November 6, 1902] 



NA TURE 



17 



20h. 34m. 37s. +11° iS' - 5, respectively, the following magni- 

 tudes have been observed for the newly discovered variable : — 



Date, 1902. Magnitude. 



September 4 ... ... 9 "6 



,, 6 9/6 



... 9-8 



October 



24 

 25 



7 



9-8 



ICT2 



EDUCATION AT THE BRITISH 

 ASSOCIATION. 



'"THOUGH the youngest offspring of the British Association, 

 the Section of Educational Science has developed so 

 rapidly that its growth in strength and influence is being 

 watched with interest not unmixed with anxiety by several 

 of the older sections. Most of the meetings devoted to the 

 discussion of educational topics were largely attended this year, 

 and all of them have been reported in detail, thus showing that 

 science in education and education in science appeal to a wide 

 public. The Section provides a platform on which it is possible, 

 not only to state the place science should occupy in the curricula 

 of school and college, but also to describe the character of the 

 instruction which should be given, and to construct an organic 

 educational science out of the disjointed body of opinion. It is 

 easy to see that, rightly directed, the work of the Section may 

 have an important influence in determining lines of progress in 

 education ; and the success so far achieved justifies faith in the 

 promise of the future. 



One characteristic of the proceedings of the Section is espe- 

 cially noteworthy. Instead of accepting a variety of papers on 

 diverse disconnected subjects, each meeting has been devoted to 

 the discussion of a specific matter introduced by one or two 

 papers. Attention has thus been concentrated upon definite 

 points, and it has been possible to obtain the expression of com- 

 petent opinion around them. Imperfections of scope and 

 method have been pointed out, difficulties described and re- 

 forms advocated with a breadth of view and maturity of experience 

 which command the attention of the educational world. 



As an instance of the effect of the work of the Section, 

 mention may be made of the discussion on the scope and 

 teaching of elementary mathematics, opened last year by Prof. 

 Perry, which led to the appointment of a committee with Prof. 

 Forsyth as chairman. In the report presented by this com- 

 mittee, several desirable reforms were indicated, all of them of 

 a kind capable of adoption by teachers and examiners. The 

 committee considers that different methods of teaching mathe- 

 matics might be adopted for different classes of students, and 

 corresponding types of examination should be used. Emphasis 

 is laid upon the recommendation that the teaching of demon- 

 strative geometry should be preceded by the teaching of practical 

 and experimental geometry, together with a considerable amount 

 of accurate drawing and measurement. In demonstrative 

 geometry, no single book should be placed in a position of 

 authority, nor should there be a single syllabus in control of 

 all examinations. It is recommended that some association of 

 arithmetic and algebra with geometry is desirable in all cases 

 where this may be found possible. Examining bodies are 

 advised that no candidate should be allowed to pass unless he 

 gives evidence of some power to deal with questions not in- 

 cluded in the text-book adopted. With regard to arithmetic 

 and algebra, regret is expressed that the decimal system of 

 weights and measures has not been adopted in this country. 

 Graphical methods should be used wherever possible, and 

 tables of simple functions should be introduced as soon as the 

 student is capable of understanding the general nature of the 

 functions tabulated. 



In opening the discussion on points arising from this report, 

 Mr. A. W. Siddons described the recommendations of the 

 Mathematical Association Committee, of which he is honorary 

 secretary. Like the British Association Committee, that of the 

 Mathematical Association recommends that a first introduction 

 to geometry, and to each new branch of geometry, should be 

 experimental with the use of instruments and numerical measure- 

 ments and calculations. So far as deductive geometry is con- 

 cerned, Mr. Siddons pointed out that there seem to be four 

 alternatives: — (1) To have no one syllabus placed in the 

 position of authority; (2) to replace Euclid by one standard 



NO. 1 723, VOL. 67] 



syllabus ; (3) to modify Euclid by omission and readjustment ; 

 (4) to retain Euclid in its present form. 



