41

E.—l*

The appended table shows the detailed results in this subject in all the standard classes examined during the year:—

From the figures presented it will be seen that in Standrad VI the general result cannot yet be regarded as "satisfactory " though the work done was slightly better than that of last year. In Standard V —a class in which we noted a general failure last year—a very marked improvement has taken place, fifteen schools in this standard qualifying as " excellent." A fuller comprehension of the nature of decimals and a sounder knowledge of the elementary mensuration prescribed would do away with the chief apparent weaknesses, and go a long way towards making the work more perfect. Satisfactory work was done in Standard IV, the result being 64 per cent, as compared with 61 per cent, in 1904. In Standard 111 the tests set appeared to us to be somewhat simple, and good results in general were obtained. The knowledge of the composition of numbers up to 1,000,000 was in some cases defective. We would impress upon teachers the great of perfecting in this standard this branch of the subject, which forms so prominent a part of the arithmetic in the first half of the child's school course. The work of Standard II was well done throughout, 81 per cent, of those examined qualifying for pror motion, while twenty-two classes received the " excellent" mark. In Standard Iwe got comparatively a very poor result, 56 per cent, of passes —or out of ninety classes examined sixty-one ranked as nonefficient. This result, in a standard where the subject presents no great difficulties, is very disappointing, and, we venture to believe, is due to a want of appreciation of the full limits of the prescribed work, to a wrong interpretation of the syllabus, or to an inability to leave the old methods of instruction and take up the subject on modern lines of thought. We would call the attention of our teachers to the remarks we made in reporting last year on the arithmetic in the Preparatory classes, and, in dealing with numbers, would suggest the following course as the possible scope of the work in these classes in most of our schools. First year —(1) Numbers to 10 ; (2) intelligent counting ; (3) oral and written processes of addition and subtraction ; (4) application of signs + and —. Second year— (1) Numbers to 20 ; (2) oral and written addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division ; (3) Application of signs +, —, x, t-. Method —(1) Thorough understanding of one number before proceeding to next higher ; (2) concrete illustration ; (3) oral and written work to run on parallel lines. With systematic teaching of the subject in its early stages under some such well-defined scheme, we feel certain that a very much greater measure of success will result in Standard I. Geography.—We confess to a feeling of disappointment in regard to the Geography in which the ■results show none of the expected improvement, but on the other hand class it as by far the most unsatisfactory in the syllabus. Neither the novelty nor the difficulty of the A Course, in which the c.iild is often required to draw the right logical conclusion from his own observations (with many we fear an unattainable goal), will altogether excuse the incorrect and meagre answers submitted for our perusal. We acknowledge that oral work, especially in the lower classes, often gave the better impression; yet, if in the course of instruction geography and composition are rightly correlated, what should prevent a Sixth or Fifth Standard boy from expressing himself clearly on paper in regard to observed natural phenomena ? In Standard IV the drawing of plans had not been sufficiently practised, and in the higher standards map-reading was a very common weakness, while ideas concerning latitude and longitude were often so hazy that we imagine that a globe or other concrete illustration could rarely, if ever, have been employed. Drawing.—Although the majority of schools were classed as "satisfactory," the treatment of this subject left a good deal to be desired, as many schools had not undertaken the various branches necessary to a full course of work. Model-drawing still shows much weakness in many of our smaller schools. It is a matter for regret that a proper set of drawing models cannot be supplied to each school, though we are pleased to note that many teachers do their best to overcome this want by constructing models of the simpler forms. Elementary design, which is now prescribed for each standard, was per6—E. Ib,

Standard VI. Standard Standard V. IV. Standard 111. Standard II. Standard I. Excellent ... ... ... Good to excellent Good Satisfactory to good ... .... Satisfactory — 4 1 8 15 6 6 13 17 5 9 3 20 24 4 16 9 1.4 22 6 18 5 18 6 2 6 4 11 "9 Efficient 22 40 54 67 69 29 Fair to satisfactory ... Fair ... ' ... Moderate to fair Moderate ... ... Inferior to moderate... Inferior 2 23 5 15 1 21 2 14 1 18 2 5 2 8 1 13 4 12 4 24 1 12 2 18 10 3 13 14 4 5 Non -efficient 61 52 36 28 24 61 Total standards examined 83 92 90 95 ' 93 90