SUBJECTS FOR EXAMINATION.

CLASSES I. and II.-Teachers at the Practising School. Old Testament History and Chronology.-History of the Prophets.Chief Prophecies relating to our Lord.-Gospel History.-Sketch of the Harmony of the Gospels.-Acts of the Apostles.-Connexion of the Old and New Testaments.

Articles with Scripture Proofs, &c.-English Liturgy, sources from whence compiled.-History of the Creeds.-State of the World at the Coming of Christ.-Lives of the Apostles and their Companions.-Persecutions, principal Heresies and Fathers of the period from 1 to 325.-Councils, &c., from 325 to 680.-Chief Councils acknowledged by the Romish Church.-Early British and Saxon Churches-English Reformation.

English History-Sketch of the History of the Anglo-Saxon and English Languages, and of Modern Literature.

The principles of the projection of Maps-Orthographic, Stereographic, Globular, Mercator's Conical.-Tides-general principle of Cotidal lines. Climate-Seasons-Isothermal lines-Distribution of the Human Race, of Plants and Animals.-Mountains, Rivers, &c., of the Globe.-British Geography-Productions and Manufactures of the counties of England-British Colonies and Dependencies.

English Grammar.

CLASSES III, and IV.

Old Testament History.-Prophecies relating to our Saviour.-Gospel
History.--Connexion of the Old and New Testaments.
Articles I. to XXI. with Scripture proofs.-History of the Creeds.—
State of the World at the Coming of Christ.--Lives of the Apostles
and their Companions.-Church History from 1 to 325.-Six
Ecumenical Councils, and Heresies condemned by them.-Early
British and Saxon Churches.-Growth of Papal dominion and cor-
ruption.

English History.-Sketch of the History of the Anglo-Saxon and
English languages (3rd Class only).

General principles of the projection of Maps.-Tides.-Climates.-Seasons (3rd Class only).—Mountains and Rivers.-British Geography.--Productions and Manufactures of England, &c.-British Colonies and Dependencies.

English Grammar.

CLASSES V. and VI.

Historical Books of the Old and New Testament.-Ramsay on the Catechism. History of England to Henry VIII.-English Parsing. -Geography.

LATIN CLASSES.

I. Cæsar I., 1 to 30.-The passages from Cæsar and Tacitus relating to Britain contained in Fasciculus Primus.'-Latin Exercises, Arnold's 3rd book, Ex. 1 to 30.-Anderson, Mayne, Lucas, Bond. The remainder from 1 to 20.-Greek Testament, St. John

I. to

II. Cæsar I., 1 to 30.-Exercises 'Henry's Second' and 'Third Book.' III. Greek, History from Historia Antiqua.

IV. First five periods of Roman History, from ditto. - Henry's 'Second Book.'

V. Henry's first book.

SYLLABUS OF MATHEMATICAL SUBJECTS.

Arithmetic, as usual.

CLASS I.
SUBJECTS.

Mechanics.-Text-book, 'Tate's Exercises on Mechanics.' The Examples in Work to the end of the Steam Engine. Machines; comprising the Lever, Pulleys, Wheel and Axle, simple and compound. Inclined Plane. Application of the principle of Moments to estimating the stability of Embankments and Revêtement Walls. Pressure on Flood-gates. Hydrostatic Press. Specific Gravities, Elementary Dynamical Problems, &c. &c.

Algebra-to the end of Equations of a higher kind. Cardan's solution

of a Cubic, unlimited Problems, Roots of Binomial Surds, the Progressions, &c. &c. Equations whose roots are in arithmetical, geometric, harmonic progression.

Analytical Geometry.-Problems on Straight Line, the Circle, Parabola, Ellipse; principles of Parabolic Reflectors, &c.

Trigonometry, Plane-to the end of solution of third case in oblique Zdas, with the Logarithms found for seconds-formulæ such as

Trigonometry, Spherical.-Principal properties of spherical triangles. Napier's rules and the principal formulæ proved, such as

Euclid.-1st and 2nd Books, and first six propositions in Book VI. Astronomy as last year, with methods of Measuring Time, Refraction, Aberration, Parallax.

In the higher branches of Analysis and Natural Philosophy Mayne has read the Differential and Integral Calculus, their application to the Quadrature of Areas, Cubature of Solids, Centres of Gravity and Pressure, Moments of Inertia, High Statical Problems, Dynamics of a Point as far as Central Forces-and Anderson Simple Differentiation.

CLASS II.

SUBJECTS.

Arithmetic and Mechanics-as in the First Class.

Algebra.- Elementary Subjects, Equations to end or Quadratics, Progressions.

Euclid-Books I, and II.

Trigonometry-to the end of the 2nd case of d As, simpler examples than in the First Class.

Astronomy-as in the First Class.

CLASS III.

SUBJECTS.

Arithmetic.

Elementary Algebra.

Mechanics. Simple examples on the principles of Work.

The first class in Greek is composed of 7 students, who read the Greek Testament. The lessons in Greek are voluntary; but Mr. Coleridge speaks of them as perhaps the most interesting and satisfactory of all the lessons said in the institution.

The Institution having been during the last year deprived of the services of the Rev. Thomas Helmore, in the office of Vice-principal, by his appointment to Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, he has been succeeded by the Rev. Samuel Clark, B.A., of Magdalen Hall, Oxford.

Progress of the Students in the Art of Teaching.

