WOMEN TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18095, 10 June 1924, Page 2

WOMEN TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

A very large gathering of women teachers of Canterbury assembled on Friday at the monthly meeting of the C.W.T.A. Miss M. Smith presided, and after some preliminary business and an interesting resume of the recent conference of women teachers in Wellington by Miss Agnes Menzies, t.l:e president introduced Mr Stuckev, of tho Wanganui inspectorate, • who gave an address oil "Individual Work in Schools." Mr Stuckey introduced the subject with reference to a book, "Individual Work on the Dalton Plan," by A. J. Lynch. This book gives an account of the working of the Dalton plan in the elementary school, and puts the case for individual work from the point of view of a practical teacher. Auto-education, as opposed to the rigid methods of the class-room, is strongly supported. The. speaker said that a great deal had been made of "measurable results," but tho method was at least as important as the matter in gfetting those results. Every encouragement should be given to the teach»r to investigate. The individual slioukl l:e the unit, not the elass. The teacher should direct the pupil to teach himself. Judging by results, the old methods had failed, said the speaker, for we saw a generation unable to think for itself, who sought the cinema and other forms of amusement, while home life was neglected. For th:s class teaching with adult domination was largely responsible. Ih the lat est educational books the principle of individual work bulked largely. When the child had a chance of working for himself, home work became voluntary and disciplinary troubles disappeared. Freedom was obtained without license, and experiments had shown that more and better work was tho result. Mr Stuckey made reference to actual experiments carried out successfully in Wanganui schools. In the infant do pertinents much individual work ha«i been done up to Standard. L, and the Dalton plan .had been tried in one school in Standard VI. in 1921, and gincc then in other schools with considerable success. By this plan nervous children became confident. It was important, however, that tho assignments set should be well within the child's range* and that a good class library should be obtained. Illustrations were given showing how the children could make books for themselves by pasting on brown paper pktufes and other material gathered, bearing on the topic studied. History, geography, and literature should be treated as one subject. The making of time-charts was also illustrated. The chief difficulties in the way of individual work were: (1) The examination system, and (2) the large classes. With the latter the marking of work made tho task of tho teacher extremely burdensome. A discussion followed, during which pome teachers pointed out that they had found great difficulty in getting from the authorities material for apparatus necessary for individual work, particularly in infant classes. Some had spent -many pounds in supplying themselves with necessary apparatus. This state of affairs was unfair to the teacher, who wished to work on' progiessive lines. A vote of thanks to Mr Stuckey, proposed by Miss Baster and seconded by Miss Finlayson, was carried enthusiastically; after Which supper was served.