110 MECHANISM OV THE CLASS-INSTRUCTION IN PHYSICAL 



thorities employed, the results of my own practical cultivation of 

 several branches of science, together with the improvements re- 

 ceived from time to time, during the progress of my instructions, 

 by the departments of knowledge concerned, for becoming 

 acquainted with which I have been advantageously situated, 

 in my connection with several of the Philosophical Journals 

 published in London. 



I have now to describe the mechanism of the Class-Instruc- 

 tion in Physical Science, which has been given at Hazel wood 

 and at Bruce Castle. A room at each School having been con- 

 verted into a Laboratory, for the preparation of the illustrations 

 required in the Lectures, and fitted-up as a repository also 

 for the apparatus, materials, specimens, drawings, &c. em- 

 ployed in them, this has commonly been used as the Class- 

 room for the department. In this room, each Class to which 

 this species of instruction has been given, consisting of from 

 about five or six to twenty boys, has assembled, at a certain 

 hour, fixed throughout a considerable period ; and either for 

 one hour every day (Sundays excepted), or for two hours, 

 according to the prescribed exercises of the individual pupils, 

 and the general routine of the School for the time being. 



Two distinct methods of Class-Instruction have been adopt- 

 ed ; in one of which the Teacher instructs, usually by the com- 

 bination of reading from some work, taken as a text book, with 

 extemporary amplification ; while in the other each pupil, hav- 

 ing a book selected for his use, reads to himself, applying to 

 the Teacher for assistance (always in as low a voice as possible, 

 to avoid disturbing his class-fellows) whenever he finds a diffi- 

 cult passage, or requires any information on the subject. 



In the former mode of instructing the Classes, the sub- 

 jects of the Lectures have occasionally been re-considered by 

 individual Classes, on the day following that of their delivery 

 in the School-room ; and this early re-consideration, in cer- 

 tain branches of science, has been found highly advantageous 

 to the progress of the pupils. In this case, the Teacher has 

 used his own notes for the Lecture, as a text-book, and the 

 laboratory-table being prepared with the apparatus, speci- 

 mens, &c. employed in the Lecture, he has commenced the 

 hour's instruction by recalling the subjects to the attention of 

 the pupils, by questioning them, in succession, on the most im- 

 portant ; and then leading them to discover for themselves, by 

 appropriate questions, interspersed with fresh information, still 

 more important truths in science, deducible from those already 

 communicated in the Lecture. At suitable intervals the pupils 

 are allowed to propose inquiries themselves, which are an- 



