"HANDWORK."

Taranaki Daily News, 8 November 1917, Page 6

" HANDWORK."

ADDRESS BY MRS. BOWLING.

The first of a series of lectures, arranged by the Soliool Committees' Association for the promotion of interest in educational matters, was given at the Technical College on Wednesday by Mrs, Dowling, head mistress of the West End School. There was a good attendance of teachers and committeemen, hut the number of parents was not large. Mr. S. G. Smith, chairman of the Al>3ocitttion, presided. Mrs. Dowling said that addresses on educational subjects were'helpful to parents and gave an idea of what was being done in the public schools. The subject "Handwork" had been chosen, as so many parents appeared to think that the child's time was wasted by lessons on sticks, bricks, paper, etc. ' Parents often had said that they would be if their children leariit the three R's, but that was not enough. Even hefore the. children came to school they played with blocks and stones and learned a great deal from that play, for in every movement a child learned something. A healthy child was naturally active and the teacher must direct this activity into right courses so that there would be a gradual mental development It was somewhat cruel to expect a child to ait hour by hour learning reading, writing and arithmetic, and the handwork gave the restful change between harder lessons, and the manual occupations proved interesting. It made for better discipline and a love of school. Teachers know that children want to see, to handle, to move about and exercise their muscles, and therefore a set of simple and appropriate employments with a conscious educational purpose and in careful obedience to the suggestions of nature had been arranged. A child learned to know simple objects through the senses of sight, touch, smell, hearing, tasting and the muscular sense, and accordingly the earliest and simplest method of teaching was through the senses, touch, perhaps, being the most important of all. The child must be allowed to use his senses, for that was the only way he learned. When he had been taught something in that way he must be taught to express 'his thoughts with the help of the teacher. The child must also be encouraged to remember and what he made he seldom forgot. Sympathies between mind and body were extremely real, and should be trained and developed together. As in music where the hand, eye and ear had to be trained together, so it was in a child's Ordinary life where hand and eye must fee developed conjointly. In olden times there was perforce a great deal more handwork than in the present days with their increases in inventions and machinery, and the schools must supplement that loss. In olden times also children went to school for what the home did not supply—a little readings writing and arithmetic], but modern schools taught the intellectual and manual work together. There was a tendency to bring children up to believe that manual work was degrading, but it was a very false, pride that allowed people to avoid work that dirtied the hands. The children must be taught from the beginning that all work well done was noble work. If a start was made in the infant r'lom to train the Vhild in neatness, accuracy and obedience to the mind good service was being done. Mrs. Dowling went on to demonstrate how handwork lessons were worked out and correlated with one another and other subjects, plasticine and drawing; sticklaying, counting, letter forming and printing; paper folding, designing, fractions, areas and graphic proofs of simple problems, etc. The demonstrations were illustrated by blackboard sketches and examples of actual handwork of different styles were exceedingly interesting. Passing reference was made to the value of the teaching of sewing in the schools, and the good foundation such teaching laid for the future. Tn conclusion Mrs. Dowling said she had tried to show the importance of the teaching of handwork for the building tip of the character of the child and the developing of the' senses on natural lines. Mr. G. H. Dolby mived a hearty vote of thanks to the speaker, and this was carried by acclamation.