Reports on National Education. sufficient experience to do full justice to the new subjects. This the State of experience and the enthusiasm necessary for success can only, in my opinion, be gained from the teachers' own teaching of these subjects; and, therefore, the sooner teachers are put in a position to gain this experience the better. Mr. W. M. I am convinced that in the great majority of Nationai schools Science teaching of great educational value is not only possible, but will be successful; and if a sufficiently high standard of work is maintained, through the medium and advice of the inspectorate, the methods employed in its teaching will in due time produce a great improvement in the methods employed in teaching all subjects of the curriculum. In conclusion, may I express my great indebtedness to the Office and inspection staff, who have on all occasions lent every assistance in their power to render my work easy of accomplishment, and especially to my assistant and sub-organisers, who in a year of very heavy work have loyally and ungrudgingly devoted their whole energies and time to the somewhat difficult task before them. I beg to remain, The Secretaries. Gentlemen, Your obedient Servant, Summary of Teachers Qualified in Elementary Science during year In addition 70 teachers in Londonderry have received instruction for a very short period. W, MAYHOWE HELLER, XII.-General Report of Mr. A. W. BEVIS, Head Organizer of Reports on Hand-and-Eye Training and Drawing. the State of National Education. GENTLEMEN,-The first course of instruction in " 'Hand-and-Eye Training and Drawing," extending for seven weeks, was commenced Mr. A. W. in July, in Dublin, and was attended by 366 teachers of both sexes, gathered from various schools throughout Ireland. Bevis. Opening Class The subjects in which instruction is given under the head of Subjects 'Hand-and-Eye Training and Drawing" are Paper Folding, Brick- taught. work, Wirework, Cardboard Modelling, Woodwork, Freehand and Design Drawing, Scale and Geometrical Drawing, and Model Drawing. In October the Commissioners appointed four sub-organisers, Mr. Dennehy, Mr. Scott, Miss Smith, and Miss Doyle. nightly. In December teachers' classes were organised and instruction was Sub-organcommenced by the sub-organisers, in Paper Folding and Freehand izers. and Design Drawing, at different centres. The teachers attended Reason for these classes one evening for two hours once a fortnight, and were having the drawn from a radius of eight to ten miles. The object of making Classes fortthe classes fortnightly was twofold. First, it gave an opportunity for the teachers to introduce the work into their schools gradually, while the class was proceeding, and also to familiarise themselves with the work of the last lesson before attending the next. Second, it enabled the elementary part of the work to be simultaneously carried on to a greater number of teachers than otherwise could have been possible under the conditions. Central At first it was thought desirable that only the male sub- Female Suborganisers centred at Cork and Beliast should give the instructions at organizers the teachers' classes, which are usually large, averaging sixty in to take attendance. The two female sub-organisers spent their energies Classes. chiefly in visiting Convent schools and giving instruction to those nuns who were unable to attend at any of the central classes. The travelling, however, incurred by this method of procedure was found extravagant, both in time and money; also the demand for fresh teachers' classes from every quarter became so numerous that it was found necessary to organise new classes and place the instruction in the hands of the female sub-organisers. Since the starting seventy-nine classes have been organised, and Attendance at part instruction has been given to over 5,000 teachers. Besides these Classes. central classes, a great number of visits have been paid to schools, and special lessons given to nuns in Convent schools. All the classes have been well attended by the teachers in spite of the long distances they have to travel. It must be remembered, however, that this large number of teachers Suspension of has as yet only received a very small part of their training, Classes. and to accomplish this many classes have, at the end of the first course, had to be suspended, and it must be some time before they can be resumed. This has made it possible to give the instruction to many more teachers, and enable them also to make a beginning in their schools. A few classes only are being continued on to the second course, Brickwork i.e., Brickwork and Model Drawing; but the teachers attending and Model these classes are from the big towns, and they come at their own Drawing. request, and defray their own travelling expenses. It is regrettable that no arrangements could be made to meet the repeated applications from teachers and managers in the west, central Reports on the State of National Education. Mr. A. W. and many other parts of Ireland, but the classes have for many reasons had to be confined to the districts around Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Londonderry. Most of the Training College authorities have appointed special teachers to give the instruction in this work, and, so far as "Handand-Eye Training" is concerned, the first year's work gives much Hand and Eye hope that the future instruction in this training will be satisfactory; Training in Training Colleges. Drawing in Training Colleges. Woodwork. The Drawing, however, is very weak, and its application to industrial design appears almost totally neglected. It must for a long time be the Drawing that will be the chief difficulty in the colleges. Most of the students come to the training with no previous knowledge of drawing, and consequently have not that freedom of hand and conception of the harmony of form which are so essential for a good teacher of Drawing. The Manual Training in Woodwork has not been commenced in any of the colleges or schools as yet, but the College authorities are preparing to introduce it in the coming session. The sacrifices the teachers are making and the anxiety they show to be summoned to the classes, together with the enthusiasm they display in the work are much to their credit. The general aptitude for the work of both teachers and children is distinctly encouraging. I am, Gentlemen, i Your obedient servant, A. W. BEVIS, Head Organiser, Messrs. and The Secretaries. Drawing and Hand-and-Eye Training. XIII.-Review of Inspectors' Reports, &c., for the Year 1900, by GENTLEMEN,-Inasmuch as we did not enter upon the discharge J. J. Hand of our duties as Examiners until early in January, 1901, the reports of inspection of schools for the previous year that came under our notice covered only a small proportion of the period to which reference has now to be made. Revised The state of unsettlement arising from the discontinuance of the old system of instruction, and its replacement by the Revised Programme, was perhaps at its worst during the closing months of the year 1900. Large numbers of the schools continued to be carried on exclusively on the Results System, in preparation for the annual examinations of 1900-1901, which had yet to be held. In many others an attempt was made to apply both old and new systems concurrently. In these latter but few of the new subjects had been introduced, and even where the annual examinations had already taken place, and the teachers were free to give entire attention to the scheme of instruction now operative in the schools, the change was effected very gradually. Some of the branches, notably Physical Drill, became immediately popular, and others, like Drawing, Singing, and Object Lessons, received much increased attention. A general improvement was reported in Reading, a subject that appears not to have been efficiently taught hitherto. The Inspectors showed no disposition to apply severe tests in any direc tion, so that the reports, on the whole, indicated that the school work was proceeding in a fairly satisfactory manner, notwithstand ing the unfavourable conditions of a transition stage. The teachers Reports on were reported to be attentive to their duties and interested in their the State of National work, and there was an almost entire absence of serious irregulari- Education. ties in the school accounts-in this respect quite a contrast to the experiences of the Results period. Messrs. J. J. hand and T. A. Day. Inspectors' Condition of The Inspectors brought frequently under notice the want of sufficient regard to neatness and tidiness in the general appearance of the school-rooms and surroundings. No doubt, in numerous instances, the unsuitable school buildings operated as a discourage- Reports. ment; but still more could have been done by the teachers to make the schools comfortable and attractive. A reference to the statis- School-houses. tical tables annually published by the Commissioners gives an idea of the large number of school buildings ill-adapted to their purpose; but an actual perusal of the reports would be necessary in order to realise the existing state of things, especially in the poorer districts. Along the west coast, from Donegal in the north to Cork in the south, nothing is more common than to meet with accounts of defective houses, bad roofs, damp walls, discoloured charts, broken-down ceilings, roughly-made, rickety desks, and want of proper school furniture. The absence of sanitary conveniences has so often been referred to that there is no need to advert to it here beyond stating that, in the year 1900, there were only 5,695 schools out of a total of 8,662 schools suitably provided for in this respect. The Commissioners have caused pressure to be put on the managers in order to effect the requisite improvements in school-houses and premises, but with no great measure of success. Unless building and furnishing grants can be given upon easier terms in the matter of local contributions there is not much improvement to be expected in remote localities. The existing state of things will prove a serious obstacle to the general success of the new system, under which adequate school accommodation, with suitable furniture and appointments are so important. In the case of many of the districts the Inspectors bear testimony to the satisfactory character of the school buildings. The town schools are being greatly improved, whilst the Convent schools continue to be bright examples of what schools ought to be. As an apparent result of the superior accommodation and equipment of the Convent