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Report On The Inspection Of Chiefs College 1937PDF 39
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34
My fears were confirmed by my visits to the olass-roome, Much of the
teaching struck mo as mechanical and lacking in life. For oxa
teaching of geography in the class that I inspected consisted very Ini
the dictation of dreary lists of names and places which, I presume, were subse.
quently memorised by the boys. Very little effort seemed to be made to
ensure that.even the words wors,spelé correctly. Even whore correction,
had been made in the exercise books, the boys often repeated theh previous
tnistakes, . .
It is by good oral teaching that the imagination is quickened and that
boys are trained in mental alertness and agility, but such teaching must ba
efficient and needs professional skill and technique. Owing to absence of
training, most of the masters are lacking in those assets ; some remain satisfied
with formal explanations, in which the pupils take but little part, with the
formal writing of an exercise by the boys, with formal corrections, and with
fow effective results.
Mental arithmetic, for example, is a subject well calculated to brace ths
intelligence and to sharpen the wits of boys. For this purpose it is not -
advisable to impose upon young boys the strain of a whole poried
devoted to such exercises, but rather to enliven the whole teaching by short
and frequent interludes of mental arithmetic. The questions should also bo
connected as far as possible with matters of every-day concern, matters in
which the boys are themselves interested. I took the precaution ot asking a
few such questions in every class which I visited, but, with a few exceptions,
the boys were completely at sea.
A subject which is also calculated to produce agility and alertness is
physical training. I was therefore the more disappointed by what I saw.
in this important subject. There were examples of individual skill and
capacity, bub there was little unity in the squad asa whole, There wasa lack
of professional skill. ‘
Though the reading of the Diploma candidates was perhaps above the
average, I was not impressed favourably by the reading as a whole. The
practice of private reading should also be encouraged ; for this purpose the
institution of class libraries (if the enrolment justifies such expenditure) is
important. Such libraries should consist of books which are easier in language
than the reading books prescribed for the class in order that interest in reading
shall not be discouraged by unnecessary difficulties of language.
In the lower classes the reading bock should be made the centre of in-
struction. It is desirable that the same set of readers should be used through-
out the lower classes.
Engish should be taught very largely to the junior classes by means of
oral methods, The ground should be carefully prepered tor subsequent
written exercises by means of oral teaching, in which the whole class would
take part ; andthe subjects ot such exercises should be closely related to those
included in the reading lessons. <As far as possible, especially in the junior
classes, the written work should be supervised and corrected in situ. A
small boy is far more likely to benefit by a mistake when pointed out to him
at the time of commission ; he is apt to regard subsequent corrections in his
exercise book with feelings of resentment and to make his cortections
mechanically. .
5. Unfortunately, many of those suggestions are largely inapplicable to
the College in its present condition for the sad reason that, owing to its minute
enrolment, class-teaching has become well-nigh impossible.. The class
enrolment figures amply bear out this contention.
No.
Class. of Ages of pupils.
pupils. .
Diploma). 0. ees 8 21, 19, 18, 18, 18, 16, 16, 16.
Class ITB . ~% 8 . . 16, 15.
2
Cliss TTI BL . . . . 3 17, 16, 13.
GosIVB. . . 5 15,15, 14, 12,9,
Class V er in abeyance,
Glass VI . . . . . 3 16, 14, 0.
Class VIT (A & B) . 2
1,10.