Room 3: Volume 8

Once a fortnight the Teacher team ventures down to Room 3 – the basement archives at the Australian Council for Educational Research – to bring you education quotes from some of our favourite historical titles.

Room 3 is home to a plethora of texts originating from way back when. Each fortnight we bring you choice titbits from some of our favourite historical titles via Facebook and Twitter.

Cousin, B. The Community and the School (1945) W. Jefferson & Son LTD: Cambridgeshire.

‘Few would deny that education concerns itself primarily with the art of living, and that therefore the school cannot be separated from its sociological background, the community.' (1945)

‘The school obviously must have its roots deep in the community if its influence is to last right through the individual's life.' (1945)

‘To what extent is the youngster leaving school – or college for that matter – keenly aware of the civic, industrial, and cultural activities going on around him?' (1945)

‘If education is to be the basic function of the community, it can only become so if the community is organised for that purpose.' (1945)

‘All teachers are concerned as to what the schools can do for the community. But is every teacher so actively concerned with the other side of this problem, namely, what the community can do for the schools?' (1945)

‘One can often learn far more about a subject by question and discussion than by reading a well set out logical exposition. Personal contact is far more inspiring than cold print.' (1945)

‘The more people one can meet who are knowledgeable on certain matters, the wider will be one's outlook and range of interests.' (1945)

‘After frequent educational outings the pupil is more ready to return to the classroom to digest what he has seen and heard. Extramural activities should be generally welcomed as a healthy sign. Study should generally follow experience, not precede it.' (1945)

‘Local history, geography, civics, economics, in fact almost every subject in the curriculum would form a natural and organic unity in which all could be harmoniously linked up.' (1945)

‘Not only music, but arts and crafts of all kinds could be shared with great mutual gain, by young and old.' (1945)

Committee appointed to inquire into the provision of libraries in secondary schools (1936) Report on Secondary School Libraries. T and A Constable LTD: Edinburgh.

‘[The school library] is a place where boys and girls can find new outlets for their interests and perhaps lay the foundations of a life-long hobby in an attractive book.' (1936)

‘The library should be the centre of intellectual life for the whole school.' (1936)

‘The Secondary school library, properly used, can help considerably in the further development of the spirit of freedom in the schools.' (1936)

‘Capacity for forming personal judgements, and strengthened independence, are results which may be looked for in the pupils from an intelligent use of a library.' (1936)

‘Generally the provision at present made for libraries in Secondary schools is inadequate. We assert, in fact, here and now that in no department of the Secondary school system is there greater need for development.' (1936)

‘Secondary education is in its essence a broadening process, an enlargement of experience, and that the criterion of successful organisation is not the examination unit but the person, the individual boy or girl.' (1936)

‘The library provides the needed opportunity for training the individual boy and girl in the formation of personal opinion from the careful weighing of evidence.' (1936)

‘In its recreational aspect, as an instrument for teaching the full and fruitful use of leisure, it will provide an opportunity for the development and following up in comfort of personal and individual interests.' (1936)

‘It can be said with truth that the life of the school is coming to revolve more and more round the library, and I cannot conceive how the school ever got on without it.' (1936)

‘Ideally it would be desirable that the library should remain always open, for any pupils or members of the staff who may have occasion to use it.' (1936)

‘The co-operation of the pupils may be largely enlisted in carrying out the routine duties of running the library, with benefit not only to the library and the librarian but also to the pupils themselves.' (1936)

National Council of Chief State School Officers (1949) Planning Rural Community School Buildings. Bureau of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University: New York.

‘The planning of a new school building should be the responsibility of the whole community.' (1949)

‘The school of today is centered less and less on books, and more and more on life. It houses not only children and youth but adults; it supports not a traditional school program but a wide variety of activities.' (1949)

‘The recreational, social and economic needs of the whole community should find satisfaction in the new school. Thus the school building is a major educational tool for carrying out the program planned for the community.' (1949)

‘In the lower grades especially, where activities are of an informal nature, originality in room decoration will create new pupil enthusiasm.' (1949)

‘Natural grouping of the pupils at centers of interest should be encouraged. Ample floor area, movable furniture, planned storage spaces, and suitable fixed equipment which constitute the general layout are essential.' (1949)

‘Adequate space for work, play, reading and discussion in an attractive room encourages learning. Classrooms are increasingly reflecting the needs of a modern activity program.' (1949)

‘The physical environment of the classroom has an important influence on the lives of the children.' (1949)

‘The arrangement of materials and equipment should be flexible; above all, the library should be colourful, attractive, and inviting.' (1949)

‘The content of any science course should have its source in the needs of the community. The methods of science contribute to a better understanding of the community.' (1949)

‘Visits to dairies, factories, fields, and forests show how science is related to progress and the general welfare, and enable pupils to see the relationship between classroom experiments and life situations.' (1949)

‘Display of student and professional art work encourages participation and is of value to parents, teachers, and students. The best location for such exhibits is the corridor outside the art room.' (1949)

