EDUCATION AIMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 742, 15 February 1910, Page 7

EDUCATION AIMS.

training the teachers. . '. THE SYSTEM;REVIEWED.. :' • A'conference representative of the prin- . cipfils of .tcachfen'., training colleges and niombbrs. of ihe r advisory of . tlie/colleges/ ivas held in the Legislative yfsterda.v.. Tho list of. .. delegates,wns..pub]!shed.in;,ThePominiCin- .: ' .yesterday ...morning.';' ..The' inspectors - of' : tho. Education'Department'were also pre:, sept; ojt, Schools,, Jliy-. G. -'Eogl)^7:'.p^diiig''oyi!rVtto-fle-' libe't-ations -of the conference.'■ - . ■ : - Mr.-'. T.;'-R; Flepiinj; : (Wellington): .was appointed ssbretai-y. to .the conference. '. - -Romarks by. Inspector-Coneral. . ;'. The .chaiymai), on behalf'of the Minister, ...w'elbomed the-delegates. ■ 'This was, he , said, ;:tho ..second . conference of its kind.; 'He; renewed the- history ■of the ~ present' foundation of the . training colleges,", the underlying policy of which was .that the. colleges, themselves should' pro- .-: vide practical training 'in thif art of .: teaching;-nnd ;that-- the'- university .col-' '"y leges, theVrespective ~ districtsi .would ;' ' furfiish the v literary equipment." ' Tho experience of recent yiidrsihad convinced the'.^Department—and the Minister, whoso attention had been to the matter— , , "that in certain cases the practical train- ', ; iug, of the teacher had been 'sacrificed, to the literary courses,, of ctudy at the aniversity ■ Degree'.work;-had tondcd' .to ■ oveistjadow..the,more important aspect ... of the' teacher's 'preparation for .his :work, - - .Mr.;Hogb'en went on to review'the best sys-' tems in operation elsewhere", .detailing .the - woi-k'^f;the" Scottish nnd;New'Tprk.sys-, . teriis "and concluded .by; observing;,;:th(it Neiv .Zealiind 'could not copy'any other • country' exactly. He' did' no't- believe this . v country'-'could -copy'-'Germany at all or' hardly so., (Hear, hear.) At.all'.events' that'was :his opinion with regard to the a ; ti'ainip'g'~of -teachisrg. Certainly, in Ger■ymany-; they.; did it well, but lie- did not • think'/ they :would.. submit to the drill conditions—military-like conditions—that . ;obtained;in Germany;.';He believed that ' the.'trainiug in. New Tork-.was':prefbrable' to ;that • in- Germany.' 'If they looked to ---. the' schools of New York they would .be' ;• i looking .'to the schbols' of- the' best type; but they would—as lie had 'said'previously —have to work out the problems for .' themselves. ' • , ■ Committees of . Advice. . Mr.'.- Goye'n, (Otago) raised .the: question . of. the, functions of the. Advisory. Committees of the Training,; College?.-" From his . experience -as -a member of such'-a coin- . , mittee,'.there appeared' to be'nothing for : them-.to. do. .;•. . ' . - PiofessoT- Thomas. (Auckland).'denied this. -In Auckland tho Committee of Ad- , . vice; had-proved .of' very great ; use.; - *' • ; 'Mr;'-Gilbert Carson,, speaking ,as the : . . '.representative of; "other-boards" 011 the " : Committee of Advice of the Wellington 1 " Training College, ' that the- basis ,of representation was not. .satisfactory. Ho . had' to .' represent the education boards . of.;:Wangairni:; Taranaki, Hawke's' Bay, Nelson; -ifarlborough,. Grey,- and Wes't- -. This'■ was. hot■ altotgether .fair to the districts concerned. )Slr. Goyen said that: the training colleges- ought - to .be" under, the control 'of . the^Departirient;.;; According' to his'-inter-' pretatiorisof. tho•'-'regiilations,: the' first clftiise,-conferring-' full'-powers of control ;-,iipon;.the' ; bpajdS'''W ; as : segatived. by-' the clauses, wbiph: foljoived. So far'-.as ,"he • could see,. education- boards could only have., qc vbip'e- in: tho,. control of. the. train- ' . ing': colleges'so far as appointments to - the staff were" .poncerned. The'Dunedin ■ * Cornnjittee pf 'Advice had. originally iii'et: ' a ;few times,-' and had formulated "certain :. recommendations -to -the Departriten tj' of- .- which:ino' ; had been' tqken. -' -Tho . committee• had. then''decided; thai;- thei'e - o'tag6 £ EdubStioj); Bpard • had latterly'dealt with" . al)-.matters. • ' .• . ,ThV'-ehai}Tha:n: ; said-that " $ere : advisory badios abting in' - conjunction I 'with- tha" not'fiie Dbpartment; .• - ■- — , ~ . , . Mr. Goyen- t 6aid that the Dunedin Com- . mittee formulated recommendations for v the : consideration of-the'bopr'd.- The lat- ' te, sent.them on .to' pepnrtnient. and ' nothing, he'reiterated, was "done/-" Hi had" • letters showing that- tp:,hm thp ■ Case.: ...• • i ■*. - ' '(Aissistant-Inspectop GenHow long.ago i.wa's'that?; ' : . ;• '.• Qoyeg": •• .Ootobir, J 19Cfc- !< -. ' . - x farther disoussion,. it' was airreed - to,,insert,. in Clause 2 "of' th-o regulations - governing;the-bssis-,of representation- of other boards in- Committees -of Advice, r. th©- words,: -or representatives not ' , ■fas® eice^ding' two." -, Some, disoussiontook ' plaW, on" tho .question" of the, times of meeting. ""Ac- 1 'cording tq'j the" regulations, a',minimnm' • oponce.-a,M«ir'waf fi*#d. ! s -Burin«t,tke discußsion, Mr., Goyen said that,{ho minimum .erprrased ,'wasV'a. clear indication ■ t W--7, er y' l ittle.was expected to be done, ■ ;and,-the-oommitt«, .was, at best; but a • 'Perfunctory body;. ' . ~®'--C ar? °l l. -. against this, that - ■ tne - committee wr.s specially constituted ■ . to deal with'matters affecting the train- ; ing, colleges, and; if they-met regularly, • thej- would find plenty to do. .Sr. ,Gray (Wellington) thought'that the : conference' was wasting 'time, ,' It a 'o-' - ; certain / districts «. •°M l , lc ?. had not sufficiently: realised '.their, duties .'and' responsibilities. -' lra c. to fix the minimum of .. times of meeting at two.-in each year, - .Training Collego Regulations. governing, the training : ,cpllegcs, ..the con-' ' ' a tq. rai£a..the maximum of - averag9^attendance;from ; 150;vthe present : ,'tO: V 510.' ' . . I •'/ • JpW'fehnwh) 'referring ' , w the timb- for; .which ' students at a training . college -are required to bind ' : moved.. that • the ■ be altered to, three years for. , 'men; and'two years for. women. The mo'-' .: tion-.was lost, ;v : ;•> ■ Another proposal' that the bond'should operative in -the case of women ; '- i-I ml i n ' i^... was;:also..rejected; . . Palziel-, also spoke -of the probond .requiring, jn the case ■ Si a ?'™'? n t who leaves, the - return' of allowance's:paid:.t» ; such student; He: moved ■ that tho 'amount to' should only be one half the allowance i jiaid. ihe .'motion was' lost. • ; I)al2iel al?o'moved regard. :to : students .'generally, . the term - of- service required subcfrfT n i f training- shaU •be ' con-sidered-to commence afihe close of their ' second year's course." : .. * • : ' This was lost by 9 votes to 5. Jlr. Gray moved:.; ' "That provision be made is the regula. ". , tiOM-governing .the award of teachers' professional certificates for a special cerof salification'for , infant school , ; Speaking to the motion,'Mr; Grav'ureed that teftchers -who desired to proceed to V fPe.lial branch of the . profession should be afforded facilities for. a special ™W S ,®:P £ ,|tudy and',practical training, " ? • , the «peoial'qualifications so obtained ho recognised by a special diploma. In the . case <of infant, school teachers, le thought they-should be relieved of of/higher examination ,worir» ,- The roption .was carried. -'. . Science Teaching, - . ; Professor (Dunedin) ' moved ■ , training colleges shall make pro-' vision in their currioulum for a course ■ m , science extending oyer a''. period . of two years,- giving not less on an- average than •three .hours.a week,to instruction ; ln ~s cl, e , n , c o and tra ining in scientific ' method. H * a . s a. question, considered the mover, Whether, the'scienco training at the uni..versity,;..which- -students..of the training - colleges were expected to take up, was . of the kind best.adapted for application to .actual practico in teachinjj. It.scpinpfl him - was'- property the func- ' tion of the training colleges. jklr. Lee (Wellington) was not in favour 01 the training colleges sacrificing' any of : the time required, and urgently required for training in teaching methods. . ' ; ; 'Mr. Gray (Wellington): said that he hail so :far.;reL-e.dcd from the existing system of providing science- instruclityi at the ■ - university—a system ' formerly-approved by -Jiiiii—that'" 110. had framed separate . o:ir.:.-\; r,f. jnstructiou for. the studrnts • of .his college; -He supported the motion. : . ' After 'further discussion, the, motion - r • was carried bj<9 votes to G.

