476 keport— 1879. 



Out of 248 boys', 218 girls', and 46 mixed schools, more than half include in 

 their course of instruction scientific specific subjects, which are thus distributed : — 



Mechanics . . . 



Animal Physiology . . , 

 Physical Geography . . , 

 Botany .... 

 Domestic Economy . , . 



The cost of books and apparatus for the instruction in natural knowledge during 

 the past twelvemonth was : — 



Object teaching, diagrams, &c. . . . £587 



Natural sciences 117 



Domestic Economy (exclusive of cookery centres) 130 



£834 



This amount forms a very small item in the £23,000, which was the expenditure of 

 the year on books and teaching apparatus for the 205,010 children usually on the 

 rolls, and is, in fact, rather less than one penny per child per annum. 



There are other ways in which the Board works in the same direction : such as 

 the placing of popular books on science in the school libraries, and the co-operation 

 with the National Health Society in respect of the prizes in physiology which are 

 offered to girls. 



2. On Science Teaching in connection with Elementary Schools. 

 By J. F. Moss, Clerk of the Sheffield School Board. 



The conditions under which grants in aid of elementary schools are given 

 naturally suggest the consideration how far science teaching may be extended with the 

 facilities already offered, and what improvements can be suggested in the direction 

 of making science teaching more thorough and useful. The new code of regula- 

 tions prescribes a certain course of training for every child attending a Government- 

 aided school. The essential subjects are carefully arranged so that a child of twelve 

 or thirteen should be fitted by such an education for any of the ordinary positions 

 in life. There are also optional subjects, which include mechanics, animal physi- 

 ology, physical geography, and botany. In the arrangements for the promotion of 

 science teaching in connection with the Science and Art Departments there is a 

 programme of twenty-four subjects in respect of which grants are given to 

 teachers whose students attend certain classes and pass the prescribed examinations. 

 It is undesirable to encourage the taking up of too many special subjects, any one 

 of which would require an immense amount of time and hard work. Some teachers 

 can produce most wonderful arrays of certificates, embracing subjects most comical 

 in their variety, and involving studies widely different in their character. When 

 we come to special science teaching, such as ought to be insisted upon, it will be 

 obvious that the work should be well done, and can only be safely intrusted to 

 those who devote themselves specially to a limited range of subjects, and who can 

 be relieved of other responsibilities so as to admit of proper preparation and 

 research. First of all we want really good teachers, and we should then attend to 

 the necessity of economising their labours by framing such a system as will be 

 calculated to secure the best results without waste of power. The teacher should 

 be encouraged to concentrate his energies in whatever direction he is best fitted to 

 follow, and should not be distracted by incongruous pursuits. At present the 

 supply of really good science teachers is by no means sufficient, but as the field 

 widens the demand will be met. Supposing we have the teachers, how can we 

 best utilise and economise their work ? The ordinary elementary school is scarcely 

 the place best adapted as the sphere of operations ; not that I would exclude 

 elementary science teaching altogether from the lower schools, I woidd rather con- 

 sider them as the place where should be discovered the adaptability of the pupil 



