PUPIL TEACHERS' EXAMINATION WORK, BY THE REV. W. P. WARBURTON, M.A., (H.M. Inspector of Schools,) (Canon of Bristol), sometime one of H.M. Inspector of Schools, W. STUDENTS MAGAZINE OFFICE, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.C. EDINBURGH & GLASGOW: MENZIES & co. E.C., IT is hoped that the series of six very simple and elementary papers, of which this is the first, may be of use to Pupil Teachers and their instructors, though the writer fairly abandons the hope of their proving interesting to the general reader. It is intended to take the Pupil Teachers' papers of each year, from the first to the fifth, or close of apprenticeship,—and treat each of them as that set to the Candidates for admission is dealt with here. It appeared to be undesirable, for many reasons, to give what might be called "model answers to the questions set. For example, in teaching the several subjects, different technical terms are employed and different methods and systems adopted, any one of which would probably be accepted by a Government examiner if the results arrived at were satisfactory. The following is a copy, accompanied with a running commentary, of a paper done by a candidate for apprenticeship at a collective examination, held on the 27th of November, 1875. It may not, perhaps, be known to all our readers, that the Pupil Teachers' examinations are now simultaneous, and that the same paper of questions is given to all of the same standing throughout England and Wales. The paper selected for transcription and comment below is by no means a model exercise, but it may be taken as representing the standard of "Fair," a mark which, in connection with tolerable reading and some promise of teaching power, would qualify a candidate for admission to apprenticeship. Candidate's Paper, November, 1875. ANSWERS. DICTATION.-"I dreamed that I was conveyed into a wide, and boundless plain, that was covered with prodigous multitudes of people, which no man could number. In the midst of it, there stood a mountain, with its head, above the clouds. The sides were extremley steep, and of such a particular structure, that no creature, which was not made in a human figure, could possibly ascend it. On a sudden there was heard from the top of it a sound like that of a trumpet, but so exceedingly sweet and harmonious, that it filled the hearts of those, who heard it, with raptures, and gave such high and delightful sensations, as seemed to animate, and raise human nature, above itself." OBSERVATIONS. The handwriting in this case was ugly, and the letters too nearly perpendicular to please most people, but they were boldly and evenly formed, the curves regular though ungraceful, and the whole remarkably clear and easy to read-a quality which, while very important in itself, is, moreover, certain to propitiate an examiner. The errors in spelling occur in two of the seven words in which an experienced eye would be sure to look for them first. The piece is perhaps hardly up to the average of difficulty, and the candidate has escaped the snares which lay hid for him in "possibly," "ascend," "exceedingly," "animate," and delightful," but the errors into which he has fallen are worse than ordinary omissions or transpositions, for they seem to show a want both of etymological tact and accuracy of eye. The employment of commas is a matter now left very much to the discretion of the writer, but the candidate has been here, and throughout his paper, indiscreetly lavish of this kind of stop. For instance, after the words wide, it, head, creature, those, animate, and nature, the commas are clearly redundant, and obscure rather than bring out the sense of the passage. This may seem a trifling matter to dwell on in reviewing a candidate's paper, but it may serve to call attention to the general principle that at an examination it is far better to omit things altogether than to put them down wrong. An examiner may be disappointed at not finding as much as he expects, but he is bound to deal summarily with a blunder. GRAMMAR.-To parse the passage below (which the candidate wrote down quite correctly and properly, word above word, in a column at the left side of the paper) : ANSWERS. Personal pronoun, 1st person, plural number, common gender, nominative case to the verb 'lay.' Part of regular intransitive verb to lay; indicative mood, present tense, 1st person, plural number to agree with its nominative we.' Preposition governing 'Oak.' Indefinite article prefixed to 'Oak,' Common noun, third person, singular number, neuter gender, objective case, governed by the preposition 'beneath.' |