Pupils As Actors

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 6, 8 January 1936, Page 9

Pupils As Actors

HEADMASTER’S HOVEL SCHEME LONDON, Nov. 24.

Tucked away in a back street in Hackney is a small school wliero demontary education is boing revolutionised. The school is-St. Michael’s, London Fields, and the hoadmaster is Mr. H. H White.

He hit on tho idea of dramatising lessons. Each class is given a special subject for a year and tho pupils arc coached in it until they are word perfect.

Then, with the assistance of tho headmaster, tho subject is dramatised, and a play is acted with the parents and other scholars as the audience. “I have called my system ‘Training for Citizenship’,’' tho headmaster said. “Sonior girls, for example, have been taught economic housowifery. Each girl has to run a ‘home,’ and has a junior or so to run errands and to look after “Tho ‘housewives’ have presented a play on the lines of the local child welfare centre.

“Another subject is road conduct. At this school pupils havo to cross a main street four times a day. Yet we hava uot had a child injured during schoo. hours. Only ono child has been injured outside school hours, and that was not her fault.

“Wo marked out the assembly hall like a main road, with Belisha crossings and traffic, -incs, and each child acquired excellent road sense. We made model cars and taught our children road signals. “During tho past threo months wo have been working on threo major industries—farming, fishing and mining.’’ Under Mr. White's guidance, the teachers havo boon encouraged to mix with farmers and fishermen on their holidays. Borne of tho children were taken away for summer holidays by societies, and in this way first-hand knowledge was gained for lesson time. Mr. White himself went to Wales and lived with a miner for his holidays.