MODERN TEACHING

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 124, 21 February 1944, Page 6

MODERN TEACHING

Are Children Losing The Ability To Spell? Dominion Special , Service. AUCKLAND, February 19. The belief that children today were rapidly losing the ability to spell correctly was expressed by Mr. M. V. Ross during a discussion, at a meeting of tne Auckland School Committees Association, when the Director of Education, Di. C. E. Beeby, was .present. Mr. Ross said he also doubted whether arithmetic was of as high a standard as formerly. “I am very concerned about this, ne added. In the case of spelling, he had decided to give his own children additional'assistance at home. Possibly tne apparent trend was due to the war and its effect on teaching staffs. Another thing that was noticeable today was that dictionaries were much more in evidence than when he attended school. Dr. Beeiby said a problem with school curricula was the amount of time to be given different subjects. The amount spent on arithmetic today was considerably less than 20 years ago, but he believed certain types of problems, formerly taught, such as those dealing with stocks and shares, were not necessary. -M-UCn time could be saved by leaving out that which was not essential. A voice: But the old syllabus taught you to think better. The essence of arithmetic was accuracy, and that was aimed at in each stage of the child’s instruction, Dr. Beeby added. Possibly the standard had. slipped during the war, though he was informed by the majority of the school inspectors that it was about the same as formerly. He 'bqlieved that-the modern child who had been through the modern school was in a better state to face the world than his parents were. Mr. Ross: Whr.t is going to be the end of it if he cannot spell correctly? Dr. Beeby said that as far as arithmetic was concerned the child’s knowledge could be built up further in the postprimary schools. Spelling could be “taught and taught,” but it slipped back once the teaching ceased. Recently he had spoken with a group of officers returned from overseas, who said the spelling in the letters they had had to censor was appalling. These writers, he pointed out, had not gone through the schools in the last few years-