SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS.

West Coast Times, Issue 2852, 24 May 1878, Page 2

SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS.

At a late meeting of the Otago Educational Institute a discussion took place as to the teaching of science in schools, when the following remark 1 } were made by Professor Macgregor : — He had listened to the suggestions made with great pleasure, but he had to confess he was only half convinced. The first move necessary, if there was to be any success in this matter, was to prolong the period of childhood for another five years. That would be going to the bottom of the subject. The fault, he believed, in teaching in these colonies lay in a tendency to fiddle away time over many subjects with small results as regarded any of them. This had been the fault of the High School, and was that, to a great extent, of the primary schools. The energies of teachers should be concentrated upon getting up thoroughly the ordinary English subjects and arithmetic, &c._ The only proposal for scientific teaching in. primary schools he would listen to would be the teaching of that science for which Nature herself supplied the necessary apparatus— such a science as botany, for instance. In this branch of science the apparatus was to be found in the green fields and hedgerows around the schoolhouse. But, on the whole, he was inclined to look upon all this talk aboutscience in schools as an unmitigated mischief, and he was sure both the gentlemen who had read the papers would agree with him. (Captain Hutton— " I quite agree with you.") At the mosfc, he was strongly of opinion the sciences should be attempted to be taught only in their observational aspect. Chemistry and physics were an absurdity in primary schools. Even the abstract lessons in the ordinary school books upon physics were altogether beyond any child's understanding, or even any ordinary teacher's. (Applause). He was inclined to give utterance to a note of warning ra reference to this subject. He would wish to see the energies concentrated upon tne thorough teaching of the more necessary subjects. If there were any energies Jo spare after this had been m P™°JJ» these might be used in the *"£*» of science teaching, but anything like a thorough overtaking of this woold be rendered impossible from the expense of the apparatus necessary.

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