INFORMATIVE CONTENT OF EDUCATION 369 



In reference to the first it should perhaps be observed that the phraseology 

 used by Mr. Wells was that most suitable for the audience on the occasion 

 of the delivery ; but it was not always appropriate for use in schemes of 

 work for elementary or secondary schools. As one correspondent wrote : 

 ' Some of the phrases are rather staggering for a school curriculum, but 

 they probably mean less than they appear to mean.' 



In illustration of this statement reference may be made to some sections 

 named in the outline given by Mr. Wells. ' Elementary ideas about 

 human cultures and their development in time,' when suggested for the 

 infants' schools, sounds formidable. But when the actual stories told to 

 children of this age are recalled, including the Biblical stories, stories of 

 Hiawatha, etc., and when the outlines of History are examined from this 

 angle, the suggestions may not appear quite so alarming. 



Similarly, ' States of Matter,' for infants, has a terrifying sound. But 

 talks on ice, water and air in some form or other, and in association with 

 some experience or activity, are taken in every school. Biology, Zoology, 

 Botany and Physiology mentioned in any curriculum for very young children 

 would immediately arouse suspicion, if not antagonism ; yet it is doubtful 

 whether the whole of Mr. Wells's suggestions are not included in Nature 

 talks. Observation Records, Gardening and such-like normal activities of 

 nearly every infants' school in the country. 



The differences between what is actually taken and what Mr. Wells 

 suggested in regard to other age-groups may be more marked ; but the 

 contradictory nature of some of the replies appears to emphasise the need 

 for further and fuller inquiry. With regard to some of the work suggested 

 for these groups it may be found that the terminology has been too readily 

 accepted as ambitious and pretentious ; and insufficient attention has been 

 paid to the actual content of the proposed curriculum and to the real scope 

 of the work already included in schemes of work. Such an approach may 

 account for the reply ' None ' given to the whole questionnaire, the corre- 

 spondent adding that the whole of the Informative Content of Education 

 ' is wholly unsuitable for the immature minds of children of 14-15 years of 

 age.' An ex cathedra pronouncement of this kind may denote a reluctance 

 to experiment, and a tendency to assume that all is well in our present 

 curriculum. 



In further illustration reference may be made to the sections of History 

 for Grade C, ' The increasing importance of economic changes in History,' 

 and especially to ' The search for competent economic direction.' So 

 expressed, they are, in relation to an elementary school curriculum, almost 

 awe-inspiring ; yet judging by the information received there are some 

 senior schools in which both sections are taught and taught effectively. 



The Committee are of the opinion, therefore, that further investigation 

 is desirable to discover how far the actual teaching in the schools, regardless 

 of the terminology employed, does cover the various sections of the subjects 

 to which reference is made in the outline of an Informative Content of 

 Education. 



Possibly there are parts of the curriculum suggested by Mr. Wells which 

 cannot be taught either because they are beyond the capacity of the pupils 

 or because the time factor will not allow them to be included. In relation 

 to the first of these, the following observations of Sir Richard Livingstone, 

 speaking as President of Section L at Blackpool, may be recalled : 



' I should like to suggest certain principles which we must observe if 

 our efforts are to be successful, and to which little attention has hitherto 

 been paid. . . . The first of these principles is that education must be 