Gopsill, G.H. The Teaching of Geography (1956) Macmillan & Co LTD: London

‘Schooling cannot remain static, and as new insights into child nature, greater refinements in aims and purpose, and more complicated equipment and apparatus come along, classroom practice must constantly be modified if the best use is to be made of them.' (1956)

‘Children find their principal satisfaction in geography when they have the chance to get to grips with things as they really exist.' (1956)

‘Teaching is most likely to be successful when the subject is brought into close contact with realities, and when teachers encourage and direct in their pupils an attitude of enquiry and critical appraisal.' (1956)

‘The speed of events, the speed of travel, the obvious dependence of the nations upon each other – all these things make a study of geography useful if not quite essential.' (1956)

‘The study of geography is a profitable one for children, not so much because it prepares them for this or for that, but because it can provide them with stimulating material which has immediate significance.' (1956)

‘Students should be taught to seek for their information from their own personal observations, from daily events, from reading and from every source to bring their study of geography as close to reality as possible.' (1956)

‘Smaller tables seating for children at each table are rather better … children can sit around these tables in groups, and a certain community feeling of mutual co-operation grows up within these little groups which is very desirable.' (1956)

‘It is not really necessary that each child should sit directly to the front of the class. In groups they can turn quite conveniently to face the teacher during his personal training, and also towards any other part of the room if the occasion demands it.' (1956)

Garret, H. Play Is Learning, Too (1948) The University of the State of New York Press

‘The children's own work should decorate the walls because it is their place.' (1948)

‘There should be time for laughter, for fun, for rough and tumble play, for excitement and anticipation, for quiet and meditation and for following individual interests.' (1948)

‘Group trips to points of interest or excursions for the benefit of growth and variety in children's experiences are frequently suggested.' (1948)

‘If something unexpected appeals to the children en route which is not dangerous or confusing or which might add to the interest of the excursion the children should be permitted to indulge themselves in this.' (1948)

‘By encouraging thoughtfulness and helping them to plan to use their time and their opportunities to play, teachers can develop attitudes that will make responsible citizens of the younger members of our society.' (1948)

‘Participation in discussions has a genuine value in the lives of children in a democracy. Through discussion children learn to weigh ideas and proposals. They learn to offer and to hear opinions expressed on matters which concern them.' (1948)

‘The teacher meets the needs of children by developing individual interests. Allowance is made for and is apparent in the diversity of activity taking place in the centre.' (1948)

‘Products of children's handcrafts satisfy children's own purpose and are clear evidence of differences among children, their interests, purposes abilities and taste.' (1948)

Long, N. Music in English Education (1959). Faber and Faber: London

‘A separate [music] room is a very desirable feature in a school – as important, as say, the laboratory.' (1959)

‘It seems to me that the enthusiasm and personality of the music teacher plays a greater part in the teaching of music than in almost any other subject in the school curriculum.' (1959)

‘Singing, is enjoyable, involves everyone and so leads naturally to the development of love and understanding of music in general.' (1959)

‘When the head believes in music for its own sake and gives positive support to its pursuit, then usually staff seems to be found, time is made available, and difficulties are overcome; and, more important, music falls into the whole design of the schools work … to play its part in total education.' (1959)

‘In a well-run school music should indeed play its part in community life.' (1959)

‘It is often said that the ultimate aim of all aspects of school music is to deepen the appreciation of music through a variety of experiences of it.' (1959)

‘The various aspects of school music–singing, theory and listening in the classroom, and the various opportunities for performance outside it–ought not to fall into rigid compartments with little overlap between them. For school music should be a unity.' (1959)

‘Instrumental music is thought by some to provide pupils with a means of emotional “release” and so to contribute to personal growth and stability.' (1959)

‘Music, which forty years ago was as inaccessible as literature before the invention of printing, is now the unavoidable daily experience of all.' (1959)

‘Today music is the accompaniment to everyday life, more pervasive, more insistent and perhaps more subtly influential than “literature” …' (1959)

Swain, M.O.B., LeMaistre, E.H., Fundamentals of Physical Education (1964). Ian Novak Publishing Co: Sydney.

