DUNEDIN BRANCH OF THE OTAGO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1478, 13 March 1880, Page 22

DUNEDIN BRANCH OF THE OTAGO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

The annual monthly meeting of the Dunedin Branch of the Ofcago Educational Institute was held at the Normal School on Saturday morning last. There was a fair attendance of'members, and the chair was occupied by Mr D. White, the president. The Pbesident said : Gentlemen, I have to thank you for the honour you have conferred upon me. When I saw from the Secretary's card that there was no special business for this morning, I thought I would lay before you briefly a few thoughts on "Better Organisation of the Branch Associations." Although it is unusual for the President on taking the chair to do more than thank you, I need not apologise for detaining you with an observation or two on the pa3t, present, and future of the Institute, or rather of this branch of the Institute. All are, or ought to be, interested in the popularity and success of our meetiogs. Looking at our meetings for the past eight years, you will agree wirti tne in saying that they might have been moro numerously attended. I am reminded that when compared with similar meetings in the Home Couutry they have been very creditablej at the same time I think wo might reasonably expect larger attendances, and a good deal more enthusiasm. It is within tha mark to say that there are 60 teachers in the area covered by the Dunedin branch. In addition to these we have a considerable number of non - professional members. In view of this fact it seems strange that for the period I have mentioned the average attendance has not exceeded one.third of the roll number. Isit that there is no active professional sympathy, or are there other and reasonable causes for this apparent indifference ? Bear in mind, I do not complain of wbat has been done in the past— it has been so far good ; I onjy ask, might not we reach something higher still ? I have heard as a reason for non-atcendance that many members are too busy with other important affairs to spate time for a meeting of teachers. Others have said that we meek merely to criticise one another, and that tho time would be better spent in our libraries. Some, again, object to having their Saturday holiday encroached upon, and prefer beini* freed on that day altogether from school and school work. Shall we say that these and others that might be specified are substantial reasons for the comparatively-speaking meagre attendance of past years ? I ask an expression of opinion, from those who are frequently absent, on this matter. I should like au indication of the feeling of members on this point, so that vie 'ii y set to work at once upon a more aatu:.< • ■>!•? basis. Perhaps I should rather say tv i. <» who have been more intimately associates . ■ :i h the work of this branch, does not the vulfaisame re3t with ourBelves? What I moan is this, that perhaps the character of the work hai not been such as co attract all classes of teachers. If the cause is not here, thon perhapß it lies deeper, in the fact that there i-i no reason for our existence as an asaociatad body. This class of objectors I refer to the existence of teachers' associations in the United States, G e.tt Britain, Germany, &c. It would be easy to o-int out many advantages that have j« -ally been secured through the instrn uenlaJ •* of our own Institute. I prefer to . -AX alv- tinn to the work of the Educational lu-.Mf.ute uf Scotland and the Union of Elemen 1 - ry Teauhere in Englaud on behalf of teacher* " d education. Those of us who ara readers of ' The Newa" and " Schoolmaster" neei.notba reminded of this. I may pasj this objection over as being of little moment. Lot us look at one or two others. It has been represented that the time of meeting is inconvenient for teacher*. Proposals have been made to bold it on Friday or Saturday evening. No doubt this would suit our nonprofessional members and a number of the Dunedin teachers, but I should think it would exclude entirely the suburbs and districts iramemediately beyond. There are nearly 50 schools under the Dunedin branch ; 40 of these would not be represented were the meetings held in the evening. By holding the meetings in tl.e evening they could easily be made popular : thoa* interested iv education might be invited ; but this would not be strictly carrying out our programme, viz., to rafoe or improve the status of education and teachers. There is another and trivial objection to the first Saturday of the month. No doubt many members have business engagements, but these are just aa likely to bo transferred to the second Saturday if we meflt th«n. There ore still one or two suppositions I have omitted. Shall we say that teachers are indifferent to the common or general welfare of the profession — have no interest beyond themselves and their own school? These latter ara no doubt pre-eminent, yet I cannot be brought to believe that nearly every profession, every trade, has its organisation for common action, whilst the teacher has none. t Surely in one of the highest vocations there is necessity for union, and if necessity, surely teachers are disinterested enough to sacrifice a little for the general good. No one dreams that the attendance should be compulsory; all that is expected is a fair attendance and interest in the work. When speaking of attondaoce at the branch Associations, I refer particularly to Dunedin ; the other Associations evince more interest in their work thau we do. I conclude, thon, that we must look for subjects— work of wider interest to member ; and having got thia. will nj longer nesd to complain #of paucity of attendance or lack of interest. The questions discussed most fully have been "The Education Act" and "Elementary Science in Sohools," &c. These ara no doubt important, but there are many others equally interesting in our cvery-day work. I have no hesitation in saying that the prescribed subjects of the standards should occupy more of our attention and time. It may Le urged that it is little less lhan waste of time discussing these. Do we not know all about them already ? Have we not tto roost elaborate text-book* on method?

