EDUCATION IN OTAGO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18875, 30 May 1923, Page 8

EDUCATION IN OTAGO

CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOLS. REPORTS BY INSPECTORS. MODES OF INSTRUCTION. The following is an extract from the annual report of the Otago Education B The 'inspectors group the schools according to their efficiency as follows: Lxce!lent or very good, 17.3 per cent.; good, 50.4 per cent • very fair, 25 per cent.; fair, 7.5 per cent ’ As compared with the previous year the schools ill the “good 1 * gwup have mcreased by about 6 per cent, of the whole The highest and lowest groups are about the same as in 1921. , In their report the inspectors direct at tendon to the following points: 1. The increased number of changes in the teaching staffs, both in the city and country schools, noticeable dun "F , , 1 • few years, is not conducive to the best in forests of the pupils. 2. Seme teachers who group the upper standard have evidently demoted their efforts chiefly to the -preparation of Stan dard VI pupils for their proficiency certificates to the detriment of tho other classes of the group under the impression that tho h sSors ? estimate of their efficiency as teSrs will be based mainly upon the number of proficiency certificates gained by theTr pupils. The inspectors seek to remove this misconception, and point out tho futility of the" practice and ds proimacial ‘jSSSJS h 1r. lh »S. e .<| fo carry out experiments in educational practice J where they can do so without detn- + rmttils and the inspectors report that several’ well-qualified teachers Lve lately undertaken work of this nature tvffb ktisketory results. Intelligence tests designed to give some reliable indication of fhe mental development of the P“P' have been carried out m quite a of schools. The inspectors opinion is that, while the results of these tests may be valuable in confirming tho teacher s judg ment of a pupil’s capacity or attainment, his unwise for a teacher to rely on these alone when determining the classification of his pupils. A modified form of what is known as the Dalton Plan has for_ some months been in operation in a division of a secondary department of a district high school in this district, the. subjects treated being English, history, algebra, and mathematics. The head master considers it has been .successful, and proposes to extend the method to the senior classes and to include geography and geometry. The inspectors are inclined to recommend that for, the present, experiments of this nature should be confined to the secondary department, tho primary pupils being, they think, too immature mentally to work independently of the help and guidance of the teacher. 4. The inspectors note with approval the increasing number of schools where - the services of the pupils arc utilised in carrying out playground supervision. The staff is thereby relieved of many small duties and the pupils receive a good training for using, with advantage to themselves and others, tho larger liberty which will be theirs on leaving school. _ ~. . 5. District High Schools.-Of 49 pupils m the secondary department last year, 36 obtained either a full or a partial pass m tiie matriculation examination. The; lengthening of the matriculation course in these schools to four years is deemed advisable, to ensure more thorough and belter assimilated work and a sounder preparation for advanced work in the case of those who are looking forward to a university course. 6. Physical Instruction.—The physical instructors have, during the year, reported upon the work of 368 teachers, the results being os follow: 27 were excellent, 130 very good, 126 good, 77 very satisfactory, 7 satisfactory, and 1 fair. Classes ot instruction for the female pupil teachers and probationers of the city and suburban schools were held each afternoon for a fortnight at the beginning of the year. These classes have proved more beneficial than those formerly held on the Saturday i mornings throughout the year. Corrective classes for children with apparent physical defects have been carried on in the larger' schools, under the supervision of the school medical officers, and in the majority of oases are producing good results. “Health Talks” are frqucntly given by_ the school medical officers during their visits to the schools. The number of teachers who take their classes in the open air is increasing. 7. Special attention is directed to the modes of instruction in reading and composition, and valuable advice is given regarding the teaching of these subjects. The inspectors are of opinion that the standard of marking adopted by tho head masters in their term examinations in these subjects, especially in Standard VI, is too low, and should be raised.