TEACHING EXPERIMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18022, 22 February 1922, Page 7

TEACHING EXPERIMENT.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

CHANCE FOR DULL CHILD, [FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT. 1

LONDOIT, Jan. 2. One of the sections at the Education Conference in London that was crowded out discussed a new American method of conducting schools known as the Dalton system. Its purpose is to enlist the interest of the children in doing more teaching of themselves and of one another, and it seems to make the teacher more of a consultant. The system was outlined by Miss Bassett, headmistress of. Streatham High School. It is a scheme of edacai tional reorganisation, worked out by Miss Helen Parkhnrst in the Children's University School in ;Vow York, and by Mr. Jackman, under Miss Parkhurst's direcTK igh '- SChO ° J 3t Dalton > MM' sachusette. Ilie aim of the plan is to give the child freedom, making the (school a community, where the mutual instruction of groups 13 possible, and it is chimed that it approaches the whole problera' : of work from the pupil's roint of view, giving him more responsibility for and interest in his own education The chairman, Dr. C. W. Kimmins, remarking that we were at present witnessing the birth of a true science of education, said it was impossible to acknowledge sufficiently warmly the reat debt due to psvchology for giving 60 much valuable information on the mental makeup of the child, and enabling teachers to see the vast difference in the native ability of children as distinguished from educational achievement. This all pointed to individual work, for which in London tii ere was now great enthusiasm. One groat point about this plan was the vivid interest created. It was so important that thiß interest should be aroused and maintained, otherwise they did not get that "will to learn" so essential to aU pro-, gress. Another important thing was the choice of time, for certain subjects. • Hero the child had freedom of choice, variation in pace was also allowed for, and this wassuch an essential element in progress. Ordinary class work might have a. very bad effect on a clever child, for there was danger of his development into a slacker, because he could do things so well and get, to, the top of the class with practically no effort. The schema offered great facilities for the dull child.

Miss Bassett, in r. vivid description of the way in which the scheme is worked in her school, said that doing work to order at' a particular time was unnatural and unnecessary. It lessened interest and ensured,the work being less well Jione. The origin of time-tables came from the need for. variety. In a Montessori school there was no time-table, yet one never saw a child wasting time. The Daltou plan had nothing Bolshevistio in it, but was perfectly natural. It was simply an attempt to make tho hest_ use of the teacher, of oar existing conditions, and of our existing curriculum. Neither new buildings nor' new apparatus was wanted. Class teaching was often a clash of wills. If that was not apparent the teacher was said to be a good disciplinarian. (Laughter.) But the'clash was thero. Sow« children had the tact to hi/tet it What was wanted was to get behind the child's will instead of m conflict with it. Give the child a series of goals and she would go forward by f herself. This plan should give in preI adolescence the ballast needed for adolescence. Some day there would be 11 Departmental Committee; not on Englisn or mathematics,- but on the study of tho child. Then education would go ahead on much sounder Klines. At the beginning of every month each girl receives a syllabus of work to be done. Some class lcs- ! sons are given, but the rest_ of the mie is given to free study, during, which, a rirl may appeal for find receive hel;p from her subject mistress. Free access to books is given, and the girl msy " se ' ier study time for any subject she likes, but must try to ieach the goal of the syllabus. There were three syllabuses in each form, one for the slow girls, one for the avenue girls, and another which encouraged the brilliant girls to go deeply into their subject. The girls chose for themselves in each subjoct which they would take. Miss Bennett claimed chat- the child's interest grew with her work, and that she gave a great deal of time to the subject" which interested her most. The svstcm was good in so far as the teacher had faith, and it had the great merit of being elastic.