E.—l

91

English. —Class 1., two papers were satisfactory, four were fair, one was weak, and three were very weak; Class 11., one paper was fair, the rest were weak. General result, grammar and prepared English both weak. Latin.— Class 1., both papers were excellent; Class 11., two papers were excellent, one was good, and one was satisfactory; Class 111., three papers were excellent, and one was good. General result, good. Euclid.— Class 1., the work was very good ; Class 11., one paper was very good, one good, two were fair, three weak, and one was very weak; Class 111., one paper was excellent, one very good, one fair, two were weak, and one was very weak. General result, fair. Algebra.— Class 1., the work was excellent; Class 11., two papers were excellent, two fair, and four weak; Class 111., one paper was excellent, two were good, one was satisfactory, and one was weak. General result, good. P. GOYEN, \ W S. FITZGEEALD, j torg C. E. EICHABDSON, c C. E. BOSSENCE, J

TBAINING COLLEGE REPORT. Normal School, Dunedin, 6th March, 1901. I have much pleasure in presenting the annual report of the Otago Training College for the year 1900. The following is the staff of the Training College: Mr. D. R. White, M.A., Principal; Mr. W. Gray, M.A., B.Sc, vice-principal; Mr. D. 0. Hutton, drawing master; Mr. A. M. Braik, teacher of singing; Miss S. Albert, teacher of sewing; and Mr. Hanna, teacher of gymnastics and drill. Miss L. A. Fitzgerald, who worthily discharged the duties of matron and sewing mistress in the institution for a quarter of a century, voluntarily resigned her position towards the close of the year. On leaving she was presented with several mementos of the esteem in which she was held by the staff, by present and past students, and by the pupils of the Practising School. The Board appointed Miss S. Albert to the vacant position. Although placed at a disadvantage in taking up the work so near the end of the year, she carried on the closing work of the session with interest and success. I have much pleasure in stating that the various members of the staff show a great interest in the work of the students and carry out their duties very efficiently. We enrolled twenty-one first year students, of whom fifteen had passed the usual pupil-teacher course of instruction ; the remaining six were admitted by examination. We had also ten second year students, making a total at the beginning of thirty-one, afterwards standing at twenty-seven, as follows: Second year students—two males, eight females; first year students—six males, fifteen females ; number left during the year—two males, two females ; number in attendance at the close of the session—six males, twenty-one females. The following constitutes the literary and technical course of instruction pursued at the Training College: (1) English language and literature; (2) history and methods of education; (3) science, theoretical and practical; (4) Latin, algebra, Euclid; (5) history and geography; (6) drawing; (7) musical study, method, and singing; (8) gymnastics; and (9) sewmg. The above course provides a fairly complete course of training. There are one or two other subjects which I should like to see added to the curriculum. One of these is kindergarten work. It is most important, I think, that, before leaving the Training College, our young teachers should have a thorough knowledge of kindergarten methods and principles, and to do this thoroughly we require the services of a skilful kindergartner —one who has been trained in modern methods and in modern institutions. Further, in view of the introduction of manual training into the public schools, it is most essential that our male teachers should have some training in this kind of work. I think I reported some time ago that in the Training College, Sydney, a skilled draughtsman and mechanic attends twice a week at the workshop attached to the College, and gives the male students the necessary practical instruction in this technical branch of work. Something of the kind should be done in connection with our work. I wish to call the Board's attention specially to these two subjects—kindergarten and manual work—to their importance in a fully equipped training college, and to the necessity for doing something to secure their introduction into our plan of study at an early date. The following is an epitome of the illustrative lessons given at the Training College: One-half of the available time is given to the literary and technical training of the students, and the other half to illustrative and model lessons. On an average each student gives at least twenty lessons on various subjects, and has besides an opportunity of observing and criticizing some thirty lessons given by his fellow students or members of the staff. To an intelligent student this course of training should prove invaluable. The following shows, in brief, the time-table work for _ the year: March word-building, reading; April—language exercises and routine of spelling-lessons; May—the principles and various systems of teaching writing, with illustrative and practical lessons; June—infant school arithmetic ; July—forty lessons in standard arithmetic classes ; August—grammar and composition, in which thirty-six lessons were given; September—conversational and object-lessons (every student gave at least one lesson on these subjects); Octoberdrawing lessons in Standard 11. ; November—geography, eighteen lessons; December—physical exercises under Mr. Hanna's supervision, and thirteen singing lessons in Standard 1., on the plan recommended by Mr. Braik, Concurrently with the preceding practical course of lessons lectures were given on the principles of teaching, methods of teaching, school organization, registration, and on the plan and arrangement of typical time-tables. In addition to the work the students gave a series of lessons -at the associated schools. Fifteen of the city and suburban schools are associated with the Training College. These afford a good field for the purposes of training