3

B.—lb.

but to its advantage, by awakening the intelligence of the pupils. The knowledge which children acquire out of school is to be used as a foundation. Most children have seen a penny ; and most children know that they will get twelve pence as change for a shilling, and that sixpence is half a shilling. On this foundation, and with the help of twenty-four halfpence, an intelligent teacher can convey to children some useful knowledge in simple fractions, to their great delight. He can do the same with a pound sterling by the help of twenty shillings, and a crown and half-crown. If he has not the coins he can imitate them on the black-board, or indicate them by means of the ballframe. The mystery of the aliquot parts of a pound and a shilling can be pleasantly revealed in this way It can be revealed in another way to those who are learning the simple rules. They can be made to see, for instance, how many sums of twenty pence, thirty pence, or the like, go to make up two hundred and forty pence. Children should be reminded that they come to school mainly to acquire good habits that one of these habits is that of investigation, or the finding out about the things they speak of and hear of. In any school most of the pupils will have often heard of a ton , but it will be found that but few have taken trouble to find out anything about it. Some will know that it is about the weight a good horse can draw in a dray, or 20 cwt. It should then be pointed out that it is of no use to talk about hundredweights unless they know what a hundredweight is. Some will know that it contains 112 lb. Then an effort should be made to get them to a tolerably clear, though rough, objective knowledge of what a pound is. Sixteen ounces won't help them much to this. Some again will know that a stone of ordinary density, about the size of their clenched fist, will represent a pound. They can be easily led to see that a heap of 112 of these stones will represent a hundredweight, that twenty such heaps will represent a ton, or will contain 2,2401b. all this by the simple rules. As regards miles, children will tell you that they live a mile, or more or less than a mile, from the school, but they have seldom taken the trouble to make out what a mile is. This they can be easily interested in doing, and can be brought from the miles to the chains, the yard, the foot, and the inch, the latter being brought home to them, not by ' twelve lines,' but by three barleycorns, or by the upper joints of their thumb or forefinger, thus again having a concrete foundation instead of building on air As regards acres you will perhaps be readily told that there are ten square chains in an acre, but will often find that very little meaning is attached to this expression, yet simple mensuration is a thing in which very young children take much delight. They will tell you for instance that three fives are fifteen, and they delight in verifying this by counting the squares in an oblong, assumed to be three chains, or yards, or feet broad, by five long. I find that in very many cases indeed there is anything but a clear apprehension of the distinction between, say, square yards and yards square, and the like (a haziness not unknown to pupil-teachers) this certainly ought not to be. Teachers should encourage their pupils to make chains of flax or other material, and to amuse themselves by measuring distances and areas. In dealing with coins, weights, and measures, it is best to begin with the high denomination—the pound, the shilling, the ton, the mile, the acre—and analyse them. This is the true and natural method. "The methods of teaching geography and grammar to young children have been dealt with in the 'Instructions for the Guidance of Teachers.' I would here point out that it is of estimable value to children to be taught to use their own eyes to learn —what we all want to learn—to see the things before the eyes. They should be trained to find out and name the objects in the room, and further trained to form some opinion on those objects, to consider whether they think them good or bad, pretty or ugly and the like. If, during the process, they pick up something about nouns or adjectives it will not do them any harm, nor indeed does it very much matter." Young teachers, and indeed some who are not young, require to have it impressed on them that order is kept, not by the voice, nor by the stick, but by the eye. Of course it must be by the vigilant seeing eye, not by that which glares with no speculation in it. In order to carry out this view, the teacher should be careful not to turn his back to his pupils when he can possibly avoid doing so. If slates are to be examined, the teacher standing in front of his class, should cause the slates from the three first desks in each row to be handed up to him. He should then go right to the end of each interval between the desks, and facing his pupils from that end, should examine the slates of the pupils within his reach on either side. He can also avail himself of the intervals outside the class on both sides. It is heartrending to see a teacher standing beside and a little behind a pupil in the first or second row with his back to the greater part of his class, who rarely fail to avail themselves in an appropriate manner of the opportunities thus afforded them. To understand what I have said it is necessary to know that we use dual desks, arranged so as to face one side-wall of the room. They are generally placed five or six deep, with an interval of eighteen inches between each row It is evident that, to carry out this system of vigilance, teachers must teach without using books, or, at all events, must use them as little as possible. If a teacher, has his face buried in a book he cannot use due vigilance. This matter will be found dealt with under the heads of " Beading" and " Discipline" in the " Instructions for the Guidance of Teachers." Very satisfactory progress has been made in drawing during the past year Mr Trevithick, drawing-master, resigned his appointment in October, 1883. In March, 1884, his successor, Mvl Bobinson, was appointed. Mr Kobinson teaches mechanical drawing as well as freehand. It must, I think, bring satisfaction to every one having at heart the future of the country to know how many, facilities are now offered in Auckland for the study of art, "which leads to true refinement-of character elevating private life, and ultimately exalting a people." The advancement made in singing during the past year has been considerable. I append the singing-master's report. Gymnastics have been practised much more generally and in a more efficient manner during the past year than hitherto. Indian clubs have been added to the apparatus previously in use. I become every day more and more impressed with the value of gymnastic exercises, especially for girls. I append the report of the Auckland instructor.