PHYSICAL DRILL. DISCUSSED BY TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 92, 20 April 1911, Page 2

PHYSICAL DRILL. DISCUSSED BY TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

THE VALUE OF FREE EXERCISES. The question of physical training for schoolchildren, with or without appliances, which, was discussed by the Wellington branch, of the New Zealand Teachers' Institute recently, and was adjourned to allow of a larger meeting treating -with, the subject, was again brought up at a meeting of the branch, last night. The Commandant of Cadets (Major T .W. M'Donald) had written to the Education Boards urging that appliances were nnneoessaTy for physical drill, and the Wellington , Education Board referred the communication to the Teachers' Institute for its opinion. Tho matter was .partly discussed, and ttie following motion was put forward Tiy Mr. E. H. Ballachey :— "That this institute is of opinion that it is not desirable to abandon the use of soch simple apparatus as is at present used in our schools." Mr. G. Flux (president of tha.branch) occupied the chair last night. LIGHT APPARATUS AND ITS USES. . i Mr._ Ballachey said that he was still ! of opinion that the apparatus used in the schools was so light that it could not have any detrimental effect. He thought that the ''apparatus was an assistance to the " children. In his own school, clubs only were used, and he got very good results ; all other exercises were free. 'The commandant, however, was of the opinion that clubs and dumbbells should be done without, but with this he. did not agree. He did not think there was any waste of time in getting the apparatus ready. They all recognitied the value' of free exercises', but ii was not necessary to limit the exercises He moved the- motion standing in his name from last meeting. The motion was seconded by the chairman. Mr. Fleming, the Education Board's inspector,- had, the chairman said,_ stated .that the institute was barking up the wrong tree. It was not the intention, that all exercises should be free. IS IT DETRIMENTAL? Mr. A. Cowles said that it nad beep, found by the military authorities that the use of apparatus, however light, was detrimental in physical exercises. In his own experience he had 1 found that apparatus stiffened the muscles, and this was not the object they wished to attain. He had tested VII. standard boys and found that the heart/s action had been 'much quickened when apparaj tvs, however light, had been used. In the majority of cases in the schools phyi sical training was not carried out properly. The children were given one hour in the week, and they, were fagged out by it. Work with apparatus should be I ba,nished altogether. It did not matter to the big boys, but it was- the little ones who suffered. He w,as glad 'to notice that in some schools Roman rings and parallel bars* had been abolished. This was right. It was nothing short of murder to make children use these appliance's — they were very harmful. It was, not muscular power that should be aim»d at, but heart power. When one clunbed a hill, it was not his muscles or ■wind that gave out. but his heart. Mr. R. Darroeh did not think that it was 1 necessary to eliminate light clubs and dumb-bells. Children required something in their exercises upon which to ccnosntratei their mind. Light apparatus was not harmful ; in this medical men agreed. Organised garner were, in his .opinion, much more beneficial than any other exercise. The chairman agreed. If the schools had proper playgrounds, so that ' they could indulge in organised games,' they could put other physical exercises out of the question. In his opinion these exercises now were unnatural. After come further discussion, ths motion wa-s carried in the following terms : — "That the Institute, while admitting the value of free exercises, is of opinion that it Js not desirable to prohibit the use of such simple apparatus as is at present used in our schools." INSTRUCTION OF .TEACHERS. It was further decided, on the motion of Mr. Ballachey— "That the Institute is wholly in accord with the proposal to form claeses for the instruction of teachers in physical drill, provided that the board has submitted to it satisfactory, evidence that the proposed instractors are specially qualified to teach the subject efficiently." Some discussion followed as to the instruction of girls in physical. training, it being urged that exercises editable for boys were not always suitable for girls, especially when the latter were nearing maturity. Finally, it was decided to recommend to the Education Board that it is desirable that a specially qualified woman be appointed 'to instruct the lady teachers' classes. On the suggestion made by Major M'Donald in his letter, that male teachers should attend .an annual camp or school for junior cadet officers, provisioned free of cost to the board and ithe teacher, the following motion was carried — ".That the Institute is of opinion that no general leave could be granted as proposed without entirely disorganising many of the larger schools, and necessitating the closing of some of the smaller ones." It was suggested by Major M'Donald's letter that if teachers were prepared to devote the last week of their summer holidays to this work, that the board should grant them leave to devote the first school week of the year to it also, in the same way as had al.ready been done by some boards in connection with the agricultural class.