THE MIND OF THE CHILD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2217, 1 August 1914, Page 4

THE MIND OF THE CHILD

A lecture on reform, such as that, given in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on Thursday night by Professor J. « J. FindlAy, of Manchester, would be deeply inter[esting'at any time. It has special value at tho present , moment'in-view of the fact that legislation making far-reaching changes in our sohopl system is engaging the attention of Parliament and the country, and it is pleasing to record that the Minister of Education.; (Mr. James Allen) hbpes.that , sonio of the reforms advocated by the distinguished lecturer will bo, authorised during the present session. Professor Findlay gave his large audience a lucid description of the trend of the besi modern thought on educational matters, indicating the main lines of advance which are. being mapped out by the world's.; leaidirig ■ experts. Education is a' progressive science, and its methods are now being sub-' jected to scientific scrutiny • of the most thorough kind.", "Many"''weaknesses ■ have been revealed, and groups of experts are busy clearing away ;tho wreckage caused, .by the attacks of destructive eritioism in order to. facilitate the work of reconstruction. These two processes —destruction .'and- reconstructionare characteristic of' every living and progressive department of human knowledge, and both are at present passing through a ■ period of gre&i; activity in '•■ the sphere of education. For some time.past there has been a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the manner in which theorising generation" are being, trained in our schools. No doubtf many of us expect too much, and a good deal of the criticism is quite unreasonable: but some of the best , teachers admit that the results have fallen far short of expectations.' The whole science of education is now .being reexamined, even to its ■very foundations, and experts li|e Professor Findlay are devoting 'their lives to the task of rebuilding it. They are giving the fullest ■ consideration to the special needs and circumstances of pur own age. They recognise that tnefre is no finality .to their work, and they are making, use of all tho help that kindred sciences can give in order-to make the modern ecnool as pei'fect an institutidn as possible for the training of the growing mind of. the child.-

One of the principal functions of an education system is to prepare the younff people of the nation for their work in life. Pbofess6k,:FindlaY ,'is of opinion that the purely scholastic and conventional view of education is out • of touch _with <the real; experience of life which is at our (doors. It is, in other words, out .of touch with reality, and he thinks the main problem of reform is to bring our school .system into closer, relation to practical- experience,-' Most people wno have given eerioj/s attention to, the; question: will agree that this is a matter of vital importance <: which must be resolutely grappled with if any real progress is to bo made; Pkofessok Findlay, contends that it is the'duty of the teacher to study children and to teach them—body, mind, and Soul. The whole personality should - be developed. The different traits of the child's individuality and its various mental faculties cannot' bo kept apart in education ae if they were shut off froni ono another in watertight compartments. Education is something much moro fundamental than the mere teaching of ao much reading, writing, and arithmetic, together with a • smattering of a few other subjects. Every child has a personality entirely its own, and this means that some processes must be devised < by which, as Pkofessoe Findlay remarks, independent tuition, so far as possible, could be given to each child. -Education systems do not make sufficient allowance for that wonderful diversity which is to -bo found everywhere in "Naturo— human nature included. Probably there are no two things exactly alike in the universe. Wo balk of people being "as liko as two peas," but no two peas are precisely the same, and the variety of human minds is without' limit. A recent writer on practical psychology reminds us that the bodies of different children grow and ~ develop at different rates, and the growth and development of the body influence the growth and development of the mind. "It is often your little fellows who are smartest in class; but give the big ugly duckling time to grow, and some day he may be able to show his dapper little comrade how* to fly." There are .many practical difficulties in the way of giving individual' treatment to children at school. The result is that teachers too_ often have to be content in'handling a large class with a "cciictal averaco" kinri'of.

instruction which would meet the case of some imaginary boy midway between the "big ugly duckling" and his "dapper little comrade." The best 'results can never be attained by such a. method, for it tends to crush out the richness and variety of personality and to reduce the whole class to a dead level of mediocrity. ' Professor Findlay dealt with a number of other important matters in his stimulating address. It is to be hoped that the fact that it was listened to by a very largo audience may be regarded as an indication of a growing interest in' educational matters 'in New Zealand. »■