Professor White, having, as he said, had the principle of his motion 1 affirmed, . then moved, in further reference to the <lttcstion;— : ; ' "That the selected branches of science shall bo of such a nature as' will train and prepare the students for giving a suitable course of elementary science and nature study., in tho'standard classes, of the primary schools,' tho course .of ' in< -struction- to be. arranged in two groups, as- follow;— "Group, A—l, Elementary chemistry; 2, elementary, physics and elementary measurements and heat; 3,. botany; 4, .zoology; 5, geology.—Programme of in-' 1 structiori to lie of siich a description us may bo taught,in a.'course,' say,, of 89 hour-lessons. . '.. . ■ ' •"Group 8~~1, Agricultural .chemistry; 2, agricultural botany;. 3, general agriculture; 4, bleinentary physiology; 5, hygiene.—Course of instruction;-not to exceed, say,. 10 hour-lessons." .The proposals were adopted. . ,: Other Matters, •On the'motion of Mr; Gray, the conference recommended that students be given the option ,of having their allowances payable over two or three years, according to the length of the courses , desired to -be taken. Dr. Anderson moved:— .."That the coniplefion of a two-ybars' ' course of satisfactory training in a training oolhge shall bo taken as satisfying tho'requirements for a.'C' certificate." . After discussion, it was'/ agreed that a sub-committee, consisting of Professor White, Dr.-.Anderson, and Mr. Gray, should investigate the question,, and draft'..a resolution for consideration by the Inspectors' Conference to-day. A number of other matters, of a purely technical character, .wero also /disenssed. This chairman indicated that the-Educa-tion Department' intended to .givo the .various discussions very careful and-sym-pathetic consideration.;' . Votes of thanks to the chairman and to !tha press-concluded the: conference.:

