- N 10-
in a short lesson that had just been taught; they did not know the meaning of the separate characters and of course could not have understood the lesson.
Time Tables were furnished by the teachers for the work of their Classes in Chinese. I found frequent deviations from these.
As to the books in use, the present series contains many stories of Chinese worthies, which an educated Chinaman should know, and this is a point in its favour; but many of these worthies are mentioned in the "Ku Man", and probably the books need not be retained simply on account of these stories. The "Kwok Man" series is a general favourite; in it there are some of the stories mentioned above, and it seems in many ways a better series. It has a great advantage over other books in that there is a teacher's book to accompany each of the readers, with instructions as to how to teach the lessons.
The Classics, Ka Man, letter writers, Shing U Han and other books are necessary, and are helpful in giving a good Chinese education. There is also a series of books used by the teachers in the following way: The book has illustrations and is a sort of dictionary or book of synonyms, characters of similar meaning being brought together. Teachers copy a set of the words, say five or six, and their meanings, on the blackboard. These are copied by the boys. The teachers do not examine the copies, which often have mistakes in them. Some boys copy very little, some have no Chinese pens.
The lesson thus taught is not necessarily a good writing lesson. One of the teachers, on being asked, said he had not time to examine the books or correct the work of so many boys.
Sometimes the teacher reads over the lesson and asks if the boys understand it. They generally say yes, and he then passes on to the next lesson.
It would seem that much valuable time is wasted in the teaching on these lines.
There is too little personal work done, the teacher reads a lesson, explains it and then as time has come for the next lesson he passes on to that. Sometimes boys are called up to read over the lesson, and see whether they have understood it. This should be done always and the boys should read out so that the Class may hear.
In the present state of Chinese education, perhaps it is too much to expect the teachers to keep to the lesson and forbear rambling off into Chinese ideas about Fungshui, prognostications and fabulous animals, which many of the boys seem to regard with incredulity.
One may say that, with the exception of the Oxford Local Chinese, there is no Chinese taught in the Upper School. In Class IA I found that there were three or four students who could do written work, English into Chinese, as if they understood that such a thing was a possibility. Generally speaking I think that the attainments in English and Chinese are insufficient for real progress in translation work. There should be more sequence and method.
The objective of the College authorities should be to have its students recognised twenty years hence as competent Chinese scholars. To reach it, there should be revision of text books on the lines of the Educational Authorities of the Chinese Government. That Government is grading its educational system, and it should be the duty of the superintendent of Chinese studies in the College to keep in touch, and, as far as seems advisable, in line with present day Chinese education.
- N 10-
in a short lesson that had just been taught; they did not know the meaning of the separate characters and of course could not have under- stood the lesson.
Time Tables were furnished by the teachers for the work of their Classes in Chinese. I found frequent deviations from these.
As to the books in use, the present series contains many stories of Chinese worthies, which an educated Chinaman should know, and this is a point in its favour; but many of these worthies are mentioned in the "Ku Man", and probably the books need not be retained simply on account of these stories. The "Kwok Man" series is a general favourite; in it there are some of the stories mentioned above, and it seems in many ways a better series. I has a great advantage over other books in that there is a teachers book to accompany each of the readers, with instructions as to how to teach the lessons.
The Classics, Ka Man, letter writers, Shing U Han and other books are necessary, and are helpful in giving a good Chinese education. There is also a series of books used by the teachers in the following way The book has illustrations and is a sort of dictionary or book of synonyms, characters of similar meaning being brought together. Teachers copy a set of the words, say five or six, and their meanings, on the blackboard. These are copied by the boys. The teachers do not examine the copies, which often have mistakes in them. Some boys copy very little, s me have no Chinese peus.
The lesson thus taught is not necessarily a good writing lesson. One of the teachers on being asked, said he had not time to examine the books or correct the work of so many boys.
Sometimes the teacher reads.over the lesson and asks if the boys understand it. They generally say yes, and he then passes on to the next lesson.
It would seem that much valuable time is wasted in the teaching on these lines.
There is too little personal work done, the teacher reads a lesson, explains it and then as time has come for the next lesson he passes on to that. Sometimes boys are called up to read over the lesson, and see whether they have understood it. This should be done always and the boys should read out so that the Class may hear.
In the present state of Chinese education, perhaps it is too much to expect the teachers to keep to the lesson and forbear rambling off into Chinese ideas about Fungshui, prognostications and fabulons an- imals, which many of the boys seem to regard with incredulity,
One may say that, with the exception of the Oxford Local Chinese, there is no Chinese taught in the Upper School. In Class IA I found that there were three or four students who could do written work, English into Chinese, as if they understood that such a thing was a possibility. Generally speaking I think that the attainments in English and Chinese are insufficient for real progress in translation work. There should be more sequence and method.
The objective of the College authorities should be to have its students recognised twenty years hence as competent Chinese scholars, To reach it, there should be revision of text books on the ines of the Educational Authorities of the Chinese Government. That Govern- ment is grading its educational system, and it should the duty of the superintendent of Chinese studies in the College to keep in touch, and, as far as seems advisable, in line with present day Chinose education."
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