THE Southland Times. Luceo Non Uro. MONDAY, 11th DEC, 1993 THE NEW SYLLABUS.

Southland Times, Issue 19227, 14 December 1903, Page 2

THE Southland Times. Luceo Non Uro. MONDAY, 11th DEC, 1993 THE NEW SYLLABUS.

» The new school syllabus to come into force next .January has now been issued m paJnplilet form, and it;* perusal has called foiUi a general chorus of dismay from teachers. They had for years complained of theo\erloading of the syllabus*, and prayed lor its siniplilication. They find that the new regulations, scarcely lighten former requirements in any subject, while man> new subjects have been muled, and the. plan of work made much harder thaji belY.ce. Prawmg, singing. geography, history and physical instruction are now made compulsory. Though grammar disappears from the formal list of subjects, unite as much is required under the head oi composition a.s b usually attempted at present. Oral composition is to be begun in Standard 1. written in Standard 2. Hut it is in science and in nature study under which term most of the compulsory geographical instruction might be included, that the new rr»quirements are most surprising. It is Ha. id that the conference of inspector. 1 , held three years since, is in some measure responsible for the plan of work here Jaid down, but it is dillicult to believe that practical men — and inspectors are generally supposed to have h,.d experience in primary teaching — could suppose its demands within the power of the average school child, or think that teachers could, with the limited time and means at their disposal, give it a lair trial- It ready rather as the production of an educational theorist, whose zeal has outrun his discretion. Its distinguishing idea — that of making instruction concrete and experimental — is an admirable one. The author — we may ussume Mr Hogben to be mainly responsible for it — rightly feels that previous teachinghas often been far too abstract, and too unpractical , that children have been crammed with words and formulae which convey no real knowledge. Mr Hogbeu <iim.s at making (hem acquainted with things. Thie methods he lays down with a view to this end are often excellent, but the fJcope of work expected is altogether beyond what is practicable Thus, arithmetic throughout in to bo treated by concrete methods. From Standard i onwards pupils are to make actual measurements of .sjr.es and distances. Great stress is laid on oral and mental arithmetic, and on the thorough comprehension of the composition of numbers. In. accordance with tfoi> principle, that children should not be req.uired to deal with terms they do not. realise, nuin,bers beyond J.UO are not demanded for Standard 1, nor above 1000 for Standard :>. Not till Standard 3 are children to lie required to work with numbers up to l.nno.oun, whereas now in this standard, notation and numeration up to billions are needed, and in Standard 2 up to hundreds oi thousands. There is some slight •simplification of the work in compound ruleo, but in other respects much more is demanded than now, notably in tho actual measurements to be made by pupils. Two reading books are compulsory for each standard. This will be a devcided gain for tho more intelligent children, for whom the repeated reading of one book is unprofitable and wearibome. But al presi'nt, teachers find that one. book a year is a» much as a large proportion of their scholars can master. The. teaching of geography is wholly revolutionised. Three courses are laid down iron.. Standards 3 ti> (5. Of these, two, A and B, are compulsory, C is additional. A preparatory course appears as ajn additional subject for Standard 2. In course A most of the instruction might, as said above, 'he termed " nature study." Geography thrtoufihout the course is physical, experimental and astronomical. Jn course B the teaching comprises the natural productions, oi different parts of tho world, the races of men inhabiting- these, manufactures, the connection between the history of a country and its geography, the influence of physical conditions on civilisation, etc. Only in the optional course (.', do we come on geography as schoolchildrem havu previously understood it— names and positions of oceans and continents, countries and capitals, etc. Doubtless in the past there has been far too much learning of names merely. It is of

