PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 72, 21 March 1912, Page 2

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS

A LECTURE TO TEACHERS. On Saturday, in the art room of the Technical College, New Plymouth, Mr Isaac, Technical Inspector, addressed a meeting of Taranaki teachers on the subject of elementary physical measurements and their connection with arithmetic, drawing, geometry, English, etc., and how they assisted in the teaching of these and other subjects. There was a very large attendance, whose interested attention was secured by Mr Isaac for nearly two hours. The remarks were copiously amplified by means of blackboard drawings and sketches in coloured chalks. In opening, the lecturer impressed upon his hearers that hand-work subjects must not be treated each on its own merits, in which case they were valueless, but as a means to an end in illustrating others. With a square of paper he showed how the idea of fractions, decimals, mensuration, metric system, etc., could be taught to very small children, and without producing any strain on the child’s mind, and how the children could be trained to mark off their division to the hundredth part of an inch, thereby supplying an excellent training in accuracy. . Advancing to carton work, he showed how it could be used for the computation of areas, and how that figures differing materially in shape could be proved to be equal in size. With cardboard models ho demonstrated the manner in which volume might be calculated; the whole tendency of the discourse showing that what at first might appear difficult was in reality easy, if only a little thought were given to it. At the conclusion a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Isaac, who, in acknowledging, explained that he did not expect all to agree with everything he said, but he would bo (mite satisfied to let the matter remain as future food for thought.— “Herald.”