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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1971-10-14, Page 11or • • 4. , r 1 • • • Three members of the Girl Gtilde troop in Goderich were honored this week in a ceromohy for services spanning four yearsin the organization. Three years in the Brownie division and an additional year in the .Girl Guides. Guide leader Miss S. Graves makes the presentation to (left to right) Sheila O'Brien, Marion Melick and Paula Butler. -Staff photo A new concept in education Non By Arnold Mathers, Principal; " '• Huron centennial School, „ • .- brucefield._ ,During the last few years, and especially since the HaWDennis report of 496fkmany people it Ontario have' been taking an interest in -non-graded' schools. What is a nOff-graded`school? The concept:9f 0lion-graded school was popularized in "the. United States about ten years -ago by the authors Goodlad and Anderson. Their bo6k, the N_on-Graded Elementary School started the search for n'on7glosied schools and :programs. It's futile search because, a non -graded school simply ' doeSn't Non-gradedness is an idea. Simply -stated it meansWt the children, at- one grade level do not all learn the same thing at the same dine or in the same • room. There- - are as many —patterns of . non-gradedness as there are -schools. • Some .schOols, test all pupils in spelling and establish spelling groups containing pupils of close to- equal ability,. Thus, Grade • four, five, and six' children,'who " aded schools explained work above' and below their grade level and,. therefore, she is really teaching Grade 3; 4, 5, 6, and' 7 courses. This resembles the 'organization of a rural school but reduces the age difference' of pupils to three years,and let i them range across the grades n various subjects. ' The unit system is one of the better known non -graded organization. It allows pupil's to move through units of work and negates the necessity for repeating a whole xear, or going on to the next gradeof work before the pupil is, ready. It divorces the_prornotian system from the calendar. A school .in Joplin,. Missouri, worked out a system wliereby pupils were "streamee for certain subjects but retained the idea of a homer6om teacher for other subjects. Reading and :english skills are streamed for one part of the day, mathematics is streamed differehtly for another part of the day, -and Pupils work in their grade Placed classroom for the balance of the day. , The timetable might look like this: • Reading and Langtiage - 9 ,a.m. - 11 a.m. `• Mathematics -Ji.a.irr: - noon. Homerbom grades„ in 'afternoon. Groups or levels are determineclas ,follows: • Group compares to Grade -3.- 4.„ Group -2- compares to Grade all spell about:0e same, go to the same room , for spelling periods. Other schools keep all .the. Grade five children in the:same" room for spelling but have working at, various grade ievels'.7The same concept may_ Jae applied to mathematics, reading, or creatiye. writing. Anotherpopular pattern is the 'age -grade -----organihtion.. Classes are set up on the basis pf • age'. and stay together through their eight ye -ars- of elementary school. The teachers , group the children within these classes for reading, fri4hOmatics, spelling, but, teach subjects such as social studies and scLence • 'th'e complete etas,. Schools • organized in this way call their groups by age.e.g..the_eight_year.„, olds,She twelve year olds, etc. A _different', type of nori-gradedness is called the.' multi,age group or Multi -grade • group. Children ,from Grades 4, 5, atr-15 afe plaCed in one classroom. The teacher conducts • a course of study at each grade level butt allowGrade fives to work above or below their grade level. - She also' provides material for Grade four and six pupils to 0. 31/2. Group 3 compares to Grade 4. Group 4 compares to •Grtie 41/2. Group 5 compares to Grade 5. • ' Group 6 Compares to Grade , 51/2. A Grade four pupil can be in level 3 reading and language, and level two -rnathematics,-'Another Grade four pupil from the same class could be in level 8 reading and language, but level five mathematics. Both ptipils do the same work, in the afternoon but are grouped according to their ability in reading and mathematics. In thiS,7trage their - reading .is similar but there is considerable difference in their ability in mathematics. Othel• various of non- adedness in elementary schools which developed later have been called continuous progress, flexible, rotary, unit promotion, thematic scheduling' ad infinitum. In all cases thy' are atteiiiptS to provide a better matO between the subject and the child. It really doesn't help a • -child to take .G rade six mathematics if he doesn't learn anything, even though he passed into.Grade six on the strength 'of his other subjects. Most schools agree that the variation in a clasS- is about one.greater than the grade lee1. A Grade four class may have about a five year variation in any subject i.e. pupils ranging Nom Grade three to Grade eight ability, and a Grade seven class might have about an' eight -year variation, i.e. a Grade 5 - 11 ability. Conceivably a -.child might rang: from a Grade five level -in spelling to Grade ten level in science and Grade six level in mathematics. At this time it is probably obvious that no single 'pattern of nor -graded organization is better , than any other. We can only say