“DOGMATIC TEACHING”

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10898, 12 May 1921, Page 9

“DOGMATIC TEACHING”

SCHOOLMASTER’S VIEWS ADDRESS BY MR R. M. LAING, M.A., ON EDUCATION. SOME IMPORTANT POINTS. “Some Thoughts on Freedom and Discipline in Education" was. the title, of an interesting presidential address delivered by Mr It. M. Laing, M.A., at the annual meeting of tbe Secondary School® Assistants’ Association yesterday at Wellington College. "Of all the words used to conjure with during the centuries, none has been more conspicuous than freedom <•* its synonym liberty," said Mr Lain?;, "and it still can be used* like the blessed word Meopotamia, to to bring tears to the eyes of its worshippers, or revolutions to the seats of the mighty. Again, and again men have attempted to define it, but the idea is so elusive that it either escapes all definition or can only be put iutd words that too closely define it,. or else leave it at large without sufficient limitation. Obviously freedom cannot be expressed in the term* of a dogma or creed, for it is an ever living, ever growing principle, and it is the' nature of a principle that one can n.o more define it than one- con. define life itself." DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER. "All English speaking writers, on the subject of education, are never tired of asserting, and reasserting, that education and discipline should be for the development of character, and. should aim at that first before anything else. They- are usually vague as to what they mean bv character, while the practice of our schools is often half-hearted, and the result, if not null and void, at least unsatisfactory. W* are still too much like the gardener, who for the sake of uniformity painted all his roses red. We still want our children to grow up with our own opinions, in art, literature, politics and religion, forgetting- that a new generation has always a new message to the world. We too often want to put the new wine into the- old bottles of convention and conservatism; and thus suppress all fermentation of ideas: _in our endeavouring to conserve what that past generation believes, to be good. We want the child to conform in outlook and conduct to the ideas of its -father, forgetting all the time that freedom i» an ever-growing- thing. Are we not altogether too much afraid that fresh -ideas will 1 abroad? Milton long ago pointed out that truth was never purfe to the worse in. free and' open- encounter. Whatever problem arises in the schoolroom or in the- child mind it should be treated fairly and honestly, and. with as full a discussion of all sides as- the occasion admits. Itr is not ottr duty wantonly to introduce controversial topics-, hut they cannot always be avoided. Rightly it is the intention of the law that schools should be non-political and non-sectarian; but as. a matter of fact in the teaching of history, language and literature, disputed questions will crap up ; but' be we- Christian Scientists. Seventh-day Adventists, Theqsophists. Presbvtecians, Quakers, or Roman Catholics our treatment of any sectarian Suestion should be impartial and never ogmatie - or be we Individua lists. Socialists, Anarchists, or Communists wfe have no right to do mare than give fi»r play to any set of political views in justice to the child.

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT. "The fact that an opinion is to-day one of a majority or a minority does- net make it either right or wrong, and. it is qnite unjustifiable for a parent, much less a teacher, to force it down a child’s throat. This, of course, is another counsel oE perfection, for naturally I know, as well as you all know that nearly all parents bring np children with their own sectarian views. But I also- know several parents who leave their children in perfect freedom, and such, I think, are the wisest. Those are by no- means indifferent; they merely any to the child. ■Learn all. opiniußs and choose your own.* These views you will perhaps think extremist; but at this point I wish to qualify them *rfehtly. As long an a large number of parents hold Certain denominational views, they will require their children to be taught their opinions, nor can I the State ha* any right to interfere with Such teaching, provided always that the children are taught a* ■well, those elements of education that the State requires. Still, I think such parents" foolish, "and the dogmatic teaching they give th» children likely to closet the child’s mind, and possibly for life prevent him any freedom of thought, and stunt his mental growth. Freedom and discipline should be indissolubly linked together in the mind of every educational th inker, fdr without freedom for the scholar there can be no true discipline, and without discipline there can be no real freedom. ‘There are two main types of discipline, as I have already practically stated. These is tbe discipline in which the will of the individual is completely abrogated to authority; there is the discipline which, is self-control; and though the child must early learn that form of discipline in which to hear is to obey, it is obviously only in order that it may as soon as possible be replaced by conscious co-operation with authority. Colder repressive conditions, the finer and more spiritual types of character have no room to develop. It i» true that in many schools there has blossomed a real, though often very narrow, loyalty to the school idea, and it is also true that in boys' schools particularly there is a typo of discipline, bettor than the hear-ahd-obey type, resulting from sport. This develops courage, endurance* loyalty, and self-control; but it scarcely, however, produces the Christian virtues of forgiveness, mercy, love, and the higher forms of courtesy. This discipline of sport has to be further .supplemented to produce that 60cial discipline, and that international goodwill, which the world must have if our civilisation is to stand and not to bo swallowed up in chaos. Unfortunately, there are not wanting signs that many of oux teachers and educational authorities still do not recognise that discipline is not repressive, that it is positive and not a negative ihing. That it must come from within and not without, if it is to be of any value. In recent times there have "been quite a number of experiments made in schools to this end; and if we may judge by reports these self-government schools as they are termed, have bad remarkable success. Possibly we boar nothing of the failures. In these schools a direct attempt is made to conduct the schools oh democratic lines and so provide that form of discipline which makes for the widest freedom for the individual.