9

E.—lβ

Draiving. —ln this subject also I found an improvement in the organization. In Standards 1., 11., and 111. the subject was, as a rule, well taught. In Standard IV. the geometrical drawing was weaker than I expected. Standard V. work was often good, and the pupils showed an intelligent comprehension of the principles of elementary scale-drawing. The work in Standard VI. was below the promise of the lower classes. This was due to some extent to the lack of suitable models for model-drawing, and for illustrating solid geometry. I should like to see some of our pupils sent up for the examinations held under the auspices of the Wellington School of Art. Arithmetic. —ln Standard I. the work was fairly satisfactory ; in Standard 11., unsatisfactory; in Standard 111., fair. In Standards IV., V., and VI. the quality varied very much, in V. and VI. being often very disappointing. The teachers were shown the cards, and were asked to point out anything they considered should be explained to the pupils. I was often told that the tests were fair and on the lines of the instruction, and yet the questions were not well done. Allowing in such cases that the instruction had been satisfactory, it seems to me that the examinations conducted by the master must have been in fault, and this, I am convinced, was sometimes the case. Only one set of cards would be used where at least three or four were required if pupils were to work independently. In the ordinary school-work also pupils sitting side by side were assigned the same work. If for the larger schools cyclostyles were provided different sets of papers could be readily struck off, and the teachers could then gauge with more certainty the efficiency and progress of the pupils. The mechanical questions were fairly correct, but questions dealing with principles taught, but varying slightly in form, were poorly worked. The instruction often degenerates into working on the blackboard long mechanical examples. These take up more time in working than is commensurate with any results that can possibly be obtained. In working them also teachers do the whole of the work, while the pupils may or may not be attending, and are certainly not learning. Another defect is very common. The teacher deals too much with abstract quantities, the concrete illustrations—met with by the pupils in actual life and the basis of the whole rule—being omitted altogether. Let me give an example taken from the work of Standard 111. Question : £19 14s. Bd.-r-8. Teacher's directions : Divide the pounds by 8= 2 and 3 over; multiply the 3by2o = 60, and plus 14 = 74; divide by 8= 9 and 2 over; multiply the 2byl2 = 24, and plus 8=32 ; divide 32 by 8= 4. Answer :£2 9s. 4d. A much better plan would be to treat the question as though an actual sum of money were being divided among eight boys. With the card-board coins now sent out to schools the exact sum could be shown to the pupils, who should be required to perform the operation. Method : The pounds are distributed equally among the eight boys as far as they will go. Each has £2 and T. has £3 14s. Bd. left. How is this to be divided ? The pounds must be exchanged for shillings. Where? At bank, store, &c. For £3 T. gets 605., and these with 14s. = 745. T. can now distribute some shillings. The boys get 9s. each, and each now has £2 95., and T. has 2s. Bd. left, and so on to the end. Step by step as the money is divided the process is shown on the blackboard, and pupils can understand the reason for every step. If, in the upper classes, cheap scribbling-books were used for arithmetic, and possibly other subjects, the time of both teacher and taught would be saved. The pupils could work with leadpencil, copying out would not be necessary, the work could be corrected at a convenient opportunity, more practice could be obtained in a given time, and a permanent record of the work could be kept. Composition. —ln Standard 111. there was a marked improvement in both the punctuation and the language used. This I attribute in a great measure to the teachers requiring the pupils to answer fully in oral work as I recommended last year. As pupils trained in this way reach the standards in which composition is a pass-subject I expect to find a still further improvement. In Standards IV., V., and VI. composition leaves much to be desired. Here special lessons on the structure of sentences are needed, and, with a few exceptions, such as I saw were disappointing. In the past the teachers have looked upon grammar as all-important, and lessons in composition tend to become lessons in grammar, the minutias of subdivision and classification instead of the uses of words, phrases, and clauses in combination being dealt with. In no other subject is faulty correction more noticeable than in composition. Grave errors are passed over and the corrections are often poor. The corrections are generally written in by the teachers, the books handed back to the pupils, closed, and put away, and very seldom is the exercise rewritten correctly. Better training would be given if the pupils themselves were required to make the corrections. The teacher might use simple well-understood signs to indicate different classes of errors, and the pupils could then think out the errors and rewrite the exercise if necessary. Some such signs are shown in Longmans' Composition (p. 302), and others just as suitable could be found. The schools in which the pupils can begin and end letters properly increase in number. At the examinations note-paper and envelopes were given out, and the pupils were required to write letters as if they were going to post them. The letters, on the whole, were fair, but the addressing of the envelopes was weak. Geography. —In Standard 111. more use had been made of the maps, and in consequence the work showed an improvement. As the knowledge required from this class is comparatively light, more advanced works in New Zealand geography might be undertaken, and the heavier work of Standard IV. thereby lightened. In Standards IV., V., and VI. there were many failures. There can be little doubt that the instruction is too mechanical. The pupils are required to commit to memory certain parts of the text-books, and but little effort is made to arouse interest hi the lesson. As oral examination by the Inspector before a map is not so easy as in Standard 111., the maps are often neglected. Until blank maps such as I use in examining come into more general use Ido not expect to find much improvement in the geography of Standard IV. A glance at the exercisebooks sometimes showed that teachers were satisfied with very meagre answers, and in such cases the fault became apparent at examination. Want of accuracy in defining the positions of places

I II '. [ I 1 1 1 I L > M I i I 1 1 1 V - < . I ' I M i I V 2—E. Iβ.