TRAINING THE CHILD MIND

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2217, 1 August 1914, Page 11

TRAINING THE CHILD MIND

DR. FINDLAY AND THE MON- ■ TESSORI SYSTEM. V .The Monteasori system for the training of very young children has a very warm, advocate, in Dr. J. J. Findlay, Professor of Education in the University of Manchester, and he commended the study of tho system to • all the teachers, mothers, and nurses who were present at his lecture on Thursday night. He said that a good deaJ_ of needless animosity had arisen against the system ,by those who saw in it a, rival to the kindergarten system. ( At the, conclusion of, the lecture the chairman (the Hon. ■ Jamos Allen) stated that he had been bo interested in what he had, heard and read of MadamoMontessori's system that when he went Home recently he made a point of visiting Rome. While, he was in tho 'school, he noticed that a new little girl" came in, and by her looks one could see she was not keen'on'the schcol. She did not desire to take off her coat, and was allowed to sit at,a desk and absolutely do what she liked. No onetook any notice of her, and 6he sat there doing:nothing, until die became sick and weary of doing, nothing. Another '.little child happened to sit,next to her, and put a. little waistcoat - ar•rangement she had been playing with on the desk. The new girl at once became interested,/ began to play with, the buttons, and within an hour she had taken: off her coat and. was'just ( as happy as were the other children. What Mr, ;AUen wished, to. know was. if Madame Montessori had shown any 'tangible results as to the success of her system.' ■ . • . •••• . • '

Professor Findlay said that Madame Montessori had published nothing as to results.. The-incident Mr.-Allen; had mentioned .was one that had occurred over and over again, showing that the child mind must be given employment. ■The waistcoat he mentioned was no-thing-more than the Montessori buttoning; frame, which helped the child to take care of its own person, and so re-; lieve.'ihe other. Not only, did it teach the child to button its''clothes twelve months earlier than they ordinarily would, but it was twelve months' gajn in worldly experience. He recommended parents to;get or make a buttoning frame , , and give it to children of two and 'two and a half.years to play with—' they did not need to get a Montessori frame, ae the children': of New Zealand did. not dress the same as the children of Rome, but they could mako a frame quite ..easily that would suit the purpose.; (Applause.)'