The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-06-09
Uniformity Of Text Books in schools.

Uniformity of Text Books in schools.
The Board of Education held a meeting
0u Saturday to consider a proposition for
adopting a uniform series Of text books in
the principal branches for AL lin, Govern
ment Schools Of the Kingdom. Nj. Mack
intOsh, Prof. Scott, Prof. Alexander, Mr..
Walter Hill and others were present, by
invitation Of the President of the Beard, to
express their views i'm regard to such a
measure, and all seemed to strongly favor
the plan.
The reasons which were expressed by the
teachs rs, in favor of a uniform series of
school books may be summarized as fol-
lows:
/. Saving in expense. Books could be
purchased cheaper by the Board if all the
tOoks used in each branch were of the same
kind, and purchased by contract of the pub
fishers direct, without the payment of COM
missions or other profits to middlemen.
The Board would always know before hand
precisely what the books would cost and so
would be able to largely reduce the prices
to the public, which are now made high
enough to cover fluctuations i'm prices and
profits to several hands.
Pupils once purchasing a book would
find the same book available for the same
grade of study in any school in the King
dom, and would not, as now, be compelled
TO puTch Sc new books In changing from
one school to another.
It WAS also claimed that to correspond
with the improved modern methods of
teaching. tile best school books are now so
simpliiied, condensed and arranged that a
series of a few small cheap books may be
: made to DO the pupil more service than can
he got from an expensive series of many
books of the Old-fashioned kinds. For eX-
ample the eight Readers Of Towns Progress
sive Series, largely used i'm our schools are
sold by the Board at the aggregate price of
SG.Sj but il was the unanimous opinion of
the teachers present that more good could
te done To the pupils by the use of the five
. .nIam 81 Hlun 80 Ganfa -. 49,
\ offered to the Board for the aggregate price
of S2.O5 in New York.
.. Saving in time. The present system
or want Of system Ia our school books
involves loss of time to The pupils in two
ways in the first place. most of the books
used are of some ancient series, such, we
suppose, As the first missionaries who
visited these Islands might have used, in
their boyhOod, in New England, but long
since discarded and forgotten, there and
and elsewhere on this earth, except here.
They were useful books in their time, and
thought to be good, but are now seen to be,
in many respects, i'll arranged, faulty in
expression, emitting much that ought to
be in them, and needlessly pToliX in many
things of small consequence. They do not
teach the things which the present genera
ton desires TO have taught, and what is
taught is often unsatisfactory in form and
arrangement. at is a terrible waste Of
pupils time, and teachers labor 10 permit
the Use of such bOOks:''
SeeOlltiNs II iii the DOCKS uSeu were OIL
the best, so long as there is a constant
change both of pupils and eachers from
one school to another, there is a great
waste of time To the pupils when the books
in the different schools are not the same.
The pupils having become accustomed to
the train of thought and form of expression
peculiar to one author do not respond read
" to examination questions cOuched in I'M
familiar terms they fail to do themselves
Justice, and are often assigned to classes
where time j. simply wasted. 1t was
claimed by one of the eachers-PrOf Scott,
we believe-that a teacher would often be
three or four months i'm learning the at
tainments Of a new school so as to be able
TO put all the pupils ut their proper work,
but that this end would be greatly facilitated
and much time and effort saved by having
the books used in the several branches the
same throughout the Kingdom, with n
printed course OF study laid out to CORE
spOnd with the books.
There views are considered to have great
force when applied to our Hawaiian schools
in which pupils are studying and forced to
explain themselves to new teachers i'm a
foreign language. Everything should be
made as easy and plain to them As possible,
If any satisfactory progress Is expected.
>. Improvement OF and uniformity in
methods. Modern improved books suggest
modern improved methods to inexperienced
teachers, and when the same books are
used in all schools there will be such an
approach To uniformity in instruction as
viii tend To- make pupils at home in what
ever Schools tney may happen 10 be trans
frTrcG To. and especially VIII but prepare
them i'm the lower grades of one school for
the higher grades OF another. In the adj
vanccd schools many pupils meet who
nave trained in many primary schools by
different teachers. If there has been some
uniformity in what they have previously
learned and in the methods in which they
have been instructed, they will be found, in
the advanced school, more equal in attain
meuts. can be classified to better advantage,
Will more readily assimilate, and will pro
eress faster and learn more.
This is what is meant by a graded sys-
tenn Of schools. It is, briefly stated, such a
course Of study 50 arranged for all the
schools, that when the pupils who enter the
higher grades come together in those
schools they will be found TO have, i'm the
fundamental ~brenches, such a general sim
ilaTity Of as will enable then.
to he properly classified and advanced i'm
the new schools. 1t is not machine teach
ing it is not slavish adherence to particu-
lar forms. II is only that reasonable amount
Of order and method which is necessary to
prevent the pupils and teachers time from
being FILTERED away either i'm such a null
tiplicity of classes as will prevent any
attempts 10 force some kind of order out of
the chaos.
The above, in substance, is what We I'M
derstand 10 be the views of our best teachers
i'm the matter. They unanimously advised
the Board to adopt a uniform series of books
in the fundamental branches, and recon-
mended, rs among the latest and best series,
SwintOn's Series of Readers, MOnteith's
Independent Biographies, with an Ha-
waiiau Supplement which the publishers
offer to make if that series is adopted, and
Barnes Series of Mathematics.
After hearing their views the Board al
journed to take the matter into considera-
ton.