E.—lc.

6

training colleges there is a tendency for the children to play pranks with the students; but I have never seen the slightest attempt at anything of the kind here, even when students are left in sole charge of large classes without any supervision. At stated periods throughout the year open days are held, when the parents are invited to come and see their children at work. These meetings are excellent for promoting good feeling between the parents and teachers, and they give us an opportunity of addressing the parents on points of interest, such as attendance, school badges, &c. The school gardens, though at great disadvantage owing to fronting on a dust-laden road, have nevertheless improved greatly in appearance. The prizes for the best-kept gardens were presented by Mrs. Baume to the winners at the annual prize-giving held on the 16th December. The terminal reports furnished to parents are greatly appreciated. Twice a week classes are held for Indian-club instruction for girls after school hours, and the Principal and two students have enough enthusiasts to keep three sections of about twenty each at work. The walls of the school have been marked out for a modified game of fives, and the girls play with zest. Practice in Teaching. The great problem to be solved in connection with the Training College is how to provide sufficient practice for the students without unduly interfering with their courses of study. In an ideal college students would on entrance already have reached a sufficiently high standard of knowledge of the subjects to be taught, so that the whole of the time could be devoted to actual training in the art of teaching. Under existing conditions, however, the students are themselves ignorant of much they have to teach, so that concurrently with their technical training the studying for examinations has to go on. After very careful consideration, the most time that can be devoted to the actual practice of teaching is about two weeks per term —that is, six weeks per year —plus about two hours per week for watching a criticism lesson given by a student, or a model lesson by the Principal. This is twice the time allowed in the English training colleges, and yet for those students admitted under Division B is obviously not enough. When a student's turn for school section comes, all lectures except those on school method are suspended, so that he can devote the whole of his energy to the task. The first week he teaches in the mornings and prepares the lessons in the afternoons; for the second week this is reversed, so that he is bound to take every lesson in turn. The preparation is done in a special room under the Principal's supervision. A plan of the lessons and proposed method of procedure is written out and submitted for criticism. Maps, models, diagrams, &c, are prepared beforehand. A good reference library is in the room, so that the student learns how to work when alone in the future. When the time comes' the student takes sole charge of the class—marks the register, conducts all change of lessons, &c, just as he will when the College is left. The class-teacher supervises and makes a written criticism of each lesson in the student's preparation-book. As opportunity arises the Principal and headmaster go round the school from class to class, and supplement the class-teaoher's criticism —a part of one lesson at least each day is criticized for each student. Besides the written criticism, the Principal sees personally each student at the end of the day's work for the purpose of talking over mistakes and offering suggestions. This plan allows six school sections in the two years, so that every student has the opportunity of working in turn in the Primers, in Standards I, 11, 111 or IV, V or VI, and the model school, when the whole of the standards are taken together. In this way an attempt is made to give a general perspective view of the work of a school, so that students are fairly well prepared for taking sole charge of a backblocks school —the work they are almost all called upon to take up immediately after leaving College. The above is the general plan followed, but it is modified for Division B students, who in their first year spend most of their time on school section in observing the class-teachers, hearing model lessons, taking small sections of children, and generally in being shown how to teach. In addition to the above w T ork, all the students have in turn taken a section of a class into the Domain for open-air nature-study work three or four times in the course of the year, and have also taken charge of the weekly magic-lantern lessons. It has been decided to issue no testimonials to students until they have served two years in thu schools after leaving College. Each year a special report is to be made on the work of the late student by one of the Inspectors, on a special form agreed upon by the Chief Inspector and the Principal. By combining these reports with the records kept of the two years spent in the College a testimonial will be issued that should carry weight. General. At present, owing to the number of students being below half the regulation limit, the staff is quite adequate. To expect a college of eighty students to be taught by one man, however, which is apparently what the regulations require, is not likely to lead to good results. The headmaster of the Normal' School and the assistants have ample work in their proper spheres without being required to take odd subjects with the students. With their ordinary teaching, together with supervision of the students, the writing-up of criticisms, &c, their whole time should be fully occupied just as it is in any ordinary school of the same size. To require them to take in addition certain selected subjects with the students is, to put it plainly, " sweating " pure and simple. To o-ive them a few pounds extra per year does not alter the matter, as they can only properly do a certain work per day, and to attempt to do more can only lie a very qualified success. The teachingwork of the students is not done by the University professors, as was apparently expected when the regulations were drawn up. The students here, at any rate, are not up to the standard required for University work. There is too big a jump between Matriculation and the keeping of first year's terms, "so that very little of the work required can be done at the University, and what is done requires very careful supplementing to make it effective. Hence at least one, and possibly