E.—le.

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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