SCHOOL SYLLABUS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7020, 7 January 1910, Page 5

SCHOOL SYLLABUS

GENERALLY APPROVED BT TEACHERS. SOME SUGGESTED AMENDMEOSTrS. The Educational Institute Conference spent a considerable amount of yesterday's sitting in discussing a dozen remits relating to the school syllabus. The ■matter was dealt with in committee of the whole, and the conference came to the following conclusions : That, in the opinion of this institute, the syllabus of work for primary schools is based on sound principles and is generally well adapted to the"" needs of our pupils. That the time has now come when some of the details of the syllabus should be reconsidered and amended. The institute recognises the soundness of certain objections to (a) the requirements of the syllabus itself; (b) the way in which these requirements are set out; and • (o) the varying interpretations of these requirements by different school inspectors. ' - The following were suggested as necessary ' amendments : ENGLISH. -. •' That in writing, encouragement should be given to the acquirement of facility in conjunction with legibility; that in selecting subjects for composition, teachers and inspectors should be required to give prominence to those topics of which the children have a' first-hand •knowledge. That in: examination tests there is no objection to the employment of the technical grammatical terms used in the present syllabus provided, that formal definitions of these be not required. ARITHMETIC. That the syllabus' in arithmetic should be reduced and also recast so that the burden of work may bo more equally distributed amoni? the standards. In this connection .attention is directed tit) the .great amount of arithmetic demanded by the New Zealand syllabus as compared with the requirements of the English Board of Education, and that' education in this Dominion would gain, considerably if a scheme approximating to Scheme B (England) were adopted. That the heavy arithmetic syllabus frequently interferes with,the general progress of the pupils, as the work in other subjects is- often retarded by the undue amount, of \ attention given to arithmetic. That it is not advisable to attempt to teach the whole subject in primary schools. Something should be left for, high schools, technical schools, or' individual effort outside of school. That since education should aim at adjusting individuals to their environment, arithmetical exercises should be drawn from the actual surroundings of the children, should be in the form used in daily life, should be taught practically, and should be suited to the age of the pupils. That the foundation of success in. this subject is unremitting practice in meohanical operations connected with commerical and - every-day life—especially mental work. That accuracy, speed, and neatness in mechanical work "must be aimed at in all classes. . That up to and including Standard VI., the greater part—eay GO per cent—of the examination should be mechanical and should include concrete examples. Tables should. be carefully and practically taught. That in Standards I. and 11. only one principle should be introduced into a problem. In Standards 111. and IV. not more than two principles should be introduced. j_ i -u That the necessary apparatus to teach this subject, sets of accurate weights, measures, etc., should be supplied by the Department to each school, so that I the subject may be taught practically. GEOGRAPHY. That although the A and B courses are equally compulsory m the present arrangement of geography, whereby the B course may be treated m eighty hours, while the extent of the A .course demands a very much greater allotment ot time, there is a comparative neglect of political geography and an undue emphasis of the mathematical and physical, and the subject generally, especially in the upper standards, is receiving too large a share of the school time. The Institute therefore suggests— That there bo only one course in geography comprising all necessary That the teacher be required to draw on his scheme of work for these topics. HISTORY. . - That the subjects in history should be systematically grouped and arranged, and a concentric series of historical readers should be used. DRAWING. Thut geometrical drawing should not be required from girls. SEWING. That -tjh.e sewing syllabus bo entinely_.

remodelled, so that it may; bo-£resfcd -in , an educational manner.. _.,', ; -,- : , MORAL INSTKOCTIONi - ,' ' I ;' That in the paragraipha headed "Health" tart -Moral Instruction.,", greater ... em- - pbasis be placed on Temperance. ■ • . ..;"'V, That the Education Department be:... asked to issue periodically a pamphlet" .';*' similar to the "Suggestions" of the,,.,, English Board of Education. That 60 hours per year in eUoh of the classes S 3 to' S 6 be suggested as etfffi-'.'■'' c'ient time for this subject. That this Institute is of. opinion that goography .should bo removed from tho * list of compulsory subjects for-S6 proficiency !examination. '-'.'", • ",:.'..'. The report was agreed to in open con ferehee : without debate, • ■.'.'