little benefit for a third standard child to know that Sophia is the capital of Bulgaria, when, except position on the map, it knows nothing whatever either of Bulgaria or of fa'" more important countries. Tho idea of the now syllabus is that children are to proceed from the Known to the unknown. To this end tho natural features of the school district are to be carefully studied, and whenever terms are used lor which the neighbourhood affords no corresponding realities, pictures and models iirust be called into requisition. This is in accordance with lines already laid down by some of the best educational authorities. It is. however, rather startling to find that it is compulsory for children to know such things' as tho different cloud forms (standard *)■ or lne altitude of the sun at the equinoxes and solstices (Standard 1). while it is optional for them to know the position of London. In history the provranunc is admirable, could it be carried out. The compulsory course A consists of lessons on the leading events, characters and institutions of English history, from the lioman period to to-day : such as Magna Churtn. origin and development of parliamentary institutions, discovery of America. Shakespeare, independence of America, etc. The aim clearly is to impart only knowledge that is- enlightening and profitable, avoiding burdensome detail. " Civic instruction " is also compulsory- Co-urse B provides for a separate period of history to be studied more in detail by each standard. This is optional, and with the multiplicity of compulsory subjects will probably never be attempted. The inspiring motives of the new syllabus, and many of the plans laid down, are so that one is nlleu with regret at its utter impracticability. It is vitiated throughout by on over-estimate of the powers of children, and of the moans of teachers. The working school clay, deducting intervals, is about 4 J hours long, that is 2'2h hours a week are available for instruction. The pupils are children who rarely attend after the age of 18 or 14. The great majority assimilate knowledge but slowly and with difficulty, if hurried or unduly pressed, they merely become bewildered — of this we have abundant evidence in the absurd blunders made in answering examination questions. Then it should bo .considered that comparatively few primary children have home advantages to further their mental progress. Many have to work before and after school. Their study is the common living roo-nC where they prepare their home lessons amidst the coming and going of their elders, a nd the noise of younger children. Comparatively few parents are ably or willing to assist their children either directly or indirectly in their education. Teachers have found it hard enough to bring such children up to pass standard in reading, arithmetic, spelling and composition. What is the prospect now so many u.o:v comp'-'i-sory subjects are added, while either the ambitious science i curse Y<< re indicated, or a. probably c-pu.Uy taxing amount of hard work n i>.»l be undertaken ? It is t.on-Tally refegnisi'd as desirable that one hour n day should he devoted in rending, with explanation of the language of the book, and recitation. This time will certainly be needed when two readers are compulsory, with n largeIs- increased amount of recitation, rj-'pi'cially aX the proposed Iphhouh on health, morals and civic duties will probably be taught chiefly through chapters in t lie readers. Take the case of schools with from 2~> to l'> children in average attendance; all the standards and three infant classes. By grouping Standards ."> and (>. X and 4, or 2 and 3, and breaking the time for the infants into three portions, tho reading classes are ryduced to live— that is, the sole teacher's time is required for reading and nothing else. As a matter of fact, in such schools each class gets a scant I.") or 2<» minutes of the teacher's actual instruction in reading, and as a result one reader is often but imperfectly mastered. Teachers are often considered as exceptionally favoured because there working day consists of but five hours. This, even if true, would be a doubtful blessing while they are required to get through in live hours, work that might reasonably occupy ten. In New Zealand there were at tin 1 end of last year 1 ' »-I ."> schools each under a single teacher How can such hope to cope with Mr Hogben's syllabus ? A common error with enthusiasts is to aim at what is in the abstract desirable, without regarding whether it is attainable. G|vt«n a well staJTed school and picked children, the work laid down might be profitably undertaken. Doubtless Mr Ilogben, in his boyhood, could have absorbed such instruction ea.sily. and delighted in the nature study and experimental science. But the ordinary vounpr New /iealandei" — tho ordinary child any where— is not n potential chief inspector, nor Macaulay's school-boy, and would much rather play than note stars apid clouds, or keep a naturalist's calendar. With children and schools a s they are. the result of this new departure will t>o over pressure of,children and^ desperation of teacher?. The \ew Zealand .Journal of F,duca<tion predict* that an attempt on the part of sole teachers to carry out the work prescribed will necessitate considerable additions to our lunatic asylums, and a study of the now syllabus leuds a non-expert to precisely the SHJue conclusion,