NO MORE SUBJECTS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 22

NO MORE SUBJECTS

.Nothing less than a resolution in primary education i 3 recommended in a report published by the Board of Education, says tho "Morning Post." It is tho work of the Consultative . Committee of the boai'd,- -over"' which Sir Henry lladow presides.

Jlorc than four years ago this committee produced a report on tho edu-, cation of tho adolescent, the'chief recommendation of-which'was that education should be divided into two parts —primary for children under eleven and secondary for, children over eleven. It was that .report which led to the agitation sf or .the raising of the school age to fifteen.'

Since that report was issued, the committee havo been.studying the problem of what ought to be .taught in the schools for children under eleven, and tho results of their deliberations aro in tho present report. Perhaps the most important conclusion at -which they have arrived is that "subjects" as such ought not to bo the media of education in primary schools.

"We are of opinion that the curriculum of-' tho primary school is to bo thought of in terms of; activity and experience, rather than of knowledge to,be acquired and facts to be stored," they say. •,:; This 7 theme is elaborated m an admirably' written introduction to the report, obviously the work, of some member .of-the committee//Syho: combines both ..; enthusiasm with literary skill. ' ■-■.'■" . "We; agree," states this introduction, 'fjwith the majority, of witnesses coming-'befo're us who pleaded that,the pursuitiof primary .'school studies in, the form of distinct and separate 'subiects' was not tho me'thpd best calculated to" meet tho ncedsi'of young children., t' ' '-'■ '■ ;, ■ .■■ • .-' . ■ "We: think that the time 'has now come to consider these conventional categories with a view to'relating the curriculum more closely to the natural movement of the children's minds. . : . T?e are far from desiring, to remove tho backboric of intellectual discipline from the work of the school, or to imply that, even within the primary school, the saino method of presentation is equally^ suitable for children of different '/ages, or. to, lend countenance to the suggestion 'iliat teachers should followiany stereotyped; system or' rely

.JEbUCATIG)NAL, REVOLUTION'

on any single device, however attrac tive.

"There arc obviously certain parts of tho curriculum —for example, reading, writing,' and arithmetic —which aro the tools of education, and a' reasonable proficiency iv which .'requires regular practice." I The committee suggest that an important feature of the work should bo physical training, the term being used to include not only exercises, subserving physical health- ' and efficiency, "but also those which tend to produce good carriage and graceful movement."

Language .training is regarded by tho committeoas "fundamentally important." This is not to say that dialectical ..'peculiarities aro to bo suppressed, "but children should be taught to speak standard English, and, in Welsh-speaking districts, Welsh, with grammatical correctness and careful enunciation. "- Strong emphasis is laid on the greater importance of correct speaking even over correct writing," and the approach to standard Ihigli&h is much j insisted upon. "Above all," states tho report, "the' degenerate speaking of standard English should not be confused with tho-speaking of dialect. It might even bo advisable for a teacher who knows tho local dialect to .use it occasionally iv his lesson, for the purpose of contrasting the dialectical forms with those of standard English. _' Cultivation of the aesthetic sensibility of tho children through drawing, craft work, and music, and the development of their manual skill, -are recommended, and "the cultivation of handwriting which"is beautiful as well as'legible is important." v ' . . The committee think that too much , time is given to arithmetic in' primary schools. ' ' • ' The committee insist that the conventional view of tho period between the ages ofv seven and eleven as a "neutral age "'is'incorrect, as recent physiological researches indicate that sex differences should not be ignored at 1 this stage. One of the most important of these differences is the relatively greater liability of girls to fatigue. At this period also sex differences on the intellectual side aro so small as tp bo almost negligible; yet on the emotional , side the interests of tho boy and ot the girl arc moving further and further apart