RETARDATE CHILDREN

Hawera Star, Volume L, 28 July 1930, Page 5

RETARDATE CHILDREN

RESULTS OF SPECIAL CLASSES

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION. At a mooting of: tlio South Taranaki Education Institute at Stratford on Saturday, over which Mr L. B. Galbraith (Fraser Road) presided, a very interesting and valuable address on backward children was given by Miss T. Fowlcs. of New Plymouth, who has special charge of a class in that centre. Miss Fovvles dealt specially with the methods adopted to develop suo'j children into good and useful citizens. In opening her subject, Miss Fowles said that the real retardate child was the one who would never complete_ a primary course at a school, and for whom special classes were needed so that they might be made good members of society. These classes were not. places of punishment, but of development for these children. Miss Fowlcs said that it was often difficult to pick such children, and this was part- of the problem taken up by teachers who made a special study of the subject. In New Zealand there were thirty special classes, and she herself had thirteen boys and two girls, there appearing generally to be more boys than girls. Referring to the daily work, the speaker said that as soon as the class assembled in the morning it had singing or some sort of music. Difficulty was often experienced in schooling the pupils to sing in time, but in New Plymouth class there was a good percentage that could sing well. Most of the morning would then be devoted to modified academic work and physical exercises with breaks for music. In the afternoon hand work, folk dancing and stories would he resorted to. The idea was to make the children ns happy as was possible. In the special classes no child was forced to try to do something for which he had no ability. Instea'l of attempting the impossible the teacher had to substitute some work that was possible for tlio pupil to do, and in which he could find interest. The aim of the teacher was to train these children so that they could earn a living 'when they became adults.

In conclusion Miss Fowlcs urged people to influence others to treat such children with greater sympathy, and to .encourage the special classes so as to give the children every opportunity to make good in their future life.