schools, they became more readily adapted to the requirements of the Revised Programme, and appear to have been amongst the first to arrange for its introduction. In a report received within a few months of the issue of the Programme, an Inspector thus described his experiences on the occasion of an incidental visit to a Convent school in the West of Ireland: "I inspected teaching of Word-building to Fifth Standard. Prefixes were written on board, and children then wrote neatly in exercise books nouns, adjectives, and verbs (where possible) having the several prefixes. Also,, a number of words were written on board, and the children wrote down neatly, in exercise books, nouns, adjectives, and verbs formed from them, indicating part of speech in each case." "I inspected teaching of Metric system to Fifth Standard. Measuring with the Metre scale, and the principles of the Metric system were well explained by means of blackboard, slate, Metre scale, and actual measurement of a table. "Fifth Standard wrote from memory the substance of a short story. Teacher read story twice, explaining skeleton of story and the lesson to be derived from it. The children reproduced the story accurately in good handwriting, and with correct composition." "I inspected teaching of Elementary Science to Fifth and Sixth Standands. The properties of common substances and floating bodies were explained. An experiment was performed by teacher, showing the weight of a body immersed in water. The body immersed lost 1 oz. in weight, and it was found by actual measurement in a graduated glass that the water displaced weighed exactly 8 fluid drachms. The experiment was mathematically accurate and perfectly successful." The Revised Programme in actual oper ation. Reports on the State of National Education. Messrs. J. J. Hand "I inspected teaching of Physical Drill to First and Second Standards. The marching, turns, arm exercises, and feet and leg movements were done with great precision and vigour." "An exercise was done satisfactorily by Fifth Standard in scale drawing on plain paper. "Geometrical drawing with ruler and compass was done well by Fifth Standard, the exercise set being to draw a straight line perpendicular to a given straight line from a given point within it." "All the subjects of New Programme have been introduced, except Manual Instruction. £22 has been expended on apparatus required by the New Programme." The picture here presented is of interest as being illustrative of the variety, and even entertaining character of the system of teaching now possible in the schools. A considerable time must elapse before the curriculum will be in general operation even to the extent just described, but every step forward is a distinct advantage. Many of the older teachers seemed at first diffident of their powers. But this state of things will, no doubt, disappear in large degree, owing to the great pains taken by the Inspectors to explain the feasibility of what is required and to infuse confidence in old and young alike. It came under our notice recently that one of the most successful of the teachers was New Inspec- a schoolmistress of nearly 60 years of age. The new system of tion System. inspection, by which frequent and unexpected visits can be made to the schools, affords better opportunities than hitherto existed for Inspectors to observe the manner in which the work is conducted, and how the different subjects are taught. It will no doubt be taken advantage of for making useful suggestions in regard to better methods of teaching and school-keeping generally. Annual &c. The clerical work arising from the annual examinations of Examinations teachers, monitors, &c., presented no exceptional difficulties for the of Teachers, year 1900. The labour involved was as usual very great, and this Office is under the disadvantage that, up to the present, a special examination department has not been fully organised. The great bulk of the preparatory work is performed by a staff new to the duties, and only temporarily employed for this particular purpose. The ultimate results are, however, arrived at by skilled and experienced clerks of the Inspection Department. Some notion of the magnitude of the operations may be formed from the fact that over 6,000 persons were examined, and that the number of answerbooks amounted to nearly 63,000. The candidates for Training Colleges alone numbered 1,748. In this connection it is to be observed that the number of admissions bears but a small proportion to the number of competitors. There were only 476 admissions, although 1,308 qualified by their answering for entrance to the Colleges. Departmental As regards our other duties nothing calls for special mention. The work of the Inspection and Instruction Department proceeded throughout the year with regularity and as much promptitude as was feasible under the exceptional circumstances arising from the settlement of the teachers' incomes under the provisions of the new system. The operations connected therewith devolved almost entirely upon the clerical staff acting under our immediate direction, and represented a large demand on their zeal and energy. We are, gentlemen, Your obedient servants, The Secretaries, J. J. HAND, } Examiners. DUBLIN: Printed for His Majesty's Stationery Office, |