1925-1926-1927 - Department of Education and Skills

30to individual work by the pupils of the highest standards, whoshould be trained to look to the teacher for assistance only whenthey CaIU10tsolve a difficulty for themselves. It is not infrequentto find the teacher doing for the children what they could farmore profitably do for themselves-a remark that applies as wellto other subjects as to ~Iathematics.A defect observed in the teaching of Arithmetic especially, andapplying generally to the other branches of Mathematics, is thatadequate care is not taken to secure a thorough grasp of themore elementary portions of the subject, or, in other words, ofthe first four rules. Algebra is generally more successfullytaught than Geometry. Both subjects as a rule only prove effectivein the hands of recently trained young male teachers. Inthe case of many elderly men teachers and most women teachersthe instruction is not on approved lines, and the result is disappointing.The teaching of History still fails to lead the pupils to anappreciation of conditions existing in the various periods dealtwith and the movements to which these conditions led; and fromthe point of view of the proper aim of historical teaching, thisubject remains one of the weakest in our schools.In the case of' Geography some improvement may be recordedin respect of lines of treatment, and the proficiency in the subjectmay in general be regarded as reasonably g·ood. An increasingnumber of' teachers are providing themselves with up-to-date textbooks,but instruction in the geography and map of the schooldistrict. and even of the country, is in many cases of a perfunctorycharacter.The proficien cy in Singing rarely rises above good, and is intoo many cases only fair. It would appear that adequate attentionis not given to voice-training, and that many lessons degenerateinto mechanical singing of songs. Expression and clearenunciation are rare.•Needlework is generally of a good standard, but it is exceptionalto be able to award a higher mark. The general proficiencyin this subject is not as high as it was some years ago,probably owing to the fact that instruction in it does not beginuntil the children reach the third standard. 'I'oo little appearsto be done as regards thorough teaching of the more elementaryportions of the course and training the children to correctmethods of working.Physical training (Drill) receiveu greater attention during theschool year, 1925-~6, than in. the year immediately preceding,and a somewhat higher proficiency was to be noted. Since theintroduction of the latest Programme, however, in which thesubject is made optional, the teaching of drill has practicallyteased.