HISTORY TEACHING.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 171, 21 July 1924, Page 4

HISTORY TEACHING.

IMPROVEMENT NEEDED. MINISTER SETS UP A COMMITf EE. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. The Hon. G. J. Parr, Minister of Education, has appointed a well-qualified and representative committee of educationists to report to him on the possibility of improving the methods of teaching history in the primary, secondary, and technical schools of the Dominion. As a preliminary the committee will consider specified suggestions made by the Mini-ster, each member setting out his own opinion-on the points, and, finally, a meeting will be held, at which decisions can be reached and recommendations submitted to the Minister. The committee will comprise Mr. J. Caughley (Director of Education), who will be chairman, Dr. J. Hight (Canterbury College), and Mr. F. Milner (Waitaki Boys' High School), as representing secondary schools; Mr. J. F. Wilson (North Brighton (School, Christchurch), representing the New Zealand Educational Institute. The committee will invite Mr. T. C. Aschman (of the Chrretchurch Normal School) and Miss M. Gibson, M.A. (of the Girls' High School) to associate themselves with the work. The points •submitted to each member of the committee for consideration indicate the line of investigation required by the Minister. They are as follow:— (a) To set out in simple and general form the chief aim or objective that should guide the teaching of history in the lower, intermediate, and upper parts of primary schools, in lower and upper sections of secondary and technical schools, in training colleges, and in requirements for the teachers' certificates. (b) To set out in a similar brief general vray methods that might bo followed at each of these stages, the type of books to be used, and extent of their use. (c) To indicate, approximately, the amount of time per week that 'should be given the teaching of history, and the amount of homework or individual preparation that should be done by the pupil. (d) Provisions that should be made for examining history in primary, secondary. and technical schools, and for teachers' certificates. It is ■suggested that the first meeting of the committee should take place in Christchureh on Saturday, July 20, when draft suggestions can be considered, and preparations made for fuller treatment of the order of reference.