“ACTIVITIES SYSTEM”

Taranaki Daily News, 17 April 1935, Page 9

“ACTIVITIES SYSTEM”

SCHOOL AT HAWAII , FAULT OF MOST TEACHING. LARGE CLASSES AND EXAMINATION ROOT OF EDUCATIONAL EVIL. Large classes and the system of examination were at the root of the failure of education to advance as it should advance, argued Miss A. S. Terry on Monday evening at a social tea at New Plymouth ' arranged by the Taranaki Women Teachers’ Association, and presided over by Miss Elsie Andrews. She based her conclusion mainly on the impressions gained during a recent’ world tour and proposed as a remedy, the adoption of an “activities system” of education as opposed to that now used in New Zealand and most other countries. Miss Terry said she had confined her tries. ’. ~, Miss Terry said she had confined her attention to infant and lower standard work, and what she saw on the whole disappointed her greatly. She had expected in Great Britain to find more freedom in the class room, more active work, smaller classes and individual attention, with every child setting its own pace; a brighter system, more modern and much less traditional. “We are living in an age sparkling with efficiency and progress, but aS many wise people think, speeding to its doom,” she said. “If education took its rightful place and led, instead of being led, perhaps there would be a less gloomy outlook than there is to-day. But how can education lead if it is not up-to-date? , “Educational thought based upon, the study of the child, has made wonderful progress in 25 years, and because Of the advanced knowledge which we possess regarding the development of the child, what I saw actually in practice convinced me that, educational, we are not living up to our inheritance. I think education is lagging pathetically behind other sciences. In theory we are modem and up-to-date; in practice we are 'traditional. There will never be a better theory than ‘Learn by doing; and there can never be worse practice than setting large numbers of children in seats to-learn out of books „ and from the experience of a teacher.” SETBACK IN PROGRESS. She had met many teachers from many lands, continued Miss Terry, and nearly all spoke of a setback m educational progress in recent years. _ The reason riven was nearly always the same—the increase in .the size of classes. In at least one American school teachers had iefunded a percentage of their salary to keep the classes small. ■ / “I look upon my primary education as a wasted opportunity,” said Miss Terry. “Nothing in the system taught me to observe and to love nature, art, literature or music, and certainly not to use my hands or to concentrate ■ sufficiently to express my thoughts. We wrote our thoughts. It is this type of education that does so little to develop a child and less to fit it for living that still seems popular to-day.” The size of classes was an old complaint, and it was an amazing fact that it was only teachers who had ever realised the extent of harm caused by large classes. ■ The public thought that when teachers advocated smaller classes “ey were bluffing and looking for a still easier job. Even those who had-once actually taught soon forgot, and thought that it was possible for the capable teacher to give individual attention to 2 S 55 small primary school children. It was this attempt to do the impossible that forced upon teachers, methods contrary to their better knowledge and harmful to the child. Instead : of doing active work they made the pupils sit. As they could not control large numbers of children seeking food for .their own development they fed them on predigested nourishment. In so doing they were forced to do exactly the opposite to what they- knew was right. Theoretically they were modern; practically they were a quarter of a century behind the times.' , , , “In spite of all this the schools were not in the least places of detention,’ said Miss Terry. ‘‘The children seemed happy and keen but I felt the interest aroused and the success attained was largely due to some form of reward or competition. I am convinced that competition in school and everywhere else, is a very cruel and a very dangerous practice. It produces rivalry, unfriendliness and snobbishness; it spoils sport within the' club and internationally, and it. breeds the germs of war. It is very wrong for a child to know its intelligence quota (if the intelligence of an undeveloped child can be assessed) because there are qualities which develop later.” ■■■■ . . .4 J; 7 “GLORIFIED WORKSHOPS.” In Hawaii class numbers ranged from 27 to 33. The rooms were large glorified workshops with the necessary furniture at one end and a large space at the other, benches lining the sides and benches outside. * The solution to the problem of these educational evils was demonstrated in Hawaii, continued Miss Terry. She had not see a better system anywhere. It was based on a fundamental principle that “activity” or “doing” was to be its crux. There was nothing, startling m this, nor was there any new educational thought. It . was merely putting into practice/ a theory accepted all over the world. ... . ~ Miss Terry concluded by outlining the way in which the'Hawaiian children spent their school day in working busily with their hands, At one meeting a child suggested hatching chickens; a selected committee borrowed a broody hen and a house was built for it. Similarly the children made a rabbit hutch or went down to the wharves to study imports and exports or were taken to farms or butter and cheese factories. Reading, arithmetic, history, geography, speaking, drawing, nature study, handwork, which the traditional system handed out as isolated scraps of rather meaningless information. were acquired naturally in the very process of doing something, recognised by the child as worth while in itself. The results of the system were excellent. The children were ,so interested in their jobs that they .were unconscious of distractions. They... had confidence ' and initiative, . coining , to the teacher only now and then for advice. They were trained to believe that all work commenced must be well done and finished, but the boys, for example, were not expected to devote themselves to effeminate: tasks such as making articles with wool. All .the children were growing up to be considerate, helpful and sympathetic.