GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24744, 8 December 1945, Page 2

GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

♦- PRIMARY SCHOOLS' STUDIES

REVISION COMMITTEE'S REPORT

"We believe that the spirit in which the material is presented, the methods by which it is taught, and the school and class organisation involved, are no jess important than the factual content," states the report of the History and Geography Syllabus Revision Committee set up by the Minister of Education (the Hon. H. G. R. Mason) in December, 1944. "In consequence the proposed syllabus contains a great many suggestions for suitable methods ana for the organisation of the work in order that the details may be interpreted in the spirit in which they have been compiled." The syllabus is for use in primary schools, in 31 pages the report evaluates the social purpose ; of history and geography studies and discusses their relation to ' 'democratic and social living." The place of project work, books, maps, diagrams and charts, pictures, films, and school broadcasts are discussed, and then there is set out a syllabus of works for all primary school classes, with detailed suggestions for its treatment.

The topics set out in the studies for respective classes include:—primer classes, the development of individual children as social beings; standard 1, home and family life from primitive to modern times; standard 2, the interdependence of people in the community tj he J bas i c „ activity of obtaining food, standard 3, basic similarities and differences of various peoples of the world; standard 4, exploration and discovery, and the inter-dependence of peoples and.nations; form 1, food and clothing towns and communications; lorm 2, the British Commonwealth and Empire, man and machines, the struggle for freedom, and the world to-day.

A good deal of out-door observation work is allowed for. The recommendations-of the committee in connexion with implementv^linn^? syllabus , es incl "de the provision of a larger selection of suitably&2& d - > v f ell -^ u strated, and attracSm&" wr J tten m « der " books, a better supply of maps, freer use of duplicating services for notes and diagrams f wider choice Q f films and film strips; and the co-ordination of school broadthe , s y llabus «- The recommendations place considerable importance on the training of teachers and set out a scheme of instruction and refresher courses to assist in the best application of the revised syllabuses. ™»o =iL g .*• revision committees *■s££& w ° rkl i?B °n the syllabuses in arithmetic, English, health, art, and handwork the committee recommends Stabhshn l ent of a general committee to integrate the new programmes, *