A survey of the educational system of the Philippine islands by the Board of educational survey, created under acts 3162 and 3196 of the Philippine Legislature.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

245

abounds in landscapes, sea views, sunrises, and sunsets. Changes in
temperatures and humidity are frequent, and other weather influences
are of interest. Many of these natural facts or forces very directly
influence the affairs and activities of man. Children should be made
intelligent about them because of the usefulness of this knowledge or the
satisfaction it gives. The more scientific knowledge one has the less
superstitious he becomes.
With every occupational subject, the scientific body of information
which is fundamental to it should be built up just as fully as children
can understand it. Even in the primary grades much can be done to
develop an interest in nature and to give children many of the facts
which explain the processes of nature as these are observed. If the
simple principles of physics as found in use in tools, implements, pumps,
machines, vehicles, stoves, lamps, and other devices commonly used were
studied, it might help to awaken a greater inventive ability than is usually
found among the people.
In addition to enriching the work in home geography, the industrial
arts, and the occupational subjects with much nature and science materials in all of the grades, a course in everyday science should be
given in the seventh grade. Such a course is recommended and provision made for it in the suggested outline of subjects. This course
should be made up of units from the various branches of science as
these are found operative in one's everyday surroundings. They should
be so chosen as to explain the processes of plant and animal life, weather
conditions, mechanical devices and appliances and the natural occurences all about on farms, in our homes, in vehicles on land and sea,
and in shops and factories. The recent American textbooks on general science will be suggestive in making such a course and in giving
many facts and explanations. But no such book can be used as a
text unless it is quite completely adapted to the conditions of the Islands.
It is recommended that teachers work out units for trial and experimentation in different schools and report the results to the Bureau of Education as a basis for the gradual development of a satisfactory general
course.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION.-A detailed treatment of physical education
with recommendations is found in the chapter on Physical Education.
SOCIAL SCIENCE.-Again referring to the tests, the results showed
that pupils of the elementary school are very poorly informed about the
outstanding events and the most important characters that have made
the world what it is today. For both the general and academic courses,
it is recommended that a considerable amount of the material in reading be selected from history in a form which will permit of its being read
easily and rapidly. A number of books are available from standard