EDUCATION.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4473, 29 September 1922, Page 4

EDUCATION.

the dalton system. dr. McILKAITH’S LECTURE. On Saturday, 23inst., undei thp auspices of the Goldfields branch or the Auckland District Educational Institute, Dr, J. W. Mcllraith delivered a lecture in the Parish Hall, Te Aroha, on “The Dalton System of' Ed Di Ca Mcliraith defined the system as an application of the Montessori system. to pupils from the age of 10 wards. Under it each pupil is fiee t progress at his own speed. The bright are not delayed by those whose pro gress is slower, while the latter proceed at their own speed- The prese ■system, the doctor argued, is a entraining for the teacher, butppo one for the pupils. Under the Dalton system the teacher becomes an expert adviser: the pupils do the work. - library, of as wide a range as possible, is necessary for each subject. The teacher is the librarian, ready always to advise pupils, where information on desired t<>P^ a y D ® secured, and the pupil’s dig fo tins information. Half the time should be devoted to actual teaching, afid the other half spent by the pupil m private study. No system of education is proper which expects the child ,0 back Abd ask nothing; theretothe pupils should be led to state fiee lv the difficulties met with in private study and the pupils—not the teacn-er-should decide what oral lessons are necessary. Early in the year the work is mapped out in “contracts” or “assignments,” and each pupil knows wluu he is expected to do in each peuod (a week or a month). When the work for the first period is known the pupil proceeds to the second period, and so on: and when the yearts work is finished he commences the work of t v next standard. Thus, marking-time is avoided. The. pupil who has not finished the work at the end of a year continues it the following yeai. There is no such thing as failure , there is simply delay in proceeding to the next standard. Pupils work m groups, the weak being helped by the stroii Compulsory .homework is done away with Pupils who do it naturally proceed through the standards more rapidlv than those who dp not. The system should not, however, be used for speeding up,” remarked the doctor “Undue strain could only prove harmfuL and should be strongly condemned.” . . ' it was claimed that disciplinaiy troubles would vanish under the sys-tem-the pupil, being interested, would work honestly; being trusted, would rise to the occasion; while his aim for each day would be Something attempted, something done.” The supreme duty of the teacher was co reveal to the child the utmost of which it is capable. The lecture proved of great inteiest to a large assemblage of teachei’s and committeemen, and at its close the doctor was warmly applauded,