HANDWORK AS A SCHOOL METHOD

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 19, 22 January 1921, Page 2

HANDWORK AS A SCHOOL METHOD

A STRIKING CHANGE

The most striking of tho many changes which have taken place in English education during the past decade has been the widespread adoption of hand>vork as a school method (writes a London correspondent). The introduction of formal manual training is, of course, of much earlier date; and for many years courses of instruction in woodwork and similar manual occupations have formed part 01 the curriculum at both primary and secondary schools. But the present popularity of; handwork is based upon the fact that it is now being used as a method, not merely treated as a subject. Instead of limiting manual activity to a definite period of the timetable, under a special teacher, in a special room, it is being employed as a means of teaching many other subjects. The mistake of repressing the' natural' activities of the child has given place to the wisdom of utilising them and building upon them. But' the spectacle of children making Norman castles in cardboard and models of Australia in clay, and wood .en waterwheels, has recently provoked criticism and aroused discussion in. educational circles. Merely! obscurantist condemnation may be neglected, but there is also criticism that cannot be ignored, by reason both of its intelligence, and of the authoritative of its source. .The most formidable objections are those raised by certain educationalists, ofwhom Mr, H. Schofield is the most representative, and his positipn as principal 'of the Loughbprough Technical ' College, with its. World-wide reputation for success,in training 'skilled craftsmen, leads weight to his views. The weakness found by Mr.. Schofield is twofold. First of all, he says, the handwork is nearly always wanting in accuracy. Secondly, it 13. ' not, as it should be, based upon .industrial needs, - nor of a, productive ciha,-racter. Wlieii a.ll object is made for real use it lias to pass tests that ar.e'real, These critipisnis appear, on the surface, to be the'pro^ duct of _a. merely vocational conception of education,-the view of education whi"ch would aim at ,the production of capable carpenters and efficient typists. But,there is. more than that in. Mr. S-diofield's'criticism. He paints out tot one of the great defects of the times is "sloppy thinking," and that training- in accuracy is valuable,,not only to craftsmen, but also to biisiness mfsa. and iiatural scientists, and in.all activities. Fur-. ther, ho says, "Nothing can. bo moredemoiralisiHg than for a- boy 1 to make an article and for the teacheu: to say, 'No, that is incorrect, file it down, or- plane it down, another sixteenth, arid them it will jueajsure co and so.' " Aad as for freedom for individual work, his vie^ is that the idea of iudividimf' thought pr free expression is often confused wit|i bad' workmanship ax|.d. careless* output.

■This challenge to.- the strong and growing handwork 1 movement has been dealt with by- Prof. J. A. Green,, of Sheffield TUniversity, whos.© advanced and cultured educational work is \yidely- known and respected. Ha points out that the idea of setting out to "train accuracy" is based, on a discredited theory, namely, the old idea that the faculties each needed individual deyelppment, and that accuracy obtained by exercises in the workship will extend to other regions of . activity. Even if this conception were correct,, handicraft would npt be the only or cheapest means of developing accuracy, for the same result could be achieved by training in the writing of Verse. Accuracy is essential to the. writing of iambic pentameters,- and the only materialsi 'needed would cost practically nothing. The verse-writers "might develop astonishing accuracy in their particular occupation, but no pile would expect them to carry this accuracy into the workshop, and more than one would expect a skilful jpiner to be a good critic of metre or rhyme. Moreover, the skilled craftsman is not, as a rule, any more immune, from "eloppy* thinking" than the majority of folk. Professor Green points out that meehiinical aocijra'ey is essential in the factory, and he \vduld leave its cultivation till the time arrives for the youth to enter upon that stage, of life. To attempt to obtain extreme accuracy before that period involves the imposition of a series of arbitrary and carefully designed exercises, meaningless to the pupil-and unrelated to his outlook. -

Modem educational handwork, on. the other hand, gives, a boy a i'ew simple tools, and encourages him to plunge into the adventure of making something he wants and in which he is interested. He has to devise his .own 'scheme of operations, which may involve following mechanical exercises—but these exercises now have a meaning.' Incidentally he will be up against. problems of adaptation which the average factory workman would assign to somebody/ else, because "it was outside his trade." The work ..will inspire him to look aii things which be jiever thought of looking at before. He will even seek out books which will furnish information on points of practical, ipterest that turn up, The whole situation is educational, "and "the product, will be nearer the type of work done by the medieval .craftsman than, that done by tho modern ' factory worker. ■'