SCHOOL COMMITTEES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25801, 23 March 1945, Page 6

SCHOOL COMMITTEES

OTAGO ASSOCIATION, The quarterly meeting of delegates of the Otago School Committees’ Association was held last night, the chairman (Mr N. D. Anderson) presiding. He extended a welcome to the delegates, and also to Mr James Wallace (chairman of the Otago Education Board). The need for a reduction in the size of classes at primary schools was mentioned by Mr A. F. Stock (North Otago), who spoke of the difficulties under which an Oamaru school was labouring with overcrowded classes and depleted teaching staffs. The modern educational trend was for individual tuition, said Mr Stock, and it was impossible, with such large classes as there were at the present time, for the teachers to give adequate instruction.—On the motion of Mr Stock, it was decided to refer the matter to the Dominion Federation for attention. An address was given by Miss Watson, of the Teachers’ Training College, whose subject was “ Modern Infant Room Methods.” Miss Watson contrasted the methods in vogue under the old regime with the revolutionary tactics being adopted at the present day. The most marked difference, she said, was that formerly children were taught in the mass, but now more attention was being paid to individual needs. It was realised that a child could not do work beyond its capacity, and in consequence intelligence tests and other means had been devised to ascertain what the child was best suited for. Many children were ahead of (heir years, and others were the opposite. The object of modern teaching was to instill confidence into backward children. There was often criticism at the amount of play allowed in the modern infant school. Miss Watson said, but modern methods aimed at a balanced curriculum, and these periods of play helped to develop the child’s creativeness and initiative at the same time making for a social atmosphere. The modern system aimed at banishing a child’s innate sense of shyness. , ' .' In conclusion the speaker commended to her listeners the idea of an infant library, with the books graded for the different primers. The books were not easy to obtain at present, she said, but it was a scheme well worth investigation.