COMMERCIAL TEACHERS

Evening Star, Issue 23353, 24 August 1939, Page 14

COMMERCIAL TEACHERS

CONFERENCE CONTINUED SHORTHAND AND TYPING DISCUSSED The business sessions of the commercial teachers’ conference being conducted by the New Zealand Technical School 'Teachers’ Association were continued in the Dunedin School ol Art Building this morning with lull discussions about typewriting _ and shorthand, the respective chairmen being Messrs J. O. Fiudlater (Hawera) and JE. L. Kehoe ( Greymouth). this, afternoon the visiting teachers weio conducted on an observation tour ot the Peninsula. , . , Good progress was made towards reaching unanimity in the standard ol marking in typewriting examinations. The conference discussed the requirements as laid down by business men in various centres, and . agreed that, though the latter _ appreciated the position of the junior just starting, they expected employees to speak plainly, to lay out work in an orderly and concise way, to have a sound knowledge of linglish, and to snow accuracy in calculations. A trend for the benefit of the community in general was the dropping of the use of “ hackneyed ” phrases of no importance in correspondence. There was a growing tendency to make the subject an important one ior boys, by whom it could be applied when they entered the business world. There was a marked difference ol opinion as to whether or not pen or pencil should be used at speed stages during the discussion on shorthand. Mr L. D. MTver (the organiser of the conference) mentioned a method of approach which combined the modern trend of dictation from the beginning with the older method of instruction in the subject. Special sessions were conducted for writers of the American system—the Gregg System—and later

in tho conference they are to demon* strate this method. The session yesterday afternoon wae devoted to the subject of typewriting, spoken'about by Miss A. W. Hall,8.A.1.P.5., who outlined the equipment necessary before good results could be exipected. The majority of teachers advocated the “ touch ’ system. . It built up the habit of moving the fingers automatically to secure certain results in response to tho stimulus of written words, phrases,and sentences. The importance of co* operation with teachers of other sub* jects, particularly of English, was strongly emphasised. A class of first-year typewriting pupils, under the direction of Miss E. Anderson, of the Dunedin Technical High School, demonstrated the touchtyping principle, to the accompaniment .of gramophone music. Those present were” much impressed with the progress' made over a few months, as exemplified by the efficiency shown as the pupils moved through a series of elementary exercises. An interesting demonstration of the value of the diascope proper and the diascopo with film strip attachment was given last evening by Mr W. P. Macdougall, of the local college. Comparisons were shown utilising standard slides, sub-standard slides, and film strips, both plain and coloured. The relative values pf different surfaces for projection were brought out clearly, notably tho Diicood and the flat white surfaces.