Appendix C..J

E.~2.

XXV

the demand is justifiable. In word-building, though you must build upon a root, the child need not necessarily supply the root. Again, questions involving the effects produced by changes in the order or arrangement of words are usually of too subtle a nature for a child, and though he may have some idea of the effects, they are usually beyond his powers of expression. Such questions may well be left to the more matured youth. In the general treatment we fear that oral composition still plays too subordinate a part, and the quality of the written work does not improve proportionately to the promotion of pupils; for example, the essays written by Standard 111 do not as a rule show a marked advance upon those written in Standard 11. Yet since the introduction of written composition into Standard II there can be no doubt about the great improvement in that class, the work done by Standard II pupils showing a marked advance upon what was possible ten years ago. Defective sentencing should not be found in the upper classes. Standard 111 should have a complete mastery of the simple sentence, and Standard IV know when and where to employ the period or full stop. We acknowledge improvement in this ves'y particular, but the child who produces as a sentence no predicate or statement at all should not be in Standard VI. A more common failing is the endless addition of clause to clause till the whole effusion is a succession of " ands." We cannot do better than reiterate a plea for more constant practice in corrected composition. These critically yet sympathetically corrected and reviewed by the teacher before the class will afford ample opportunities for oral composition, correction of grammar and phraseology, and may by example inculcate improvement in style. The drawback is, of course, the long drudgery of correcting, especially with large classes, but in teaching, as in many another pursuit, no great good can be gained without diligent toil. Arithmetic. —The arithmetic, taken throughout the school, was regarded as satisfactory in seventy-four schools, while in forty-four the subject was not looked upon as being efficiently taught. As we have pointed out before, the outstanding weakness lies in the sole-teacher school, for of the forty-four schools mentioned as not efficient forty-one of them were in charge of sole teachers. The dual classification in English and arithmetic is not used to any large extent. From the returns supplied to us we find that 390 pupils are placed in a lower standard and twenty-four in a higher standard for arithmetic than for English. Of the former, forty-nine were in Standard VI, eight-two in Standard V, ninety-five in Standard IV, eighty-one in Standard 111, seventy-one in Standard 11, and twelve in Standard I. In the latest issue of the syllabus, under the heading of " Arithmetic," it is stated that ability to apply number to everyday problems is requisite for efficiency in any position in life. In other words, this statement is equivalent to saying that a pupil who has successfully passed through the full primary course in arithmetic should be furnished with a sufficient arithmetical foundation for any occupation or profession entered after leaving school. We can hardly say that this result has been achieved when some 50 per cent, of the Standard VI classes fall below a satisfactory standard in this subject. In the two lower classes of the Senior Division of the school —that is, in Standards TIT and IV—we invariably find that the results are relatively better that those of Standards V and VI. This year, however, we are pleased to note a considerable improvement in Standard V, which has on many occasions provided the poorest results. Why this weakening on the subject should occur as the pupil advances to the higher classes it is difficult to understand. The increased difficulty of the work should not be the cause, for his fitness for promotion from the lower -class should to a great extent justify the pupil's ability to successfully cope with the work of the higher standard. Yet from the annual returns we find that he fails to do so. To improve the position in Standards V and VI would seem to demand greater efficiency in the work of the lower classes. To this end the schemes of work should in every case provide sufficient repetition of the lower-standard work, the bulk of which might well be done orally. Systematic instruction and practice in mental arithmetic should be given daily in every class. Other Subjects. —History, elementary science, and handwork, as well as geography and drawing, may now have value in the examination for proficiency certificates, as merit marks may be given for one or more, not exceeding four, of these subjects. The merit marks may be assigned only for good or excellent work, and are added to the marks for English and arithmetic to make up the aggregate marks required in those subjects conjointly. A satisfactory standard of attainment must be reached in at least three of these subjects. Greater prominence is thus deservedly given to history, which must of necessity be taken every year, and receive attention for at least an hour each week. The physical geography may be included in the scheme of work for nature-study and elementary science, to which subject in schools of Grade IV and higher grades a separate place on the time-table must be assigned, and a definite course laid down. We in future shall expect the courses in political and commercial geography to be more accurately defined, and each class to be taught certain essentials, so that when a child has passed through the Sixth Standard class he may have at command what at present is rare, an accurate knowledge of the plainest elementary facts in the geography of the world. In the present-day boy-world of topsy-turvydom Japan and the United States are frequently the chief British possessions. Drawing under the new regulations is distinguished by two new features—its association with some branch of handwork, and the introduction of colour-work. The latter requirement may be met by means of brushwork, the use of coloured crayons, or by a course of blackboard drawing with coloured chalks. Several, especially of the older schoolrooms, are not yet provided iv—E. r 2>pp. o.)