COFY.
Enclosure 2.
C. O.
1377
171
Hon. Colonial Secretary,
You have asked me t
simple rules for the teaching of Reading and Conversation in
Anglo-Chinese Schools. With much hesitation I submit the fol-
lowing. I feel that a trained Master would regard them as con-
mon-place, and an untrained Master would make little use of
then.
Time given to the study.
The subjects in the two lowest Standards,
which alone I am considering are, Arithmetic, Writing, Colloqui-f
al and Reading. Geography and Grammar are subsidiary subjects
of which the elements may be acquired in the process of teach-
ing Reading and Colloquial.
Arithmetic need not be taught for more
than 1 hour a day at the most. At this rate the four rules can
be mastered within a year.
Writing. The mechanical art of forming
letters and words quickly and correctly is easily learned by
Chinese boys. Dictation of a few sentences daily is desirable,
but need not take more than half an hour. Transcription, or
copying out a passage neatly is good practice. This can well be
done as a home-lesson.
At least 3 hours daily are left for
teaching Colloquial and Reading which is ample and as much as a
teacher can manage if working at high pressure.
Reading (a) from a Reader.
If the lesson is in the form of a story
or narrative the teacher should explain
before hand the general sense of what is
to be read. As each paragraph is read he
should take care to see that the gist of
it