CHILD EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 23383, 28 September 1939, Page 12

CHILD EDUCATION

NEW DEVELOPMENTS LOCALLY PART PLAYED BY OTAGO MUSEUM Say “Museum,” and the older generation remembers a solemn, silent building with a sprinkling of old men peering intently into showy eases and a family group or two doing an obedient round, hushed into quietness by the atmosphere of the place rather than the admonitions of attendants. To-day all that is changing. The Museum is taking a now place in the life of the community, and exhibits mean something to the kiddies. And the reason? At the beginning of the year a new duty was undertaken by the Otago Museum when an education officer was appointed, and visits to the institution are now a part of the curriculum of every Dunedin school. But do not picture an aimless group wandering round and taking a cursory interest in objects pointed out to them. Instead, it is the children who point out features in which they are interested. Take, for instance, a class whose school geography a't the moment is dealing with Canada. On their Museum day they are divided into groups, each group dealing with a different subject. Just inside the entrance arc half a dozen little girls. They are studying representative animals—the skunk, the browui bear, and the beaver A questionnaire has been issued to them, and from their own observation they arc filling it in, and, incidentally, making a sketch of the animals. A student is supervising their efforts, but of their own initiative they are finding out more than hooks would teach them in a. month. Upstairs, on the top balcony, another group is studying birds —the crane and the golden eagle. Insects, butterflies, and beetles occupy the attention of some of the boys, while in the basement—thrill of thrills —others handle and admire real Indian bows and arrows. On their return to school a pupil from each group will tell the class what he or she has seen, with observations and conclusions drawn. That is not the end of Museum day, however. Throughout the next month there may be a claymore or an assegai mentioned in the history lesson; or a bird or a butterfly in Nature study. A note is made and a list forwarded to the Museum, and, if they are available, the articles will be produced on the next visit to be handled and admired by tbo children. SCHOOL EXHIBITS. Another revolutionary task is the seting up of exhibits which are taken round the schools. They cover such subjects as seasbells, the occurrence of calcium carbonate in nature, the manufacture of wool, pottery, sugar, and innumerable other subjects. Onco a fortnight the exhibit at each school is changed, and the enormous amount of work entailed can bo imagined. Each exhibit is fully self-explanatory, and no one can help but be interested. By this means, as well as the monthly visit to the Museum, children are trained to look, and to uso their own minds. Private firms supply much of the material that is used, but the work of setting it up is done in the museum. Care is taken that the minds of children are not overloaded with non-essentials. In the study of wool, for instance, only 10 of the 31 stages through which it passes are shown, hut these 10 are the essentials. Outside help has been greatly appreciated by those in charge, and the interest shown by people who have come into contact with the work has been remarkable. PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTIONS. Yet another task which confronts the Education Officer (Mr Gordon Anderson) is the preparation of collections of photographs, posters, and interesting material generally on geographical subjects. These are divided under subheadings, such as People, Industries, Animals, etc., and practically the whole life of any country is portrayed. There is, too, a collection of prints of famous paintings which is intended for country schools. In fact, the whole scheme is tremendously far-reaching. Do the kiddies like it? Only stand and watch them—they are there practically every school morning. You will not see a bored or uninterested expression among the lot of them The morninn- seems all too short to most of them, and, in fact, in the afternoon, when school is out, they are there again, displacing a lively interest in everything. They are .being taught how to look, and thev appreciate it. There arc parents, indeed, who -feel that there can be too much of a good tiling, particularly when younger members of the family entreat them to spend week-end after week-end in surroundings that they had considered uncongenial. But all of them recognise the value of the work, and many who come to exercise adult superiority remain to lie instructed by their juniors—and like it.