Abstract
Between 1860 and 1902, the arithmetic curriculum in government elementary schools in Victoria, Australia changed little. It was based on British models and valued highly computational skills, speed and accuracy. Teaching practice was dominated by the “payment by results” examination, and was mechanical, rules-based and often ineffective. By the end of the nineteenth century, dissatisfaction with both the principles and practice of this instrumental form of education was widespread; and the ideas of the New Education were incorporated into the courses of 1902 and 1911. However, teaching practice lagged behind the new aims, and continued to be largely mechanical, rules-based and abstract. The inspectors continued to demand the computational skills of the old courses, and the education and training of teachers did not keep pace with the new demands.
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Griffiths, R. A tale of 804.573 horses: Arithmetic teaching in Victoria 1860–1914. Educ Stud Math 18, 191–207 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00314726
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00314726