ON TEACHIiNG CHEMISTRY. 83 



tanything we can oSei', who are at once chemists and teachers. Mere 

 chemists ai'e of no nse from a pedagogic point of view, and even they 

 would be hard to get. I am convinced that a teacher who had a strong 

 grasp of the principles of the science could, and would, make it an emi- 

 nently valuable means of mental training. (2) The entire non-recognition 

 of chemistry by the two universities in the eai'lier stages of their arts 

 courses.' 



3. ' The methods which, in your opinion, are most likely to render the teaching 

 effective as a mental discipline, and as a preparation for siibsequent 

 instruction in the higher branches of the science or in applied chemistry.^ 



A great deal has been written in reply to the question as to the 

 methods which ought to be followed in teaching elementary chemistry. 



It is clear that the older plans of teaching, which are still largely used, 

 are felt to be partly unsatisfactory, and that by modifying them chemistry 

 might be made much more valuable as a mental discipline for boys. In 

 particular protest is made against the undue proportion of time which is 

 frequently assigned to qualitative analysis ; indeed, the majority of teachers 

 do not consider this to be the most valuable part of the subject. Others 

 hold that it presents many advantages, and is, on the whole, the best 

 adapted to school work, especially when instruction has to be given to 

 large classes of boys. But while most teachers strongly deprecate a rigid 

 adherence to the present system, and a few are able to point out the 

 general lines on which the teaching might be more usefully conducted, it 

 is evident that very few, if any, have yet put into operation a remodelled 

 system of instruction. In fact, it appears that teachers stand very much 

 in need of advice and assistance in preparing a modified scheme of teach- 

 ing suitable for general adoption in schools. It has several times been 

 suggested that this Committee might be able to render important help 

 in this direction. 



The following quotations are typical of many of the replies which have 

 been made. They are written by the head-masters or science masters of 

 both large and small schools, and are here reproduced, not only because 

 they allude to some of the pi-incipal defects of the present methods, but 

 also on account of suggestions they contain which seem likely to be 

 valuable to those who are anxious to make chemical teaching more 

 •effective than it is at present. 



LIX. ' The teaching should be experimental in all cases. The 

 ■experiments need not be numerous, but apposite, and the utmost got out 

 of them, both directly and indirectly. I find, for example, that I can get 

 a good hour's work out of boys in the lower forms with such subjects as 

 the sepai'ation of sand from a solution of salt, the action of water on lime, or 

 the action of nitric acid on copper. I find that the same plan of limiting the 

 attention to one or two important points is also most effective in the upper 

 forms when the exigencies of examination- work admit of this kind of treat- 

 ment. Notes of lessons should be relied on rather than text-books. I find, 

 for example, that the ground covered at previous lessons is always known, 

 but that I get next to nothing out of a set lesson from a book. This will 

 be sure to follow from an experimental method of treatment. Above all, 

 I would suggest the entire remodelling of all school examinations and the 

 placing them in the hands of men who have had experience in teaching, 



