be appointed to assist him in taking the reading drafts; these he should train to their special duties once a week, at least. The teacher should remain long enough in charge of the same division to test the efficacy of his methods, and to see some of the results of his labours. It should be at least a twelvemonth. In schools above 150, the master should not have a division resting on him entirely for instruction; on the other hand, however large his school, he should never give himself up entirely to the business of governing and watching the school, to the neglect of personal teaching. To sustain sympathy with his assistants, he should teach at least twice a day. In a smaller school, the master may have a division depending on him for instruction, with the aid of a junior pupil-teacher, or good monitor. No class or division should ever be left without a ruler. As in the army, so in the school, provision should be made for the transmission of authority. In the event of the usual officer failing, or being called to other duties, it should be known who will next take the command. Where there are several teachers employed, either of one grade or another, their separate duties should be distinctly mapped out, and where the obligation of one teacher begins, and another terminates, should be as plainly discernible by the teachers themselves, as the difference between night and day. Ground for jealousy, irregularity, or dissatisfaction, there will be none if this be attended to. The assistants and pupil-teachers should also be able to learn from the plan of occupation the number of lessons they are respectively required to give within a specified time, the subjects on which they are to be given, and the duration of each. In addition to this, each teacher should know precisely what school materials and furniture are committed to his charge, including all those things which belong peculiarly to his class, together with such portion of the school apparatus, common to the use of all the classes, as the master may appoint. A list of these materials, and the several duties he has to discharge, should be plainly written down, in a prepared page of the school minute-book. The grade of the class, or division, may stand at the top of the page; the several items for which the teacher is responsible may be entered at the side; towards the right-hand side of the page there may be thirteen columns ruled, one for each week in the quarter. Once a week the master should require the teacher to account for the discharge of their duties one by one. A short remark or sign should be entered, indicative of the character of the performance of each. Such as "right," "yes," "no," "in part," "two left out," " omitted," "done well," "one minus" These quarterly reports become the written character of the teacher, and are useful in many respects afterwards. For the monitors, a similar scheme should be carried out, but, of course, less in magnitude. EXAMINATION OF CHILDREN IN BRITISH SCHOOLS. From a Correspondent. Seeing in the Record for April an article headed "Systematic Examinations of Sections under Pupil-Teachers," I was led, owing to the general interest I had already taken in the subject, to give it a very careful perusal. I was rather disappointed in not finding more of the real advantages set forth by the writer, which are derivable from the working of such a scheme. Every earnest and right-minded teacher will agree that the subject is very im. portant, and one that demands the most serious attention of those who have apprentices entrusted to their care. Indeed, I can conceive of no school organization, whether conducted on the purely monitorial or pupil-teacher system, com plete without some such plan. It may not prove altogether uninteresting to your readers if I bring before them a scheme which has successively stood the test of five years' trial, and produced results the most valuable in a school of 280 boys, with a staff of seven pupil-teachers. Before entering fully into the plan of examination, it will be necessary to explain a few particulars respecting the organization of the school, and the agency employed. The school is organized on the quadri-partite, or four part system, viz., into four sections, eight classes, and for the purposes of mere technical instruction (under monitors) into twenty-four drafts. Each section occupies alternately galleries, desks, draft positions, and class rooms, and is under two pupil-teachers. Each class on an average contains thirty-five boys, and is under one pupilteacher. Each pupil-teacher, on taking charge of a new class (which is done at the end of every six months) is provided with a written account of the standard of attainments to which he is expected to bring his boys in a given time,—either in one, three, or six months, with a set number of lessons on each subject, appointed for that class by the master; so that whenever the master enters any one class, for the purpose of examination, he has only to refer to the book of attainments to ascertain how far Such class should have progressed in each subject since the last examination. Each class is examined by the master at least once a month, assisted by the several pupilteachers. Further, each pupil-teacher, during the period in which he has charge of his class, is held responsible for the personal cleanliness and neatness of each boy,—their attainments and attendance; he reports, in writing, twice daily to the master the cause of absences takes charge of, and keeps in repair (as far as able) all the apparatus necessary for his class—and examines daily, with care, the home lessons. By the above arrangement, each pupil-teacher will have passed through and have taught in every section of the school in the space of four years. In the first half of the fifth year he passes rapidly through the same classes again, so as to enable him to get a clear conception of the working of the school, as a whole, in all its details; whilst in the second half of the same year he has the task of superintending, examining, and teaching one half the school, just as if he were the appointed master of the same. By this latter process he is the better fitted to discharge the important and responsible duties devolving upon him in after life. The scheme embraces two distinct sets of subjects:-1st. Those taught at school under the care of pupil-teachers. 