452 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



laboratory work includes construction and manipulation of apparatus for 

 the type of work suitable for elementary schools. A much smaller number 

 spend about a quarter of their time in their second year in doing more 

 advanced science of various kinds, chiefly chemistry. Goldsmiths' College 

 also offers facilities for a third year course in selected subjects, science being 

 one of them. In accordance with one of the suggestions of the Hadow 

 Report (para. 127), the college is offering facilities to a number of men 

 students to specialise in the group of subjects — science, mathematics, and 

 handwork — the two former being dealt with both in the laboratory and 

 in the workshop and very largely from the teaching rather than the 

 academic point of view. The majority of women students take a first 

 year course in nature study and biology. The figures in the table do 

 seem to show, however, that general effect has not yet been given to the 

 recommendation of the Prime Minister's Committee (1916-1918), viz., 

 that a large number of students in training colleges should be encouraged 

 to take advanced courses in science (para. 88). There has, in fact, been a 

 decrease (from 13-7 to 11-7) in the proportion of students taking those 

 courses, a number even then considered by the Committee as extremely 

 small. ' It is extremely desirable,' said the Committee, ' that there should 

 be a much larger number of teachers in elementary schools qualified to 

 give instruction in science, and that all possible steps should be taken to 

 increase the supply.' One reason for this unpopularity of advanced 

 courses in science may be the circumstance, to which Mr. Lance Jones 

 directs attention (p. 382 of his book on the training of teachers), that 

 although students in the training college are now permitted to specialise 

 in one or more subjects, little use is made of their special qualifications 

 in the elementary schools, a lack of co-ordination which renders much of 

 their preparation of little avail. 



Science teaching in primary schools is apt to suffer because of the- 

 inadequate provision for practical work and demonstration. Science 

 lessons to be effective need much preparation of material, &c. No 

 allowance is usually made for this in the time-table of the science 

 specialist in the elementary school and the alternatives left to him are 

 either to steal time from an earlier lesson or to do away with the 

 demonstration. The result is that the lessons suffer and the pupil's 

 interest in science is not aroused. Apathy and even antipathy continue 

 through the secondary school and the training college, which sends out 

 teachers with little or no interest in the teaching of science. 



When, as does happen, interest is aroused for the first time at the 

 training college, the time available is too short to ensure a reasonable 

 standard of attainment, and — even more important^ — ^the student cannot 

 get sufficient practice to enable him to feel confidence in himself as a 

 manipulator of apparatus. 



The change-over among women students from botany to biology and. 

 the disappearance of ' rural science ' are conspicuous, as is the decrease 

 from 51 to 38 in the percentage of students offering elementary science. 

 The Prime Minister's Committee was so impressed by the importance of 

 some scientific knowledge for all teachers that it considered a certain 

 standard of attainment in this field should be required of every entrant tO' 

 a training college. 



