ON THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. 437 



teachers are not obliged to receive any instruction in Natural Science, 

 although they may have to give instruction in such subjects, either 

 specifically or in the form of object lessons ; indeed, if they should be in 

 charge of a class of the three lower standards it would be obligatory upon 

 them to give such object lessons. A Departmental Committee, consisting 

 of the Rev. T. W. Sharpe, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, as 

 Chairman, and several Inspectors and Principals of Training Colleges and 

 Pupil-teacher Centres, have reported upon the pupil-teacher system. They 

 recommend that the age for entering as pupil teachers should be raised, 

 and that the interval between the elementary school and their apprentice- 

 ship should be passed at a secondary school. This would by no means 

 ensure that the young people would receive any instruction in Science 

 during that period of their career. No alteration is proposed in the 

 optional Science Course prescribed by the Code of the Education Depart- 

 ment, except that the Queen's Scholarship examination is to be limited to 

 the elementary stage of Physiography prescribed in the syllabus of the 

 Science and Art Department. With regard to the College Course the recom- 

 mendation is singularly weak, Science being placed as an optional subject, 

 without any definite course of study prescribed. For the first two years 

 it is laid down that of the optional subjects not more than two must be 

 taken out of a list of four or six respectively, some of which from their 

 very nature are almost sure to be taken in preference. 



An important letter has been addressed to the Right Hon. Sir John 

 Gorst by Sir Philip Magnus, the Chairman of the Joint Scholarship Board, 

 in conjunction with the Chairmen of its four educational committees. 

 They point out the necessity of securing the proper training of those who 

 will be teachers of scientific subjects, and that the instruction of pupil- 

 teachers in science is now often carried on, under great pressure, by a 

 system of cram, and even by persons who have not themselves any satis- 

 factory knowledge of modern scientific methods. They suggest as a 

 remedy that the first part only of the elementary stage. Physiography, be 

 compulsory ; that the teaching of this subject be recognized only where 

 it is given with proper accessories, all pupils performing the experiments 

 in a series of at least twenty- four lessons of two hours' duration; and that 

 inspectors should be required particularly to report whether proper 

 apparatus and accessories are provided. 



In last year's report your Committee referred to what Mr. Heller was 

 doing in respect of the teaching of Science in the schools of the London 

 School Board. He has since obtained a better appointment at Birming- 

 ham, but the syllabus of lessons which he prepared is still employed in the 

 schools. This of course requires that the masters and mistresses should 

 be qualified for carrying it out, and for this purpose classes of twenty-four 

 hours are conducted for their benefit by the Science Demonstrators. 

 These gentlemen have lately agreed upon two separate syllabuses for 

 masters and mistresses, which follow in general the scheme they are 

 expected to teach to their scholars. The classes of a similar kind that 

 have been carried on hitherto have been appreciated by the teachers, and 

 the Board are increasing their laboratory and other accommodation for 

 the purpose. It is recognised that it will be necessary to continue these 

 teachers' courses for some years, in order to overcome the difficulty which 

 now exists in consequence of the general want of practical experiment in 

 such instruction in Science as has been given in the course of training of 

 most class teachers. 