‘The school staff itself, particularly beyond the primary school level, is seen as a team of specialist teachers striving for the common goal – the development of the whole child – but by different paths.' (1964)

‘The physical education curriculum is not something remote from, or even distinct from, a school's “academic” curriculum. It is a vital part of it.' (1964)

‘Dance satisfies a deep need for self-expression through bodily movement, and it provides for those who prefer to develop skill in the use of their bodies as a means of expression rather than skill in competitive sport.' (1964)

‘When it is required to teach an activity which is to be done in a certain way … it is best to show how it should be done. A good demonstration is far more effective than any amount of description.' (1964)

‘The primary school child needs scope for vigorous, adventurous movement. Physical skills are most readily learned at this time … attitudes towards exercise, sport and competition are being formed.' (1964)

‘Physical education is very closely concerned with the development of attitudes and in this regard much is done to promote team spirit and the ability to work and play with others.' (1964)

‘To meet the varied ability and experience of first year pupils, class groups should be small enough to enable the physical education teacher to teach the whole group.' (1964)

‘Adolescence can be a time of idealism and enthusiasm and children can be helped through physical education to develop desirable adult attitudes and values.' (1964)

‘Every child whatever his ability has a right to the best teaching that can be provided. The aim of physical education is not to train champions but to educate them.' (1964)

‘Because all children take physical education, and because it is generally a popular subject, the physical education teacher is likely to have a considerable influence in the school. (1964)

Winslow, Leon Loyal. Art in Secondary Education (1941). McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc: New York and London

‘Since the creative ability of children varies greatly at any particular grade or age level, this requires that the [educational] methods employed at any level shall be many and varied.' (1941)

‘The principal may help to improve art teaching also by requiring that art education be carried on as an essential and integral part of the school program.' (1941)

‘[Teachers] should strive to attain an integrated and balanced program of art education, one in which appreciation and creation, information and activity are properly related.' (1941)

‘Art should help boys and girls to a fuller understanding of contemporary cultures through becoming familiar with their art.' (1941)

‘Life should be enriched through knowledge of art in its relation to the community and of the power of art in promoting better communities and better community living.' (1941)

‘Art is a creative process, so also is play; both are free and active pursuits that belong to the amateur as well as the expert.' (1941)

‘When the paths of art education and physical education run side by side or actually come together, there is an additional opportunity for appreciation of the beauty that enriches both.' (1941)

‘Responsibility, too, can be developed in the art class, for there are many materials and tools to be used, and finished products to be cared for. In attempting to turn out a work of art he can realize that it is his own responsibility to produce the best of which he is capable.' (1941)

‘The study of art is of particular use to the student in school because it ties up so closely with all of the other subjects studied, because it helps to enrich these subjects and to make them more interesting.' (1941)

Godfrey, J.A., Clearly, R.C. (1953) School Design and Construction. The University Press: Glasgow.

‘A large part of the children's time is spent outdoors … and consequently there should be no hard and fast barrier between the interior and exterior of a nursery.' (1953)

‘The garden plays very nearly as large a part in the life of a nursery as do the playrooms, and it needs to be as informal and intimate as the building itself.' (1953)

‘Natural features such as trees and bushes, hollows, and hummocks, all provide opportunities for imaginative play and should be preserved or created if not already in existence.' (1953)

‘At least 60 sq. ft. per child of garden space in which the children can run and play freely must be provided.' (1953)

‘The child, in fact, is the basis of design and his need for a friendly, stimulating building which provides ample space for his manifold activities, while still being reasonable in cost, must be met.' (1953)

‘To encourage the children to regard one particular classroom as their own, it would be advisable to provide each room with an individual colour scheme.' (1953)

‘It is the children's needs which form the fundamental basis for the design of educational buildings, just as they form the basis for the educational system as a whole.' (1953)

‘Essential cooperation should exist between the people who design the schools on the one hand, and the people who are to live in them and are responsible for their organisation on the other hand.' (1953)

‘The school building in itself is a potent instrument of education … and the recognition of this fact has come to be the corner-stone to the contemporary approach [of] the fusion of educational and functional requirements to provide a stimulating environment.' (1953)

‘The sense of hearing plays its part in producing an emotional state, and can be aided or impeded by a room which sounds lively and spacious or dull and oppressive.' (1953)

Boyce, E. R. (1953). The First Year in School. James Nisbet and Co. LTD: London.

‘Five-year-olds play absorbedly for long periods when pursuing a self-chosen interest. The ability to attend to tasks imposed by other people is late developing, but it comes as a direct result of the practice of concentration in play.' (1953)

‘[Teachers and parents] should know each other, share their knowledge of the child and allow him to see teacher and parent together. There should be a common element in each of their worlds.' (1953)

‘From the first day, teachers watch for signs which tell them what a child is like. As his personality unfolds, they begin to realize what he will need from his teacher, from the other children and from the school environment.' (1953)

‘Children should be allowed to make their mistakes in school, and express their conflicts and uncertainties through the legitimate channels of play.' (1953)

‘Music, like words, is woven in and out of the day and contributes to the general feeling of well-being and stimulates an eager response from most children.' (1953)

‘We could provide each child with similar experiences in the same environment but no two would respond in the same way.' (1953)

‘Outdoor spaces are real playgrounds where learning happens. The children do what they want with anything they find.'

‘Let us boldly bring our classrooms to life with the materials from which children can build their own experience and do away with terms that suggest that learning is a mechanical process.' (1953)

‘In order to decide on the kind of materials which most five-year-olds need in school … let us think in terms of their spontaneous activities which are the direct outcome of inward needs and interests.' (1953)

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