REPORT, for the Year 1895, by JOHN KERR, Esq., M.A., Cantab., Increase in attendance. Roman Change of date of examination for certificate. Average salary after training. MY LORDS, I HAVE the honour to submit my report on the Training Colleges of Scotland for the year 1895. The decrease in male students unfortunately continues, 266 as against 279. This decrease is so serious in Aberdeen, that the authorities have doubts as to the expediency of continuing the male section of the college. There is, however, a counterbalancing increase in the female students, 730 as against 656. The total increase this year is 61, part of which is accounted for by the opening of the Roman Catholic college in Glasgow with 23 students now in the second year of training. It is to be hoped rather than expected that these students, only a small proportion of whom are natives of Scotland, will remain and give the country in which they have been trained, the much-needed benefit of their services. The date of the certificate examination was this year changed from December to July for certain reasons, an important one being that it allowed the male students, a considerable number of whom attend classes in the universities, to have the full benefit of the university session, with which the examination in December very seriously interfered. The permission given to female students also to attend university classes was an additional reason for the change of date. I find that the number of female students has increased from 32 last year to 97 in 1895. The curtailing of the training college session by six months made a lightening of some of the subjects necessary. The following table shows the distribution of the students among the various colleges and their annual salary after two years' residence. There is on the whole an increase in the amount : The examination for admission to training colleges was also changed from Midsummer to December. To facilitate the transition from the one date to the other, examinations were held both in July and December of 1894, one being alternative or supplementary to the other. The number who presented themselves in July was 1,267, and in December Two Queen's 800, of whom 151 were males, and 649 females. All had been pupil- Scholarship teachers, except 11 males and 50 females. The number who passed in examinations the first and second class and so were qualified to enter the training in 1894. colleges was 86 of the former, and 401 of the latter. The number of outgoing students is 141 males and 379 females. There is therefore Insufficient room for 55 male students more than the number qualified. In the supply of exceptional circumstances of this year there are vacancies for all but 22 male candifemale candidates, and if the permission granted last year is repeated dates. room will be probably found for them all. It is as yet impossible to estimate the extent to which local committees, in terms of Article 83 of the Code, at the Universities and Dundee will increase the supply of trained teachers. examination date unwel come. While the change of date for the certificate examination has been Change of welcomed, there is general dissatisfaction with the transference of the Queen's admission examination from July to December. In the latter month the Scholarship candidates qualify for admission, but are not admitted till September or October. During these nine months, they may or may not remain as ex-pupil-teachers in the schools in which they have been apprenticed. If they do, and many do not, their time is fully occupied with the ordinary school duties. Jaded with the day's work, they cannot be expected to do much or effective work in preparation for entrance into the training college. They have no fixed line of study prescribed, and the teachers under whom they serve have no longer any personal motive for superintending or guiding them in preparatory work. If they do not continue to serve as pupil-teachers, they are left in most cases absolutely to their own resources, get out of touch with their work, and some are probably tempted to seek other employment. At any rate it is tolerably safe to say, that very few in either case make a profitable use of the nine months delay in commencing what is meant to be their life work. There may be difficulties in the way of remedying this, but in a matter Remedy so important to hundreds of candidates they ought not be insuperable, desirable. If the much larger number of candidates in both the admission and certificate examination make a return to the practice of upwards of 20 years ago impossible, when the two examinations were held in consecutive Suggestion. weeks, probably four days could be found during the Easter holidays, when the training colleges are shut and accommodation is available.. Apprenticeships could be held to end in June or July when vacations commence, and time could be found for revision of the papers before the opening of the training college session on 1st October. There would thus be only a gap of four months between examination and entrance, during two, and in some districts three, of which they would still serve as pupilteachers. April is usually a busy month for inspection, but under the present mode of assessing grants the postponement of visit for a few days is of comparatively little importance. The condition of the practising schools in connexion with the various Practising training colleges calls for no special remark. They continue to be schools. largely attended and efficiently taught. None of them in respect of building and equipment are equal to the best type of board schools in large towns, but their organisation, discipline, and efficiency satisfactorily meet the demand made upon them as appendages to training colleges. In most of them it is customary for the masters of method Visits to other or principals to accompany the students in visits to board and other schools. schools with a view to widen observation of methods and appliances. This is a practice to be highly recommended. I have as formerly Methods not uniform. Apparént seen the methods in use in the various practising schools while the students were giving lessons. These methods are by no means uniform, but the supervision of the master of method or the teacher in charge of the department is invariably a factor in the work. The least satisfactory method is when three or four classes are being taught in the same room with consequent noise and distraction of attention. But to overtake the requisite number of hours this is in some cases said to be inevitable. I am disposed to think that on this point there is in some colleges misconception. a misconception as to the requirements. The syllabus prescribes that each student must spend 200 hours "in the practising and model "schools under proper superintendence." This I should think does not mean that each student must, criticism lessons inclusive, individually handle classes for 200 hours. If it does mean this I can quite understand that it is impossible to implement this condition otherwise than by the method, which I have referred to as being the least satisfactory. Í think there can be no doubt that both for the class which is being taught and for the students, whose aim is to acquire practical skill, much more effective work would be done by having only one class under instruction, with which each of three or four students in turn should deal, the others meanwhile with undivided attention making notes of defects or excellences, to be afterwards discussed with the master of method who is also present. I am quite satisfied that these three or four students will in this way do a better hour's work, though each may have taught only 15 or 20 minutes, than if each had taught for a whole hour, amid the distraction and noise of two or three classes in the immediate neighbourhood. No master of method can effectively supervise the teaching of three or four classes taught simultaneously and noisily in the same room. It seems to me that, on the plan I have suggested, the demands of the syllabus as to spending the requisite hours in the practising school under proper superintendence would be satisfactorily complied with. Various methods in criticism lessons. In practice of teaching. In some of the colleges praiseworthy efforts are made to avoid getting into ruts. One method is for students to draw by lot lessons from a number of unprepared subjects. Readiness, self-reliance, and adaptability are thus usefully developed. The lesson may be and generally is a short one, but it is given under the eye of fellow students who are expected to criticise it. Sometimes a student is required to give a lesson to his fellow students who are regarded for the time as a school class, the object of which is to cultivate accuracy in language, care and precision in asking questions addressed, as they are, to a class more intelligent and critical than ordinary school children. These and any other devices for relieving the monotony, which is almost inseparable from the formal lessons, which necessarily bulk largely in normal school training, are strongly to be commended. The practising school is used in various ways. In some cases the practice is spread over the most of the session, in others it is condensed into a few weeks. With this I do not think it my duty to interfere, believing that the principals have the strongest motives for adopting the plan which experience has proved to be the best. I am disposed, however, to think that results will be more permanent when the practice is spread over the greater part of the session. Several causes which prevent this from being done must be taken into account. Many of the students attend university classes, and have only part of their time available for the practising school. And again the interests of the practising school itself cannot be overlooked. As the time for the annual inspection draws nigh, the teachers |