have tried to avoid the extremes that are implied in the words "theory" and "practice," "ideal" and "real" training. I have, in the past, often pointed with satisfaction to the fact that a student had given a great many lessons, had taught so many hours during the session, as if that were the best kind

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of training that I could give them. It is possible, however, thai such a course of training introduces the student too early into the narrow life and routine of class-work : of that he will have quite enough experience after leaving the College. Individual class-work no doubt has peculiar advantages—it familiarises the student with the real conditions under which his professional work will have to be carried out; but it is possible to overestimate the value of this kind of work. There is very much to be said for bringing under notice of students a higher standard of work, a more ideal conception of the treatment of the subjects taught; and this can best be done by increasing the number of model lessons given under proper direction and criticism, with fuller and more complete treatment than could be given in the daily lesson. Teaching is a progressive art, and as such the ideal must always be ahead of the real. Bearing these facts in mind, I have tried to keep a middle course, and, so far as I can judge, with very satisfactory results. In practical work and in lectures I have insistently pointed out the danger there is of falling into dead and stereotyped ways of dealing with the most living of all arts—the art of training the mind and the heart. The curriculum of instruction in science for training colleges is, to my mind, not at all satisfactory. Physiology, psychology, agriculture, a course of public-school science, and a course of nature-study are obligatory. Ido not say there is too much science, but too much of a kind not suitable for public-school teachers. The compulsory course of science is not concrete enough. I think that physiology as a science might well be rftegated to a subordinate place in the curriculum. A few lessons on the nervous system in relation to mental phenomena are all that is necessary. Physiology is not at all a popular subject with students, nor, so far as I know, is it a good one for public-school classes. Besides, it is an isolated kind of science; not one that is readily correlated with other subjects. For these reasons I should prefer to see either chemistry, or physics, or botany made compulsory rather than physiology. The fundamental sciences, chemistry, physics, and botany, should have the first place in our science curriculum. What can a student do with a course of lessons on nature-study, mathematical geography, physiography, and agriculture if he has not been instructed in the first principles of the more important sciences, physics and chemistry 1 The present list of compulsory subjects in science for teachers' certificates is unsatisfactory. Chemistry and physics, or physics and botany, should take the place of physiology and agriculture. We should return to the science course we had years ago. lam convinced that the students leaving the College to-day are not so well equipped for the teaching of public-school science as they were ten years ago. I have to thank Mr. Marshall, headmaster, and his staff for the ready assistance they have given me in carrying on the work of the College. Mr. Stewart, headmaster of the Model School, keeps at his work with untiring energy; his students fully appreciate the value of the training which they get in the Model School. Miss Haig's thorough work in the kindergarten and manual classes deserves recognition ; and her supervision of the social life of the student has been of much service to me. The visiting teachers are, —Miss Bressey, English; Miss Albert, sewing; Mr. Braik, singing; Mr. Hutton, drawing; and Mr. Hanna, gymnastics. They all carry out their duties with zeal and ability. Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing (3,900 copies), ill 4s. 6d.

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