The Mathematical Association Committee has recommended 

 the adoption of a modified Euclid ; it is considered that the time 

 is not yet ripe for the proposal of a standard to be adopted finally 

 in place of Euclid. The modifications proposed include: — (1) 

 The omission of some propositions which do not help on the 

 course or which should be regarded as axiomatic ; (2) improved 

 methods of proving other propositions, including the use of 

 hypothetical constructions ; (3) the addition of a few proposi- 

 tions ; (4) the adoption of Playfair's axiom and the "limit" 

 definition of a tangent ; (5) the use of angles greater than two 

 right angles ; (6) that the exact treatment of incommensurables 

 be regarded as a branch of higher mathematics. 



The discussion upon the two reports was distinguished this 

 year by the fact that mathematical masters from several public 

 and other large schools were present and took part in it. It is 

 evident from the opinions expressed that reforms in the directions 

 advocated by the two committees would be welcomed by many 

 teachers. 



Mathematical ideas can be obtained by means of Froebel's 

 boxes of geometrical solids and simple plane figures, but the 

 school work after the kindergarten is not usually conducted on 

 the same sound and systematic plan. An address on the sub- 

 jects to be taught as science in schools and the order in which 

 they should be taken, given by Dr. C. W. Kimmins, indicated 

 desirable directions of study. Dr. Kimmins pointed out that 

 the great reforms which have taken place in recent years in the 

 teaching of science in schools have been due in large measure to 

 the British Association report on the teaching of chemistry. 

 Similar reports are needed on the teaching of other subjects 

 suitable for instruction in schools, and it is hoped that the 

 committee appointed on the teaching of botany will be of value 

 in this connection. 



Dr. Kimmins suggested that the interval between the kinder- 

 garten (pupils five to eight years of age) and the experimental 

 science course should be utilised for suitable nature-study 

 teaching. During this interval, thorough instruction should b; 

 given in practical mathematics, including the mensuration which 

 is generally taken as part of the experimental science course. 

 This should be given in the time devoted to mathematics, not 

 science. Finally, it was considered that the subjects requiring 

 special attention are the teaching of natural history and botany, 

 and the correlation of science and art teaching. 



When experimental science is introduced into schools, the 

 best course of practical instruction to follow is one based upon 

 heuristic principles, such as that which has been introduced into 

 Irish national schools. Mr. W. Mayhowe Heller, who has 

 organised the work, described the methods and results of the 

 scheme. The Commissioners of National Education, in taking 

 steps to introduce practical instruction into their schools, are 

 attempting to do the work accomplished in the towns of Eng- 

 land and Scotland by local educational enterprise. In elementary 

 science, the typical course for boys and girls is based on the 

 1889 recommendation of the British Association Committee. 

 Teachers attending training courses have to perform all experi- 

 ments of the course themselves. Free equipment grants of ap- 

 paratus for manual instruction and elementary science are given 

 to necessitous schools. Very few schools at present have labor- 

 atories, but at the same time a great deal of individual experi- 

 menting can be accomplished. Object lessons are allowed as a 

 substitute for a systematic course of instruction in experimental 

 science, but these must attempt to achieve the same results as the 

 science lesson, viz. accurate habits in observation, work, de- 

 scription and reasoning. Practical instruction of this kind is of 

 the highest importance to Ireland ; for upon its successful intro- 

 duction into the national schools depends the future of technical 

 instruction. 



The position of science in Irish intermediate schools was 

 brought before the Section in two papers, one by Mr. R. M. 

 Jones, head-master of the Royal Academical Institution, and 

 another by Mr. T. P. Gill, secretary of the Department of 

 Agriculture and Technical Instruction. Mr. Jones gave a survey 

 of the working of the new scheme of intermediate education and 

 indicated the probable tendency of developments. Practical 

 work in physics and chemistry has been introduced into inter- 

 mediate schools, the scheme followed being that of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture and Technical Instruction. The result 

 is that laboratories in which simple measurements and weigh- 

 ings can be conveniently carried on have been provided in many 