2ndly. Those pursued at home by the boys themselves, with little or no help or supervision from the elder members of the family. These latter, or home lessons as they are called, form an important feature in the daily routine of the school, and are examined by the pupil-teachers in the following manner: thus 1. By a careful inspection of slates and books. 2. By a mutual correction of work done. 3. By interrogating the classes on lessons appointed to be learnt. 4. By requiring them to reproduce from memory, on their slates, any one of the subjects learnt at home. Each teacher then registers the character of the home work done, in a rough note. book kept for the purpose. An account of this, with the general progress made at the school, &c., is sent to the parents once a month. It should be stated here, that each class is provided with a graduated course of home studies, so arranged as to be auxiliary to, and correspond with, the subjects taught at school. This enables the master to extend the period of school life, not merely because it adds the hour's work every evening to that done in the day, but because it allows him to make use of the time in school for the higher purposes of education—an end to which instruction is but a means. The general progress is ascertained by an individual oral examination, either by the master or the most advanced pupil-teacher; a general estimate is then formed of the answers given, and recorded accordingly in the monthly examination book opposite each boy's name, thus In making up the monthly reports, the pupil-teachers fill up the blanks in the attendance,―enter general progress and home lessons, leaving the conduct and habits to be filled up by the master. Mr. MONTHLY REPORT. The following is an account of the attendance, progress, home lessons, conduct, and habits of your son during the month ending Attendance-The school has been opened Ditto late General Progress, Home Lessons, 185 half-days. He has been absent half-days. minutes. Conduct, Habits, You are requested to attend to the following remarks:— 1. Be very careful to send your son regularly to school, and at the appointed time, as irregularity of attendance is opposed to his progress; for what he learns one day (if not kept up) may be forgotten the next. 2. Take care that he returns home as soon as the duties of the school are over, and that he writes* on his slate the exact time of his arrival, with your approval, for the inspection of the master the next morning; so that the evils, and mischievous habits, arising from playing in or stopping about the streets may be avoided. 3. Make it a point of answering verbally, or in writing, every communication that you receive from the master respecting the welfare of your son. Please to examine this Report carefully and preserve it. Master. * If the parents would write the time, and put their signature, it would be much more satisfactory to the master. This kind of examination is continued throughout the year, excepting the months of June and December, when a general (special) examination takes place. A report of the results of this examination, with other matters, is sent to the parents of every child examined. The examination lasts for ten days, at the rate of three hours per day. The upper school consisting of the four highest classes occupies the first seven days. The examination is partly conducted in writing and partly oral. Previous to examination of any class or section, the names of all present are entered in a book, ruled and headed as under. Dictation and Home Lessons. Very good. Alfred Marshall. B. A. D. E. A. B. C. A. B. B. D. B. Fair. Scale of Marks. A., Very good; B., Good; C., Fair; D., Middling; E., Bad. (See Half-yearly Report.) The following is the form of letter addressed to each parent at the end of each half-year :Mr. The following is the Half-yearly REPORT of the progress, attendance, conduct, and a pupil in Draft general habits of your son Class Section Parents are requested to examine this Report carefully, and to preserve it. N.B.-Special attention is desired to the following points : 1. To secure a regular and punctual attendance. (See No. 1 Monthly Report.) 2. The possession of the necessary books for the home lessons, which are few and cheap. 3. A careful preparation every evening of the lessons set for the next day, which are appointed on Friday, for the ensuing week. 4. See that your son reads only such books as you approve of, during his hours of leisure-for a bad and foolish book would do him as much harm as a bad and foolish companion. Good and useful books can be had from the School Lending Libraries, as every class (the two lowest excepted) has a graduated library of its own, free of charge. The books are renewed every week. 5. CERTIFICATES OF GOOD CHARACTER will be given to well-conducted boys, who have attended regularly for two years and upwards; such certificates, it is hoped, may prove valuable passports to these youths on their entrance into the business of life, and may be kept by them as pleasing mementoes of their school-days. Master. The forms thus used in the examination are exceedingly simple, and may be easily kept. Method of Examination.