Old Habits Dying Easy

one of the teachers involved in the Swinton experiment, recalls his reactions to the scheme. As one of the team of teachers in the implementation of this scheme my initial reaction was one of trepidation and dismay. With the single-minded view of the specialist, I felt that the pupils' acquisition of essential techniques and factual knowledge in my subject was to be sacrificed in the pursuit of an impractical ideal. The prospects of teaching two other subjects of which I myself had only a superficial knowledge and of giving key lessons to 240 children in front of several critical colleagues were equally daunting. Only by regarding the headmaster's terms of reference as a challenge to my professional ability as a teacher was it possible to approach the experiment in a frame of mind not likely to prejudice its success at the outset. Dramatic impact It seemed to me that, in the early weeks particularly, the success of the scheme as a whole would hinge upon the effectiveness of the key lessons in making a dramatic impact upon the minds of the children and in providing the non-specialist teachers with some insight into the best methods of propagating the topics under consideration. Lengthy preparation of material and careful selection of audiovisual aids and demonstration apparatus are essential for these lessons, but above all the teacher must be , prepared, where necessary, to give a decidedly histrionic performance in his actual presentation of the key lesson and even adopt some of the techniques of a variety performer to gain audience participation. Such a relaxation of formal discipline is not easy, particularly after many years of upper school examination work, but it is also vital for follow-up lessons where, imitating the primary schools, I have aimed at class-centred activity with children working informally in groups or as individuals. 'Master apprentice' When dealing with topics outside my own specialist province wide background reading and careful preparation along lines suggested by the appropriate specialists have been necessary, but even so there have been many occasions when I have confessed candidly to my class ignor-| ance of a certain point. Such action I feel has never undermined their respect but, in fact, enabled me to identify myself with them in the search for the answer as a kind of 'master apprentice' in the general pursuit of knowledge-After working mainly with 'O' and 'A' level pupils the …