326 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
more upon their own resources and less on those of their teacher, there should 
be no abrupt change from the methods of the primary stage. ‘ } 
During the four years’ course the groundwork of the general and regional 
geography of the world should be covered. The method of work will be illustrated 
by a first-hand study of the home district to which reference will be made at 
all stages. In the study of the home district and the British Isles direct exper1- 
ence and observation play an important part, and maps and charts, such as the 
maps of the Ordnance Survey, weather charts, &c., should be read and 
interpreted. ? 
The emphasis on the human factor in all the teaching will be welcomed and 
eagerly developed by pupils passing through the experience of adoiescence 
roper. 
ae Ill. Tue Apvancep CoursE—acGeEs 16 To 18. 
At this stage the adolescent has begun to surmount his difficulties, and 
steadying influences appear. In this stage the beginnings of specialisation can 
be introduced with profit, and the pupil can be thrown more and more upon 
his own initiative. In geography he is now able to engage in more detailed 
regional studies, and to pursue courses in specialised branches of geographical 
instruction, e.g. meteorology, geomorphology, surveying, historical geography, &c. 
Outline Schemes for each Stage.. 
T. Tue Later Primary Srace. 
Formal geography cannot be taken in these years, but the principles which 
underlie geographical study should serve as a guide in the selection of story 
and description. One group of lessons should be preparatory to the study of 
the ‘home.’ It should be related to familiar things, and involve a good deal 
of observation. The complexity of the ‘home’ arises from— 
(i) its position on the surface of the earth ; 
(11) the local conditions of relief, soil, climate, &c. ; 
(iii) the activities of man in field or factory, on road or railway. 
All these may be introduced by a teacher who possesses a geographical ‘ sense.’ 
The farmer, the woodlands, a winter’s day, the thunderstorm, the market cross, 
old street names, these and a thousand other circumstances may be selected 
round which to weave the threads of a geographical study. The farm with 
meadowland by the river should be contrasted with the farm consisting mainly 
of hill pasture. Seed time must ultimately be coupled with harvest time, and 
both with the seasonal change of climate, and the cattle market with the shops 
in the High Street. 
The home district must also be used to teach the elements of geographical 
notation by means of simple maps. Similarly, in the choice of descriptions 
and stories of other lands and peoples, the basis must be as fine a geographical f 
conception as possible. Eskimo life in winter must have as complement the — 
life in summer. The prairie, as the former home of the Indian, needs another 
picture of the prairies as the home of the present wheat cultivator. The 
wheat farm of Canada needs as its corollary the factories of the Black 
Country, and both involve the romance of the ship by which the wheat and 
manufactures are exchanged. 
_ The story of explorer and adventurer in Africa and Australia needs to be 
linked with the story of the development of these same lands under modern 
conditions. Folk-lore, not as isolated stories but carefully selected as to area 
and with points referring to local conditions, faithfully related, can be made 
to render valuable aid in these early years of instruction. 
As the work proceeds so it becomes possible to ‘locate’ the scenes of the — 
stories. For local setting the first rough map may be built and orientated on 
the floor or table, showing the position of school, church, market, farm, wood, — 
&c. Distant scenes should be located on a black-surfaced globe, the character of _ 
the region being indicated so that on completion the major regions of the earth 
—climatic, vegetational, and industrial—have been placed, and great world ocean 
and railway routes of commerce have been marked. 
Thus by the end of the primary stage the pupil has some elementary 
