LARGE SCHOOL CLASSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19633, 11 May 1927, Page 12

LARGE SCHOOL CLASSES.

CONDEMNATION OF SYSTEM. "A MOST COSTLY ECONOMY." BRIGHTEST PUPILS SUFFER. PERIOD OF STUDY LENGTHENED. [BY TELEGRAPH. OWN CORRESPONDENT. 3 WELLINGTON. Tuesday. A protest against the size of the classes in the larger schools, and against a policy of false economy in regard to educational matters, was made by . the president of the New Zealand Educational Institute, Mr. B. N. T. Blake, in his address at the annual conference of the institute to-day. "First and last," said Mr. Blake, "I believe the major cause of the worst of our educational ills is the size of classes still found in our larger schools. The obvious ills such as undue punishment, cramped postures, strained eyesight, etc., are bad enough, but crushed individuality is something worse. Let us be sure that in our system of education of the people's children we rear citizens who are obedient because they understand, who follow because they are wisely led, who yield all things to the judgment of right and truth

"If anyone doubts the difficulty under the large-class system of cultivating essential traits of character, of giving to the individual opportunities for development which alone can make the best of personality, let him ponder the following. In a quarter of a century's teaching I have never met two children who were exactly alike. Incidentally I may say that I hope I never shall. It is one of the charms of our profession. Among the 200,000 odd children who fill our schools, there are 200,000 differing personalities. Classification Impossible. "There is no standard which is just like any other standard; there is no class which is completely homogeneous, or approximately homogeneous, in ability, attainment or emotional reaction. The head teacher may examine his pupils, test them, explore them, classify them, as he pleases, but he can never succeed in placing before an assistant a completely homogeneous group." The large class, instead of proving a real saving, was a most costly economy. There was no exaggeration in the statement that throughout the ordinary class lesson two-thirds of tho children might just as well be absent, for when the upper third were being taught at their rate of comprehension the other two-thirds were either manfully or had given up in despair. On the other hand, if the lower third set the pace the others were either impatiently and unprofitably giving heed, or unobtrusively and surreptitiously attending to something else, and in any case wasting time and forming bad habits. The larger the class the greater the waste, since the greater was the range of ability. Good Material Wasted. "Further," said Mr. Blake, "educationists aro inclined to think that the greatest waste is among the brightest children, which may account for the number of those who do not fulfil tho promise of their youth. Finally, lam prepared to make this claim —a very conservative estimate—that, with smaller classes and methods of individual instruction, we could reduce the time spent by the children in our primary schools by an average of one year a pupil. "From all this it is evident that the policy which allows large classes to continue is one of false economy, for which we pay dearly enough now, but for which we will pay more dearly in loss of the vital things of personality when the generation at present in the schools takes on the full responsibility of manhood and womanhood."

Finally, Mr. Blake protested against a policy of economy so far as education was concerned. He said: "Were I Minister of -Education to-day I would stand obstinately against the kind of economy which allows large classes to exist because of want of room, or of staff: which attempts to deprive the children of the best and the soundest; which conceives education in terms of instruction alone; which saves a little to-day but loses much: and which, finally, is not economy at all but a blind kind of wastefulness. Nor would T stand alone. The country is wealthy and its credit is sound. We have iust added another £6.000,000 to our national indebtedness- No parent. I am sure, would raise a murmur against a further expenditure i* assured by the Government that, the money ' was needed."