TEACHING THE BABIES

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15976, 19 November 1919, Page 7

TEACHING THE BABIES

A WONDERFUL SYSTEM. ' MONTESSORI IN THE WANGANUI PUBLIC SCHOOLS. a / (By T. B. Strong.) • It is now sis years since tire attention of tire Wanganui Education Board was drawn to the experiments iii educational method that were being made in Italy by Madam Montessori and by her disciples in America and Australia. In 1914 Mrs Hawke, then headmistress of the Wanganui Central Infants’ School, and Miss Blennerhassett, her first assistant, proceeded to Sydney to study the method as introduced by Miss Simpson. On their return steps were immediately taken to establish the method -an the Infants’ School. In the early stages the experiment was but partially successful. Self-discipline that is the exercise of selfcontrol by the pupils, was not a marked feature; but, as time went on, the interest of the pupils increased, and the possibilities in the apparatus itself were more fully and clearly realised by the members of the staff. The method was also introduced by Miss O’Brien into the Keith Street Infants’ School, and has been put to excellent use in both schools ever since.

The work of preparing apparatus and material for from 250 to 300 children occupied an immense amount of time, and even now frequent renewals are necessary, making demands on the time and patience of the teachers. One cannot but admire the devotion and enthusiasm of the teachers who carry on this splendid work. Let it be understood, too, that tbo special apparatus supplied by the Board to the Central Infants’ School forms but a very small part of the whole apparatus and material in use. The special apparatus is used mainly in the Kindergarten department. In the case of Keith Street Infants and the infant departments of all the large schools, nothing has been supplied by the Board; the whole of the apparatus is home-made or made by local tradesmen. Tn the Hawera District High School infant department, a very fine set of Montessori apparatus, including the geometrical insets, thick and thin cylindrical insets, buttoning frames, etc., wag made by 6 local tradesman directed by the head teacher, Mr Struck, and the infant mistress, Miss Lauyon. ! At the present time the position regarding the supply of sets of properly manufactured apparatus is this: In consequence of the war no sets can bo secured in Australia and the manufacture has apparently ceased, while no replies are forthcoming from American firms to whom the secretary has written. Our aim was to secure not only a sufficient number of sets of apparatus to supiply the larger infant departments, but to procure templets, or other apparatus by means of which cardboard and Sandpaper letters could bo teadily cut out. So far nothing has been done; but it is hoped that better fortune will attend the secretary’s efforts than has previously been the case. There is, however, no need for teachers who have not yet introduced the method to dela-y until the Board can supply material. What ]ias been accomplished in the large infants’ departments without any assistance from outside shows that excellent material can be made from such odds and ends as tins.

gas-mantle boxes, cotton reels, cardboard hat boxes, pictures from old reading books, and from trado catalogues.

It should be clearly understood that no Wanganui school claims to he purely a Montessori school. In Madame Montessori’s own schoolthe pupils were engaged in free occupations during the whole of the instructional period, roughly, the whole day. In the two Wanganui infant schools, and in all other schools in this district tlie practice is to have a- set “free period’ and also to utilise the material during or #fter the ordinary oral lessons. It would, indeed, be almost impossible under present conditions of staffing and classroom accommodation to extend the “free choice period” to cover the whole day. It is a pity there is this unavoidable restriction, for there is no doubt the wider application of the method of free self-education would be of immense benefit to the pupils. Indeed, the introduction of the method to such a limited extent calls to one’s mind that refuge of the timid—the middle course. As surely as any new method is advocated that conflicts with the old, there springs into being a strong body of. advocates of the “middle course”—a “Tittle of each, please.” From Gladman on, our educational advisers have urged ns not to adopt this method or that, but a mixture of both. Hie world has learnt more from its extremists than from its Laodiceans.

As matters stand, however, with regard particularly to the size of classes and the nature of the school furniture, the full adoption of Madame Montessori’s method is impossible or almost impossible, however much we desire it. We continue, therefore, to advise the use of one or more “free, periods,” during •which time tho pupils are free to move about the room, to go to the material to the mats, to tho boards, and free to assume the most comfortable posture suited to their chosen occupation. In addition to instituting these free periods, country teachers" should allow the pupils during any of the lessons to use material appropriate and helpful to the subject in hand. It is in country schools Montessori is of greatest value. The outstanding weakness in our country schools is the soul-deadening monotony of the P. Class instruction: Writing, -reading writing, drawing, figures, writing—round and round, until the pupils are reduced to the condition of typical school children, lifeness, lacking spontaneity, with all their once ready responsiveness suppressed and the sprightly spirit of enquiry dead within them. True, most country school teachers make some pretence to 'provide Montessori material, but except in a few cases real enthusiasm is lacking. The Leaflet lists of material, the illustration and descriptions that have been provided from time to time ought to have secured a readier response from country school teachers than we in general have noticed. In -shine of the remote schools we have indeed been delighted to find the same enthusiasm that pervades our best infant departments, and the pupils there arc never idle, always interested, always advancing, always making their lessons a delight to themselves and to their teachers. He cannot too strongly impress on country teachers the special importance to

them of tho method we are advocating. Once the material, and perhaps appar atus, too, have been made and its use understood by the yoxfnger children, the difficulty of keeping all the classes occupied disappears, the organisation of tho work becomes simplified, and the pupils gain and never lose a desire to .work that ever keeps their interest alive and ensures their rapid progress. A word now as to the secret of the success of the, method. The underlying principle is simply this, that the best mental development comes from self-edu-cation,! the conscious effort to acquire knowledge. If, instead of the teacher pouring out his mental energy in tho endeavour to secure the assimilation of knowledge by his pupils, the latter themselves take the more active part and bend their wills to the task, how much greater is the interest and enjoyment of both parties in the process. Apart from the undoubted fact that the pupil’s progress is more rapid, the moral effect of the process of education at once strikes the observer. The pupil’s power of selfcontrol grows, ho becomes more considerate of the rights of others, he learns to wait patiently for his turn to use the apparatus, his power of initiative is developed, his inclination to make effort on his own account becomes most marked. Probably the most general weakness in our schools is the helplessness of the pupils. They are non-plussed when set a new problem, based though it be on work they are quite familiar with. They will sit waiting for some direction to be ’given, waiting to be led; they will not, perhaps, dare move about the classroom getting or using whatever they need. Yes, the German goose-step is not confined to the German schools. Freedom is greatly lacking in our own. The extension of the “free period” methods to the' standard classes has been engaging the attention of Dr Montessori for a considerable time. Two large volumes, entitled “’The Advanced Montessori Method,” contain the result of her investigations in this direction. The writer is convinced of the possibility of making good use of the “free period'” in all classes, and would be delighted to find the Wanganui district the first to introduce it. Such a step would do more than anything to break up the present all too common lethargy in the standard classes and would make possible more vigorous and inspiring teaching. The writer will not concede to anyone that ourpupils are more lacking in native intelligence and in l willingness to work than the children of any\country. Our pupils are in the main very willing and very cheerful workers. What is wrong is the attitude of the teachers towards tho whole educative process. Not until we break away from the teaching methods of the patriarchs, not until the schoolroom becomes a workroom instead of a drill room, not until wo admit the democratic ideal into our scheme of education, not until then will the schools play their true part in the development of the race.