Educational Methods.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXII, Issue VII, 13 February 1904, Page 62

Educational Methods.

Mr Frank Tate, director of primary and technical education in Victoria, who

is at present on an official visit to New Zealand, made some interesting educational pronouncements to a Wellington “Post” representatice. Mr Tate’s present visit to New Zealand is in pursuance of a policy followed out on the other side of paying visits to neighbouring States to learn what is being done in education circles. His chief reason for coming across to this colony is to find out for himself what are the differences between Victorian and New Zealand educational systems. The New Zealand system, said Mr Tate, differed entirely from that of all Australian States. New Zealand had for a long time an outside reputation of being particularly advanced in modern methods of primary education. In Victoria, as in other Australian States, there was, for instance, practically no local control. The Victorian system was a centralised (education department under a director (Mr Tate), who had complete control of the whole system under the supervision of the Minister for Education. The whole of the operations of the Department —■ training, appointing, promoting and disciplining of teachers, the providing and maintaining of buildings and conduct of examinations; in fact, every detail of administration was centred in the Melbourne headquarters. There were some advantages in this system, but there Were many disadvantages, and one result was a great lack of local interest in education. which was manifested by the Victorian people. It had been a matter of great interest to him during the week he had already spent in this colony to see how fully our newspapers dealt with ‘educational topics, and to note how interested the public generally were in matters affecting schools, such, for example, as the high school system, and the recently revised syllabus. Appointments, promotions, and transfers in Victoria were all made strictly in accordance with a classified roll prepared by the classifiers, although in practice it was found advantageous to advertise’ vacancies in order to allow eligible candidates to apply. There was no chance as in New Zealand for a smart young Victorian teacher to rise rapidly by securing an appointment to a somewhat important school. Such a system of classification as Victorians had guarded the rights of teachers against Ministerial or departmental patronage, but it certainly also made for the advancement of “respectable mediocrity,” and discouraged the highly talented man. Mr Tate understood that teachers in New Zealand favoured some such plan of classification, but he felt sure that Victorian experience was that the best teachers over there would gladly see a change of their own system, so as to allow greater discretion to responsible officials. He had had an opportunity of seeing several New Zealand school buildings, and was very pleased with •the evident attentioiF given to furnishing and lighting. Victoria had recently had experience of a battle around a revised syllabus, and Mr. Tate had something to say on this question, which will be of special interest, in view of the fact that a revised syllabus is to be part of the business to be considered by the conference of inspectors. The \ ictorian director said that his syllabus was very much on the lines of the New Zealand scheme, He had not gone very fully into our syllabus, but he thought every educationalist would heartily commend the spirit of it. Of course, opinions would vary as to the amount of work prescribed, but as he understood the syllabus, it was suggestive rather than directive. Teachers were realising that the new, methods of teaching which were being prescribed not only made greater demands upon their skill and energy, but that it took a great deal of time to get through a lesson. Consequently, the amount of work in a syllabus became all important, and a too lengthy prescription made it impossible to teach as rationally as desired- In Victoria they trusted their teachers to this extent. The syllabus prescribed that a certain lima per week must be given to such a subject as history or science. The department then suggested a list of topics, and required the teacher to select therefrom a suitable and sufficient amount. The inspector was the judge of this, and reported ucevrdii’gly.