Appendix C]

E.—2.

Handwork. — (a.) Drawing —Freehand : There is much less of mere copying from a conventional figure; objects are drawn, in pencil and brush, and to some extent freehand is becoming a real mode of expression; in certain schools drawing and composition go hand in hand. Naturestudy drawing reveals a closer study of nature. The abuse of the rule is not yet altogether .absent ; it was observed not only in model-drawing, but in other freehand studies where a straight line gave opportunity. Model-drawing is still rather weak Instrumental drawing—Geometric: Some advance has been made in a sporadic way, but this is the weakest class of drawing. Improvement must begin from Standard 111. Teachers are requested to give special attention to this matter; the results in the Junior National Scholarship tests were very poor. Geometric drawing is sometimes treated in too abstract a way; the pupil is taught to bisect a line, to raise a perpendicular, to draw lines parallel, to make tangents, &c, as if each problem were an end in itself; whereas if they were requested to draw an archway and in the process found it necessary to bisect a line, raise a perpendicular, draw lines parallel, or describe tangents, the work would gather interest from its observed relation to the practical problems of life. Geometric design serves the same end, and is a form of design of which more may be attempted—not only single figures, but also borders and diapers. Few schools exhibited solid geometry, but a considerable amount is done in connection with the woodwork. Plasticine-modelling, which is drawing in the concrete, resulted in examples of high excellence. Plasticine-modelling is correlated with other subjects in various ways —Nature-study, design, and geography. (&.) Needlework : A few fairly large schools under sole male teachers failed to find a teacher of needlework. The syllabus in this subject is usually, faithfully performed; the various uses of the needle are taught and samples prepared, also various articles and garments are cut out and made. Younger teachers would be greatly aided if they studied suitable text-books, such as that of Miss A. Walker or Miss A. K. Smith. The exhibits at the summer school included singularly good samples of the various classes of needlework. There were six schools under sole male teachers where special teachers of sewing were recognized. (c.) Other Branches of Manual Instruction : Seventy-one schools taught some form of handwork, forty-four exhibiting two or more varieties. Gardening (forty-nine public and three private schools). A few of the gardens are libels on the productive capacity of the district; others are busy little laboratories where science is brought to the test of practice, the concrete study of cause and effect being a valuable part of school activity. Here the otherwise dull boy sometimes gains a new self-respect, and physical powers that would run truant are disciplined to the purposes of citizenship. In several schools the notes turn chiefly on a part of botany in. which plants are viewed as inanimate objects to be described. Ihe study of plants tends to become more scientific when they are better understood as living things, needing air, food, and water, affected by heat and light. The teacher may also find other interesting regions in soil-study, and in the observation of plant and insect pects. Science and good practical gardening do not always run together. Occasionally where there is a good garden a remarkably small amount of scientific information appears in the essay. Children should be encouraged to keep a note of all the operations and the reason for each. Farming is now generally recognized as a branch of science, with a call for the educated man ; it is full of interest for the research student. It is also increasingly attractive to the pupils. Some critics affect to despise the big carrot and the big potato, but in so far as these are the result of premeditated preparation and attention to the ground and time of planting they are criteria of good educative work that deserve to be taken into account. Horticultural societies and the agricultural and pastoral associations, by offering special prizes, continue to show an interest in the labours of the pupils. At most schools the tools are carefully housed and protected ; in a few they tell a tale of weak discipline and poor management. Brush drawing (forty-six public and three private schools): Modelling in plasticine, 28; carton, 3; blackboard, 3; tablet-designing, 3; paper-cutting, 1; paper-folding, 4; crayon work, 8; swimming, 3; physical measurements, 1; paper-weaving, 1; kindergarten sewing, 1; school-collections (ferns, grasses, stones, curios), 12. At Blenheim Technical School: Woodwork and cookery, nine classes each; advanced needlework, seven classes. Pupils are centralized in these subjects from Picton (by rail, eighteen miles), Waitohi (by rail, fourteen miles), Tuamarina (by rail, six miles), Grovetown (by coach, two miles), Blenheim Borough School, Fairhall (four miles), Renwick (by coach, seven miles), Springlands (two miles), The Convents (Blenheim), Marlborough High School (Blenheim). In the teaching of cookery the gas-oven and the range are both used. At least four classes in dairy-work are expected to come into operation during 1912. Arrangements have been made for teaching swimming and life-saving to the pupils of the upper classes at the Blenheim School. (d.) Technical and Continuation Classes : It may be noted that in Marlborough, of those successful in gaining proficiency certificates, the proportion that proceed to Marlborough High School seems to be above the average of corresponding places in the Dominion, and, as the High School has modernized its programme by the formation of classes in woodwork, cookery, physical measurements, dairy-work, and agriculture, not to mention other classes in pure science, mathematics, and modern languages, it appears that this school also serves the purposes of a technical high school. Further, the technical education thus supplied appears to be quite as sound and extensive as that supplied in any other similar centre of the Dominion. The high school apparently sunplies the local need in this respect, which is indicated by the poor support given to evening technical and continuation classes. Teachers' Classes (Blenheim). —These were physical measurements (Miss Ross, M.A.V. cookery (Miss Grace), instrumental drawing (Mr. H. Oldham), nature-study and design (Mrs. S. Jones); and the following other classes at the summer school —Instrumental drawing, dairy-work, vocal music, book-keeping, and history of New Zealand.

V —E. 2 (App. C).

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