-Reading being the most important subject in the examination, it will of necessity occupy the longest portion of time. To test its character each scholar in the two upper sections is taken apart, and required to read a piece of poetry and a paragraph from some work not seen by him before. The pieces selected are not more difficult than those in the text-books of the school. The character of the boy's reading being determined, one of the following letters, A, B, C, D, E, is placed opposite his name in the examination-book. Writing in Copy-books.-To facilitate the examination of the writing the copybooks used are ruled in the following manner expressly for the school. The first six leaves are all text-hand, the next eight round, and the remaining six small. The boys, on commencing new books, are simply instructed to fill up all the lefthand pages of each hand, and to leave the right-hand pages blank, until they have written on every left-hand page of the book. When done, they return to fill up the right-hand pages; but between the completion of the first left-hand page and the commencement of the first right-hand page, a period of one month or six weeks will have elapsed, during which time they will have gradually progressed. Therefore, each right-hand page should exhibit a marked progress when compared with the opposite page. On a given signal every boy opens his book at the last right-hand copy written in text-hand; second, ditto, round; third, ditto, small. A glance at each is sufficient to satisfy the master whether any improvement has been made, or otherwise. It may be well to remark in passing that this test is in daily operation, it is a gentle but continuous monitor, and acts as a powerful stimulus for good. Arithmetic, Geography, History, and Grammar.-In examining classes upon the above subjects collectively, in writing, some little tact and contrivance are required on the part of the examiner to prevent copying. Four classes may with ease be examined upon the above four subjects at the same time, by adopting the following arrangements. Take four boys, one from each class, and place them side by side, ex., from 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, classes, and continue to arrange them in this order until all are seated at the desks. Let all in the 8th class work arithmetic. 7th class, geography; 6th, history; 5th, grammar. The questions proposed should be written on black-boards, and each told to copy his particular questions from it. Thus a boy in the 8th class is working arithmetic, while the boy next to him (in the 7th class) is doing geography; third boy (in 6th class) at history; while fourth boy (5th class) is answering questions in grammar. When the classes change subjects, new questions are proposed. The following questions were proposed to the 8th and 7th classes respectively, at the last examination on geography and English history. 8TH CLASS.-1. Where are the principal coal-fields of Great Britain? Name a few towns engaged in the woollen and cotton trades respectively. 2. Mention three of the principal towns situated on the following railways, and say in what county each town is situated, viz., London, Brighton and South Coast, Eastern Counties, Great Western, Great Northern, and North Western. 3. What is latitude and longitude? 4. Mention, in the order of their importance, the chief seaports of England. 7TH CLASS.-1. Who is Queen Victoria? What events have happened in her reign? 2. What events happened in the years 55B.C., 871, 1066, 1215, 1688, 1815, 1851-1854 ? 3. Make a list of the Tudor monarchs, with the date of the accession of each. 4. Who was Oliver Cromwell? 5. What do you understand by the "Wars of the Roses," and how long did they last? The remaining subjects are treated in a similar manner. Sometimes it will be found advantageous to examine geography, history, grammar, and Scripture history, orally. It now remains to be seen what are the advantages accruing from the adoption of the above method of testing the efficiency of the pupil-teachers, the attainments of the scholars, and in sending periodically to parents the results of each examination. A bare enumeration of a few of the chief advantages must suffice. It secures at once a constant and close application to duties by the pupil-teachers, who are naturally desirous of obtaining all the praise they can at each examination, and thus stimulates them to greater diligence and zeal in the active discharge of the several duties devolving upon them. It also ensures a decided and rapid progress of every class in attainments, conduct, and habits. The children are unconsciously by the force of example led into habits of obedience, order, neatness, punctuality, and industry. It commands a larger and more regular attendance, increased attention to home studies, and, finally, it secures a willing and hearty co-operation on the part of the parents in the great work of education. If the system and the labour bestowed upon it produced only the last-named result, it would prove a source of great satisfaction and encouragement to the earnestminded teacher, and support him under the trials and difficulties of his arduous work. Whoever will take the trouble to give this scheme a fair and candid trial will be amply compensated for any reasonable amount of time and labour which it may claim. Croydon. S. D. |