The teacher only needs study them to be fully conversant with the most effective means of teaching. Some will have it that, having gone through a course of training, having taught for a number of years, in their hands the art has approached perfection. Without question school manuals, training, and experience are all necessary ; but when we think of the large number of workers, compared with those who have written their experieuce, *ye shall have some idea to what extent the accumulated experience of years in to be found even in the most valuable manuals on school method. Teaching being an art of the multitudinous workers, each will develop something B pecial to himself, according to _ His natural aptitude and fitness for the work. These individual discoveries and excellencies m all probability pass away with the possessor, borne of the best workers have left no record of the why and wherefore of their su-cesa. Our professional training is not completed in a few years. We may improve ourselves, and be assisted in this respect by our inspectors and fellow teachers. How and where is this to be obtained? For these and many additional reasons would it not be of great advantage to us fco have the collective experience of the large number of skilful and expert teachers m the Institute ? If each one were to unreservedly state his opinions, experience methods, and results, unquestionable advantage would accrue. Hints and suggestions would be thrown out, tried by the anxious teacher, willing at all times to learn and unlearn. Everyone is aware that one or other of the branches of the syllabus presents some special obstacle to him. or on the other hand that he has some facility in working a particular subject : a reference to these would probably elicit the cause of the difficulty. I have thus indicated what I consider should be the chief aim of the branches — improvement in the art of teaching. At the annual conference the science of education would be fitly taken up ; we would thus have a division of labour likely to be productive of good, and the functions and duties of the Institute properly and specifically defined. Let me direct your attention a little more in detail to this proposal, and ascertain if we can carry it out this year. We meet about eight times during the year for ordinary business. It would therefore be advisable to select eight of the more important subjects from the syllabusreading, writing, arithemetic, &c. A sitting being devoted to each subject, the year's work would represent the entire syllabus considered. A general plan of procedure will easily suggest itself to members. Take reading, say, as the first subject of consideration. The suitability of our text-books, whether they ara sufficiently varier), »r>d written with a view of creating a love for reading and information; the value of individual and simultaneous reading j the time to be devoted to the subject ; as to the value of setting an example of good reading, the teacher insist upon hearing and understanding reading lesson without book in hand, &c, &c. In so.me such way it would be easy for any teacher to state his methods, compare them with others, get the general opiuion of the profession, and thus by friendly discussion advance the cause of education. I have heard ifc giveu aB an objection to preparing a paper, " I don't kaow what to write about." If we re^ solve upon some such scheme there will be the advantage of having definite subjects prearranged. lam met with the further objection that it is not the difficulty of finding a programma, but of getting members to carry it out. The diffidence that most teachers show in this natter arises from the fact that if he prepares any remarks on a particular subject it is imme« diatfly inferred that he assumes to be specialty qualified to write on that question. I should have this idea discarded altogether from our proceedings, and have it distinctly understood that it was brought forward simply for the purpose of elucidation. I would not have been the introducer of the Bubject in a long paper or address, but I should like to see it considered a breach of our rules of procedure if every member present did not express himself on the matter, however briefly. There would be no excuse that they did not understandthe subjects ; they must necessarily have an opinion as to their daily practice on the subject under discussion. Who'll undertake the initiation of the subjects? Let us ballot for eight members from the list. Let theae be ap. plied to in the order in which they are drawn beiug at liberty to select any subject from the syllabus. If they are unable to act they m*y get a substitute. Here comes in the difficulty we have all along laboured under. Then us a last resort, should this method fail— as the programme must not fall through— l would make it obligatory upon the office-bearers of the branch to introduce the subjects. This would not entail any excessive amount of work, and would ensure the one thing essential for our continued prosperity— viz., useful and attractive work regularly carried out. Not that wo should limit our work to these matters? There are often questions arising demanding attention which we pass by without comment: the recent scholarship examination, for example. We had inspectors' and editors' opinions: would not the public have beea interested so far as to desire to hear the opinion of the teachers on the matter? Many erroneous conclusions were drawn from the inspectors' reports, and speculation indulged in as to the value to be attached to the results of the examination. The senior English was said to be defective, It was immediately inferred that the whole English course of our schools was deficient and unsatisfactory—forgetting that only about six school were represented, the^ others, as a rule, being precluded, as the special work of the seniors can only be overtaken by the district high schools. Then, in the matter of the junior English, the textbook do9s not find a place in many of our schools. Many of the candidates had consequently never gone through ifc systematically, but received probably only a few extra lessons in an extensive and difficult course. A great deal has been said in the Press about the failures in history. You are aware that as a general rule those eligible for the junior scholarship are preparing for the fifth standard. It so happens that a different period is required for the scholarship than the standard, thus necessitating for the year's work the history of three hundred and fifty years. Again, history has been but recently introduced into our schools. These two circumstances should bo taken into account when viewing the matter. There are many other points that will occur to you. I have no intention of taking up the subject, further than to say that it was a fitting matter for our consideration. But on <? more instance, and I'll not trouble you further. At the last meeting of the Board a number of "suggestions" were thrown out for tbp edification of teachers generally, and members of the Board in particular, Ifc must haV'i Imon gratifying to the officers and members of the Board to hear that the schools w^ra in an unsatisfactory statethat inralculablv evil results had arisen through the highest, cla-a-^s of girls being taught by masters. You will be equally surprised to learn, from fh-? Hame authorities, that after several years' attentive study of our school syetam, they hAv* discovered that we are tinder a fcystem of p^e.% merit by results. I presume this is the first intimation yon have received of the fact. This "document" tniyht. «.ell receive some attention ; mipstnten-entß Jilt* thin ought not to go abroad uucontradicM. I hope, gentlemen!

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that you are satisfied as to the largejscope of work before us. We have only to receive your co-operation in carrying it on, and we'll hava done something towards keeping up interest in our branch and Institute. I should like to suggest that at the forthcoming conference a committee should be formed of the presidents and the secretarie-i of the branches, to report on the question of making their proceedings more uniform, and of devising means for their better organisation. A rdsatution to this effect passed to-day could appear in the annual report, giving members an opportunity of thinking over the matter. I have to thank you for your attendance and attention, Mr Ddnoan proposed, and Mr Gardiner Beconded a vote of thanks to the President for his valuable paper. After some discussion, Mr Montgomeby proposed and Mr Moobb seconded— " That this Branch recommends that at the annual conference a committee be appointed, consisting of tbe presidents and secretaries of the branches, to report on the more efficient working of the branch associations." The motion was carried. A vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded the business.