INSPECTORS' CONFERENCE. 1

. OPENS TO-DAY. .. i . At. 10 a.m. to-day. the. triennial oonfercnej. of school inspectors and principals of training colleges will comm-'M' 0 ih ; the Legislative: Council Chamber, Par.liam'ent Buildings. Tlio following is a 'list of the ,delegates to;.the conferjaie • Inspectors!— Auckland :•. Messrs. ~ D. Petrie, MA., J. Griei-son, C. W. Garrard, .8.A., W.; A. Eurnsidci- 8.A.. J. T. G. Cox, G.-'l-IrPlUmmer, LL.B., R. D. Stew ; -. art, .; and '' J. -S. Goodwin. Taranaki; Messrs.- W. A. Baliantyne; 8.A.; aiid R. G. Wlietter, M.'A. Wanganui: Messrs. ,T. B. ■ Strong, M.A;, B.Sc.; G. D. Braik, M.A., and J.'Milne, M.A.' Wellington: Messrs. T, R. Fleming, M.A., LL.B., F 11. Eakcwell,.'M.A.,. and J: S; Tennant, M.A.,, B.Sc. Hawke's 'Bay: 1 Messrs. H.' Hill,, 8.A., and J. 'A'. Smith, B.A. Marlborough: -Mr. D;, A. : Strachan, ■ M.A.,' Nelson: Messrs, G. A. Harkness, M.A., and A. Crawford, B.A. Grey; Mr. J3. A. Scott. Westland:, Mr. A. J. Morton, B.A. North Canterbury: Messrs. •T. Ritchie, B.A:, E. K. Mulgan, M.A., -T. S. Foster, M.A.;- and W.- Brock; M.A.- South Canterbury: Messrs. J. G; Gow, M.A., nnd A. Bell,' M.A: Otago: Messrs. P. Goye'n, C. R. D. Ricliardson; 8.A., C. R. Bossence, and Dr. J; R. Don, M.A.,-D.Sc. Southland:' Messrs- A. L. Wyllie,' M.A.,' and J... Hendry, 1 B.A. ' . ■ Training Colleges.—Principals— Auckland:' Mr.' H. A. E.'- Milnes,:B.Sc; ' Wellington:' Mr. W. Gray,' M.A..' : B.Sc. ..Christchurch: -Mr. . E.. Watlansi- B.A, jDunedin: Pi'of. D. R. White, M.A; r Representing • Education Department.— Messrs. G. Hogben, M.A., InspectoiYGene-. ral of, 'Schools (ohairmsn .of -.conference), and Dr. W.."'J.,.Anderson, M.'A.,;Assis-. tant Inspector-General of. Schools.. ; ■ Inspectors ;of -Secondary. Schools.— Messrs. T. H. Gill, M.A.; LL.8.,-and".W. ;E- Spencer, M.A., M.Sc. , i. f. ; : Inspectors ' of- - 'Technical i Schools.— ■Mcssj-j. M. H, .Browpe and E...C, -Isaac.: ; ( Inspectors of' Native '.Sbhbols.i--Me6srs;i: ■W. W. Bird, M,A., J. Porteous, M'A".' : ;' Inspectors ;-Special Schools.—Messrs.' R. B. Pope and ; T, A.-Walker.; 1