PROFESSOR JOHN ADAMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19260, 26 August 1924, Page 4

PROFESSOR JOHN ADAMS

ADDRESSES IN DUNEDIN. “THE DEATH KNELL OP CLASS TEACHING." , Those who are interested in educational matters assembled tn force in the Knox Sunday School Hull yesterday- morning, when Professor John Adams (emeritus professor of Education in the University of London) gave the second of a series of addresses in Dunedin. The whole of the seating accommodation was taken up, largely by teachers and students, who were doubtless anxious to hear the views of such an eminent authority on various problems connected with matters of education. Mr J. Wallace (chairman of the Otago Education Board) presided, and seats on tho platform were occupied by several prominent men and women in scholastic circles. In introducing Professor Adams Mr Wallace said be was sure that those who heard his address on Saturday night were present again that morning if they could possibly attend. Professor Adams was well known to them by reputation. The speaker added that he hod been told that, it was a wonder that. Professor Adams was not a New Zealander. A whisper had reached him that their distinguished visitor had applied for n position in New Zealand at one time, but did not succeed in getting it. Ou rising to speak, Professor Adams was greeted with what was termed a New Zealand welcome, vigorously given by a number of students at the back of the hall. This, said Professor Adams, jocularly, was an exceedingly appropriate beginning of a death knell. Professor Adams went on to say that Madame Montessori claimed that she had rung the death knell of class teaching, but he did not think the class was going to die so rapidly as that. In any case it was going to be a lingering death, though in a sense Madame Montessori was right. She had not rung tho death knell of the class, but only teat of the class teaching—two totally different things. Collective psychology was sometimes called psychology of the crowd, but every gathering together of persons was not a crowd. The speaker went on to explain the difference between a crowd and a psychological unit, and said that a person dealing with different ppoplc became part of different compounds at various stages of tlie day. He could not help applying the atomic theory to our educational problems. Those present could be regarded as atoms, but in social psychology they formed compounds or psychological molecules. The term “soclus" was used to denote a group of atoms or a group of personalities corning together to form a unit. How many persons were required to form a “socius?'’ Tho answer might be two, but he preferred three because a group ox throe could rest themselves on one another. If there were only two in a group they could bargain that they would be separated from each other for at least three hours every day. A collective unit must have a common feeling running throughout. A class might be regarded from two totally different points of view. At that moment his audience formed a collective unit in the psychological sense, but after the meeting it would cease to be a collective unit. When Madame Montessori said she had rung the death knell of doss teaching she meant where (ho class was a collective unit, not where it was a unit of organisation. Madame Montessori said that under her method the pupils taught themselves, and all the teachers did was to supervise. Our kindergarten teachers were continually teaching smalm* and smaller classes. He had visited an the Montessori schools in London and its neighbourhood, and found that nearly all the classes comprised 40 or 40 children. The directress in the Montessori scheme kept in the background as much as possible, but in the kindergarten the teacher kept in tho limelight as much ns she could. Both the Montessori and kindergarten schools were, based on the organisation of the unit, but in tha kindergarten the teacher predominated, whereas tile Montessori school tho teacher kept out of the way altogether. Madame Montessori was recognising the coloctive unit. No doubt she was right in her contention, and no doubt she was right about claks teaching being more prominent than it should lie. The Dalton plan was really an elaboration of the Montessori scheme, but it was applied before Madame Montessori's name was beard of. It had been applied by his successor (Dr Nunn). Madame Montessori was really developing in ono direction a world-wide theme. She had done wonderfully good work in her own way. but she was not, entitled to tho full credit of this system. The Dalton plan was originated by two students, whose following wore conducting classes ns an organisation unit and not as a teaching unit. A class was divided into groups of pupils, who were told what they had to do for the next three weeks or n month, and the students then worked things out in their own way. The teacher took his place in the class room, arid waited Until questions were put. to him. Teachers did not like it because It was entirely new and tin up-turn of all the established order of things. The teacher ns a rule was a conservative person, and did not like the world turning upside down. Good liked to feel that tho relation between them, and their classes was a warm relation, and that there was glow and enthusiasm. Where real teaching was untried on there was a give-and-take which made lifo worth living, even for the hardworked teacher. Teachers had, in fact, too much power over pupils. All •really good teachers wattled to retain a certain amount of class teaching. If the Dalton plan developed as he thought it would develop two-thirds of the time would be devoted to individual work and one-third to real collective teaching. For two-thirds of the time a class would bo an organisation unit and for oue-third a teaching unit. There was. value in both these things. There was no doubt that at present they did too much teaching. lie did not say that they taught too many things, but probably they did that also. It was thought, that pupils could not learn Unless they were being rfctually (aught, but a groat many would learn belter if (hoy were not (aught so much. To fix- the minimum number to make a real class whs a difficult problem. He had jmt Ihe question to a large number of teachers, and bad found (hat Ihe opinion was th-it tho smallesl class lhat could give reallv good work was about, six. For certain subjects there could he only a limited number til the class because the teacher had only a limited amount of firms lo give to each person. As Ihe result of long investigation and discussion the gonnil opinion among English teachers was that the maximum class should consist of 25 pupils for secondary work ami 40 for elementary work. The number of pupils in the elementary classes to 60 after the war, hut it was going down again, and (he Li hour Parly, had decided (o reduce it as soon as possible to 40. There was a certain demand for bigger classes. A friend of his (Dr Httrwnrd)'was demanding bigger classes on the ground that, inspirational work could be done better in such classes. Classes could be too big for a particular personality, and not too big for another. Everything deoended on the teacher and his class. Nothing gave greater pleasure than real class teaching. His opinion was that in the future for about, two-thirds of the time a clnsa would be treated as an organisation unit and for tho remaining glorious one-third would lx* in the power of give-and-tiko teachers. —(Loud applause.) On the motion of Mr Booth a hearty vote of appreciation of (ho address was carried hy acclamation.

ENTERTAINED BY UNTVETI3ITY CLUB, AN ILLUMINATING ADDRESS. Professor Adams was the guest of tbo Otago University Olnh at luncheon. Members and guests tn Ihe number of 60 were present to hear the genial exponent of tho most modern principles of education, and it is safe to sriy that everyone was impressed with the professor’s racy exposition- of tho general rules or methods of observnt ion. Professor Adams’s afler-dinner stylo of address force? upon the mind lhal Englishmen are rertllv not devoid of (he Sense of humour and lends to Ihe inference llmf m uch practice has been (be factor of L-s post prandial antilnde. He took for hi? siibjerl observation, and humorously and succinctly outlined the distinction between gaping and observation. ’I be value of observation, it was pointed r.'nl, lay in its purrooivenesS and its utility. Professor Adams's description of a problematical phrenometer having nn observation zone divided _ into a gaping section, an observation section and nn inference point Was not only exceedingly amusing, but was distinctly utilitarian in view Professor Adams was introduced to Ihe mom hers he Ihe president of the club. Professor Thomson and at Ihe conclusion of the address Professor Bcnhnm, on behalf of the members and guests, appropriately the distinguished visitor for his illuminating and entertaining address.