S.I. TEACHERS’ COURSES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29388, 15 December 1960, Page 16

S.I. TEACHERS’ COURSES

Two In Christchurch Area

The National Teachers* Refresher Course Committee will hold two special South Island courses in the Christchurch area in January—one on English from the infant room to the intermediate school (which has 85 entries) and one on remedial reading and remedial arithmetic in the same classes (which has 63 entries). Both will last a week from January 18. The English course at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, will be concerned largely with the new syllabus which is being tested widely in schools. It is designed to give coherence to the most successful teaching practices which have emerged in the schools over many years. It differs from previous syllabuses in the greater emphasis on purposeful reading, writing, speaking, and listening by childrenMr L. C. Barton, of the Christchurch Teachers’ College (who has been appointed head of the English department at the Hamilton Teachers’ College) will be chairman of the course and Mr R. Grant (of the Middle School, Invercargill), will be administrator. Group leaders will include Messrs B. J. Dunne, I. G. Henderson and Miss Patricia Jones (Christchurch Teachers’ College), Mr and Mrs J. Laurie (Elmwood Normal School), Miss P- Jackson (Sydenham School), and Miss Mary Donald (Education Department infant adviser in Otago and Southland). Mr Maitland Watson (headmaster of the Thorrington School) will be chairman of the remedial course at the Sumner School for the Deaf'and Mr R. Armstrong (head of the Ouruhia School) will be administrator. Mr L. J. Broomfield (district senior inspector of schools) will give the opening address. Lectures on reading will be given by Mrs J. Cdllett (Cranmer Reading Clinic) and Mrs N. Beardsley (Canterbury University education department) and Miss M. Simpson (inspector of schools editing the new infant readers)- Lectures on arithmetic will be given by Mr E. Lenz (university education department) and Mr R. Lee (Wairakei School), two specialists from Auckland, and other teachers. Because there is a big demandfor guidance on remedial work, this is the third such course in the South Island. Teachers will be shown methods of testing, given' experience in practical testing, and then helped to devise special courses for pupils requiring them. The arithmetic course will include instruction on the use of Stem and Cuisenaire structural arithmetic apparatus.