E.—2.

Appendix D.]

All the men students took the woodwork course of two hours per week on Saturday mornings. Very good work was done, but only some half-dozen attempted the examination held at the end of the year to qualify for the first half of the C examination in woodwork. The instructor holds that the examination is too difficult for the time at his disposal, and, as the examination is not to qualify special woodwork instructors, but merely to test the candidate's knowledge of woodwork as a handwork subject, there seems to be reason on his side. It is a pity that students who have worked conscientiously and well for two years (i.e., giving about 120 hours to the subject) should be debarred from some examination benefit. In the case of the women students, a course in cookery, occupying sixty hours, enables them to get the certificate with ease, and so count one optional subject for the C certificate. I think the men students have a distinct grievance here. In connection with gardening-work and practical agriculture, the plot of ground used in the Normal School playground has been found to be quite adequate. The soil is poor, but a requisition for ten loads of a better quality, and the application of manure asked for in the same requisition forwarded 1(i the Department, will, if acceded to, remedy that. It has been suggested that a larger plot might be placed at our disposal. This would mean a plot situated some considerable distance from the school. Experience teaches that proximity to the College is an essential condition for effective work. Students should examine their specimens every other day at least. This would be practically impossible if the garden were at any considerable distance from the Colli A very important change was made in the time devoted to studies. During tho year every other week was spent in school eithei in actual teaching or in jireparing lessons or in observing the classteachers. The alternate week was devoted to lecture-work or private study. This means that half of a student's time is given to practical teaching. The first-year students have lectures for a week while the second year's are in school, and the following week this is reversed. This throws the onus of getting a certificate more on the student, but it gives much more time for training in teaching. Tinscheme has been very satisfactory, and I propose to continue it. Practice in Teaching. —As already stated, more time has been devoted to this side of our work. The " Methods of Teaching " lectures, which are not lectures in the sense of mere didactic work, but are really discussions and debates as to the how and why of procedure carried on in the American style, have been followed by the giving of lessons to Normal School classes on the lines agreed upon in the preceding discussion. No student has been required to give a lesson before fellow-students in a body, as in the old criticism lesson, but all lessons have been given by the Principal, the headmaster, or the assistants from the Normal School. In this way there has been close co-ordination between theory and practice, with very satisfactory results. For school-work the 50 students of either year are divided into two sections of 25 each. One section prepares lessons in the morning which are to be given in the afternoon, what time the morning section are at work giving lessons prepared the previous afternoon. and so on. The morning section one week becomes the afternoon section the next, and vice versa, so that all the lessons of the class are thus dealt with. The different classes, with the number of students attached to each at any one time, are appended. Students attached. Primer department (two teachers) . . . . . . . . . . 6 Kindergarten room (one teacher) . . .. . . . . . 2 Standard I . . . . . . . . .. . .. 3 II .. .. .. . . . . .. 2 111 2 IV 2 V 2 VI .. . .2 Model School .. .. .. .. .. . .. 2 High School . . . . .. .. . . .. .. .. 2 25 The first few weeks are spent in observation of the class-teacher, and after that the various classes are divided, so that each student takes a section in a drafting-room—a section usually means about 25 scholars. In some cases the students take turns with the whole class, according to the discretion of the class-teacher. In the two years a student has experience with the different classes. He devotes a term to one class; so that he has six different classes in which to get experience, as there are three terms in each year. An average student would teach in the primers, hi Standards I and 11, in 111 or IV, in Vor VI, and in the Model School. The class-teachers are present when lessons are given, and criticize and help as occasion arises. Eegular staff meetings are held, and general faults noticed, and suggested remedies discussed. Besides this actual teaching, all the second-year students pay five visits of observation to selected city schools. Half a day is spent at each visit. I wish to thank the headmasters for their kindly co-operation, many of them going to much personal inconvenience to make the visits profitable. About 30 women students paid a day's visit to the Mangere Bridge School, a typical two-teacher school. The visits were made on Wednesdays, and were spread over fifteen weeks. 1 take this opportunity of thanking Mr. Lambourne, the headmaster, for his kind help in making the visits a success. In order to make the work of practical teaching more effective still, the Board's permission has been obtained to use a few selected teachers in certain city schools as models for observation by students. In this way students will be able to see at work the best teachers in the province. The hearty co-operation of the Chief Inspector has been secured, and I look forward to putting the scheme into practice during the coming year with every hope of success.

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