1927-1928 - Department of Education and Skills
1927-1928 - Department of Education and Skills
1927-1928 - Department of Education and Skills
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58 59<br />
thirty years. The general st<strong>and</strong>ard <strong>of</strong> answering in general<br />
European History was more satisfactory, as better text-books<br />
were used. .<br />
While formerly too much stress was laid on English History,<br />
the pendulum in some <strong>of</strong> the schools seems to have swung too far<br />
in the other direction. This is made clear by the reports <strong>of</strong> the<br />
examiners <strong>and</strong> the inspectors, who comment on the ignorance <strong>of</strong><br />
English History displayed by many <strong>of</strong> the Intermediate <strong>and</strong><br />
Leaving Certificate students in matters in which Irel<strong>and</strong> was<br />
directly affected by Engl<strong>and</strong>. It is undesirable that teachers<br />
should treat Irish History as an isolated phenomenon or should<br />
fail to explain the connection between events in Irel<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the<br />
contemporaneous events in Great Britain <strong>and</strong> Europe.<br />
Sufficient care is not always evident in the selection <strong>of</strong> textbooks.<br />
As there.is no book which is so <strong>of</strong>ten <strong>and</strong> so thoroughly<br />
read as a history manual. it should be <strong>of</strong> a high st<strong>and</strong>ard in style<br />
<strong>and</strong> language, <strong>and</strong> should not be so condensed that the result is a<br />
scrappy representation <strong>of</strong> events. Both teachers <strong>and</strong> pupils<br />
.should have access to a good library containing larger historical<br />
works, historical biographies <strong>and</strong> monographs, <strong>and</strong> these books<br />
should be used by the teachers to explain, elucidate, illustrate,<br />
<strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong> the facts given in the text-books, <strong>and</strong> to supply<br />
material or historical essays. Expe:rience shows that compositions<br />
dealing with historical subjects make a deeper appeal to<br />
most students than any other type <strong>of</strong> essay, <strong>and</strong> are <strong>of</strong> great value<br />
in impressing on their minds the various periods <strong>of</strong> history, <strong>and</strong><br />
making them live in the past, especially if they deal with matters<br />
which have a romantic <strong>and</strong> personal interest, <strong>and</strong> tend to awaken<br />
the imaginative faculties.<br />
The general st<strong>and</strong>ard in History attained by c<strong>and</strong>idates in the<br />
Leaving Certificate Examination was much more satisfactory<br />
than that in the Intermediate Certificate, <strong>and</strong> the work done in<br />
most <strong>of</strong> the schools in the higher classes is, on the whole, <strong>of</strong> a<br />
praiseworthy type. Students find special periods easier to<br />
master, <strong>and</strong> as their minds are more mature, when they are in the<br />
senior classes they are better able to deal with historical<br />
problems <strong>and</strong> to traee the connection 'between cause <strong>and</strong> effect.<br />
The favourite special courses were the two courses dealing with<br />
Irish History, the French Revolution, <strong>and</strong> the Classical Course.<br />
The number <strong>of</strong> students that took the other courses was negligible.<br />
h h 1 while the courscs<br />
branch <strong>of</strong> the subj ect. In ot er se 00 s, h French is taught<br />
selected are generally satisfactory:. not ~:COt~~<strong>and</strong> more serious<br />
in the first two y~ars'hgram~~r /~en::e Inte~mediate Certificate<br />
work is done only m t e year eo. h 1<br />
E . tion Too little poetry is read m most se 00<br />
xamlna s.<br />
1 .<br />
I the Leaving Honours Classes French is gene~ally wel~<br />
n . h L . o- Pass C<strong>and</strong>ldates was<br />
taught, but the answel'l~g tf t endeas~~,~ed that many <strong>of</strong> the<br />
poor in the <strong>1928</strong> exa~ma I~n, a , <strong>of</strong> the Free Cornstu~~nts<br />
had been badly tra~n:d. fV~~ f::igned marks. All<br />
positions got o,~er a qual' e:ee~s to have been read by most<br />
insufficient quantity ~f poetry ti b sed on the plays which<br />
<strong>of</strong> the classes. The literary ques lO~lS a<br />
were read were answered in a very madequate manner.<br />
1 id mmatical peculiari-<br />
Former 1y t h stress was ai on gra<br />
00 muc ,1 f th l'<br />
ties <strong>and</strong> over-elaboration in grammar led ~o neg ect 0 0 e<br />
es~~ntials,but now, owing tOdexce~Stivle attedntISot~l~~n~:ala~et~~t~~~<br />
t h ealect fun amen a s, an<br />
~.any :ac f ~~e ~e;ses <strong>and</strong> moods, <strong>and</strong> have little l~nowl~dge <strong>of</strong><br />
19noran 0.. . J -bs Pupils who can with dIfficulty<br />
the commonest lrregu .ar ver . . t f<br />
'vl~te an essay in the vernacular, <strong>and</strong> are completely dlgnoran n<br />
. . t 1'1 1 "'0<br />
grammar <strong>and</strong> constructIOn, are no 1ce y ~<br />
comman success 1<br />
t d<br />
. . . F' eh : the attempt 0 0 so,<br />
writing Free ComposItions m ren . ds witl Iittle<br />
prematurely, results in a collection o~ French WOI',s wit 1 1the<br />
nd no sense Some <strong>of</strong> the time spent at presen on<br />
grammar anu nu seuse- di -tlv<br />
oral side in the earlier stages should be devoted to rea mg, par J<br />
intensive, partly extensive.<br />
F th . t <strong>of</strong> view <strong>of</strong> reading French literature, it is. a<br />
rom e pom ht to a zreater extent m<br />
matter for rezret that French is not taug t to a grea er<br />
boys' schools~ In the case <strong>of</strong> Classical scl~ools,wh~re th~~~~:~<br />
not be time for the subject in the Interm~dlate Certificate ·:a~io~<br />
it would be advisable to take up the subject as a non-~'(a~~s done<br />
bi t' the Leaving Certificate Classes. A boy wo.<br />
su jec m ~. . ears be able to acqmre<br />
a good course in Classics should m two y. l' 1 nd Free<br />
a good reading knowledge <strong>of</strong> Fren.ch, 1~ ora :vor c;n abilitv<br />
Composition .were subord.inated ~o hIS pnl1la~~ ~ll11.him in afte"r<br />
to read French with readiness will be vel' use u to<br />
life.<br />
FUENCH.<br />
French has been on the decline in boys' schools since 1912.<br />
<strong>and</strong> the decline has not yet been checked although, as mentioned<br />
in Section 2 <strong>of</strong> Chapter Ill. <strong>of</strong> his Report, steps have been taken<br />
to check it. French is taught in nearly all goirls'schools, <strong>and</strong> in<br />
some <strong>of</strong> them the teaching reaches a very high st<strong>and</strong>ard in every<br />
It is pleasing to note that some schools have introduced<br />
g .ramophones <strong>and</strong> . wireless to improve Th the " French t lessens <strong>of</strong> th t lel e tclas~es,<br />
<strong>and</strong> have met WIth much success. e varre y . ension d<br />
<strong>of</strong> the work, stimulates the enthus~as~ <strong>of</strong> the pupIls; a~d has h~le<br />
a marked effect in the pronunclatIOn <strong>and</strong> enunciatIOn <strong>of</strong> t<br />
. classes.