During the first week of my inspection an opportunity was afforded me of being present at a lesson given in the practisingschool of the college, or in the Chelsea model-school, by each of that class of students, 26 in number, who are in the last six months of their residence. Of these lessons I recorded my impressions at the time. I moreover proposed questions to the students, to be answered in writing, on the art of teaching. The answers to these questions and my notes on the teaching of each student, constitute the data furnished me on which to found an opinion as to the success with which the peculiar and distinctive objects of this institution, as a place for the study of the art of teaching, have been realized. In a knowledge of the art of teaching I understand to be included, first, the knowledge, in respect to each element of instruction, of the best means of simplifying it to the intelligence of children; secondly, practised skill and aptitude in placing each before a class of children under that form which has been determined upon as the simplest; thirdly, the power of fixing the attention of the class on the subject thus presented to it, keeping it in a state of healthful activity, and drawing out the intelligence of the children as to the subject-matter of the lesson by a rapid examination. In respect to the first and last of these, I can record no favourable result; I do not find that there has been any special or systematic study of the subjects taught in the institution as subjects of elementary instruction. Of the two aspects under which the studies of such a place naturally present themselves, that in which the students acquire knowledge for themselves, and that in which they acquire it to teach to others, I find but few traces of the latter. They appear to have learned but little in the light of that which they have to teach.

My notes of the lessons at which I was present are full of records of a tendency to travel out of the sphere of the intelligence of the

children, and to bring before them the subjects taught, under forms unsuited to their years, and foreign to their interest. In this, and at other training institutions, I have moreover observed a want of vivacity and energy in examination. The vagrant thoughts of the children constitute the chief obstacle a master has to contend with in teaching them. This unsettled state of the mind in children, the skilful master-knowing it to be proper to their yearsrather seeks to turn to his use than to contend with. To keep alive the interest of the children in the lesson, he varies it by frequent examinations; his questions follow in a rapid succession; they tend to a drawing out of the reason rather than the memory, and he shifts continually the point of view in which his subject is presented, giving prominence to those features of it by which it is related to things familiar to the children themselves. All that he does is founded on a careful study of the characteristics of childhood, and a just appreciation of them. He has carefully observed the ways of the children, and the efforts they make to reflect, reason, and understand. Of the knowledge he has thus acquired he avails himself to command their attention; and when this fails, he calls the sympathy of numbers to his aid, or throws in the element of emulation. Warming with his task, the interest he feels passes to the children, and the whole group glows with the desire to know. The new condition thus induced in the mind of each individual child whilst the lesson lasts is not of necessity transient-the lesson is repeated daily; it becomes, therefore, a state of mind in some degree habitual.

In respect to that element of successful teaching which consists in a firm and collected manner, a full command of language, a due knowledge of the subject-matter of the lesson, and practised facility in communicating it, I can bear a far more favourable testimony to the efforts of these youths at this than at any previous examination. I observe, moreover, more common sense in selecting subjects proper to the instruction of children, and a more patient and faithful way of dealing with their intelligences, than heretofore.* Young as they are, it is but due to them to say that their efforts as teachers will bear a very favourable comparison with those of any other institution which I have visited; and in what I have spoken of as yet wanting, it is not to the standard of that which has yet been accomplished that I refer them, but to the standard of that which this institution is capable accomplishing. I should be misunderstood if, in pointing out what more remains to be done, I were supposed to imply that what they have already accomplished did not reflect credit upon them.

of

In an institution likely to exercise so powerful an influence

* I am informed that the students have constituted amongst themselves a society for mutual improvement in the art of teaching.

as this over the destinies of education, it is impossible not to desiderate the more exclusive dedication of one department of its course to this its distinctive and peculiar object, and the action upon it of some powerful mind.

Questions proposed to the Students.

I have appended to this Report copies of the questions which I proposed to the students to be answered in writing (Appendix B.) In framing these questions I have limited myself to the subjects tendered for examination, except that in the Latin paper I have given a passage not included in the first thirty chapters of the first book of Cæsar.

The questions which I have put in each subject are more numerous than at any previous examination; but I have formed them into sections, each containing three, and required that only one question should be answered in each section. By this arrangement, whilst I have made the examination easier to the students by affording them a greater opportunity for selection, I have guarded against their limiting their attention to one class of questions, and reserved to myself the same power as before to judge of the surface which their knowledge has been made to

cover.

I have recorded in a table annexed to this Report (Appendix C.) the estimate I have formed of the merits of the answers given to these questions by those students, twenty-six in number, who are in the last six months of their residence. The letter A indicates that in respect to its essential elements the question has been correctly answered. The letter B, that something is wanting to the completeness or to the correctness of the answer. The letter C indicates various degrees of merit inferior to that represented by B.

The numbers at the head of the columns are those by which the students are severally distinguished in the class lists of the Institution. That student who is thus designated by the number 8, completed the prescribed course of instruction three years since. After having been occupied for the greater part of that time as an assistant schoolmaster, he had recently returned to the Institution. He has since been placed in charge of the National School of Upper Chelsea, The manner in which he has acquitted himself at this examination shows that to the knowledge he acquired here he has since added greatly. From the nature of his occupations it is certain that this cannot have been achieved except by industry and perseverance; and it testifies not a little to the character of the instruction he had received that it has created in him a love of knowledge so sincere and so abiding.

I have recorded by the letters A, B, C, at the head of this table, the impressions I have received of the spelling and penmanship of each student from a perusal of his papers, and also of the