W.E.A.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 23 April 1926, Page 6

W.E.A.

NEW VENTURE FOR SOUTH CANTERBURY. At the opening of the Waimate class on "Wednesday evening, . IWt George Manning, district organiser, outlined a new scheme which is being tried, whereby students in the backblocks or small villages may bo given the opportunities of higher education. Each week, a box containing lecture notes, library hooks, prints and gramophone records will be despatched from tho Centre to. the nearest study group formed. This group will retain the box for a week, then rail it. to the next elass, and so on, until the box has done the round of study groups. Each week a box will he sent, until the twenty lectures have boon given. In order that the scheme should bo a success, tbe siko of the study groups should not be larger than 12 students. These 12 students would appoint their own leader and secretary from among themselves. The group would meet in the residence of one of tho. group, or in a small public, room, but a gramophone is essential, as tho subject to be studied for the year is: “The 19th Century in Literature, Art and Music.” The lecture notes would he distributed by tho leader to tho students, who would then read them at homo, and come to the meeting prepared to ask questions or discuss any part of the lecture. The first lecture notes would deal with tho development of musio in the 19th Century, and the gramophone records would illustrate the music of that period. When the subject of “art” is introduced, a number of “prints” will be shown, illustrative of the art of tho period. The advantages of the sehomo were, first, it saves tho time and expenso of a tutor going to a small- group; second, it makes tho elass right independent of any tutor; third, it encourages students to look to themselves for malting the evening instructive and interesting; fourth, the system can be of servico in any part of New Zealand at little cost: fifth, it brings education to the fireside and under the best possible environment. The scheme is to be tried out .this year in'South Canterbury, in such places as Fairlie and Temuka, and iii any other place where a dozen students can bo secured willing to operate the system. The Centro will, next year, do the same kind of work in the North Canterbury district. The whole scheme is under the direction of Professor J. Shelley, of Canterbury College, who is also responsible for the lectures.