that . some form of non-gradea;ness is likely better than ni5fie 'at all. Non -graded, while yet in its infancy, has been superceded by the open-corkcept: Openness, like non -graded, is a complex notion. An , open concept schodl does not !man a large physical area, in fact some open area schools operate a very closed'system of' education. ,„ •Openness is a synonym of trust. It reft;rs, chiefly to. a teaching approach • 'which disregards the ty&litiotal pupil -teacher 'methods and the lock step program. The emphasis is directed toward- tlassrooms- in which 1) the room is decentralized into - groups an& work areas, 2) the children choote sorne of their activities, 3) the teacher provides rich learning experiences and „materials, -4)- the 'teacher works with individuals or small groups - seldom presenting a "lesson!' -to the whole class. While there are -approximately 360 open plan school buildings in Ontario, no one %auld hazard a guess at the number of schools in whiCh „open concept education is being initiated. With the emphasis ,on trust between the staff and students, libraries are used by any student at any time of the day, audio PROCLAMATION N„• , TO THE CITIZENS OF TH.E TpWl\l OF GODERICH As directed by resolution of th6 Municipal Council I hereby de- clare the week of -OCTOBER. 17th to 23rd CHILDREN'S AID WEEK 4-uf '11 103., 4 : vis'ual machines are operated, by my, children who have , taken basic instructions' in _their operation, and pupils , are, not tied to one room or one Taflier all -day every day.. It is 'hoped that the student 'assumes greater responsibility for his education and the by prod,uqis heightened motivation. . -The idea of the open concept school ..was practiceil_in" Britain after the Second World War. Some-,excell'ent filmsare now availal4le showing children British Primary Schools O'hich operate, under the open concept plan. Und_Oubledly_ this is a gross over simplification of trends in our elementary educational patterns, however, it may, sere to establisti•the-,idea that there is no one 'way to establish ungraded or provide open concept schools. Why - • bother with these • changes? As ,parents, we sit down tOday With our seven or Right ,year olds to di,scuss the kind of worldly knowledge :Which our parents passed on to us as teenagers. Sesame Street, a n d t 'he c altu r8 1. a n • technOlogical -change which it represents is a real chalkage to the edu4itional community: Vote as you 13 -tit • VOTE. memirafarimmiumiummr a, • GODERICH 14,19713J 1040 HOLIDAY FOR ROBERTSON Thursday, Oct. 7 brought a holiday from school for Robertson and surrounding district schools when the teachers met at Colborne Central for ProfesSioql Development Day TkCHERMARRIED :Cliss B. Hutton, ' French t•acher at Robertson School, l) -come Mrs, Dhaya, F-riday, Oct. 8. Congratulations -from Robertson Mr. and -Mrs. Dhayal " CA ND YSEIN G SOW- ttobertson School is selling candy • to be handed out Hallowe'en night to raise money for our Students Council once again. A prize is being given to the girl ana boy who sell the most candy.. BICYCLE ROPE() On Friday, Oct. 8, 20 Grade 7 and 8 students_ from RObertson went to Clinton for the 1971 Bicycle Rodeo. Wendy Thompson 'won the girls' award and Davie lirouse the boys' prize, Goderich was runner-up to Clihton. ' For Octogeinoilans • • . and'those older The Goderich Signal -Star is pleased to extend happiest airthday grWetings to the following new member, of the Othogenarign Club: IA • MISS MARY LACEY,197 Cambridge Street, who witlrfie- 84 years old tomorrow, October 15; MRS. HERB MORRIS,108 AngfeseaStreet, wfio 89th kirthday Octo.ber..27. . , • Marks her • you know of someone who will be celebrating an 8,0th birthday or better in the near future and would like to have his or her name mentioned in this .eiolumn, please telephone 524-8331 -g-tvirig the name, address, age and birthday of the celebrant. • There ispabsolutely no charge for this service and we are plened-ro hearfrom'all of you, gri Nile UC Exp -lo ers elect slate • The Explorers first meeting was held in the. Nile United . Church -at 7.:30 o'clock. Leaders ;t.-Ahis year are Mrs. Reg „Brindley, Mrs.. Doug 'McNeil and Mary - Me Members elected the officers who He: President, Sharon Pollock: vice-presidedt, ,Brenda Brown; secretary, Lynn Pollock; vice -secretary. Susan Pollo.c.k.;,., and treasurer, Karen Stothers. •Cards ,for the sick, Cheryl Jardine.,-LCathY' . Kerr; helpers, .. Laurie Feagary, Patty 'Brindley-, and Suzann Triers The' leaders Dye out paper * for an Explorer book. Patty led — in a game of wink.: The meeting closed with the • Explorers prayer, 1111•111111111111111, N T DO IT! A LIBERA GOVERNMENT 1. Will organize Gov't • Departments, -ro • 2. Will assume 80% of Education costs to relieve farmers and - •:property owners of. this crushing tax , burden. , 3. Will return Provin- Jncial assessment biek, to County con- trol. 4: Will create jobs thro. tax reform to stimulate economic growtfi, MURRAY GAUNT WILL SPEAK ON CKNX RADIO Fri., Oct. 15 - 7:55 a.m. Sht., Oct. 16 - 9:55 a.m. Mon., Oct, 18 - 7:55 rim. CAMPAIGN, HEADQUARTERS Wingham - 357-2801 Kincardine -:----396-7980 VOTE FOR THE MAN WHO WORKS FOR YOU c, • HARRY WOR$E.1.1., Mayor At • 5, • • 8poniorecl by the Huron - BrAide Liberal AssoeiatiO — .• The Robertson Memorial School Team is.as follows: ' Wendy -Thompson, Tammy ,Brian Meriam, David Smith, Randy Carroll, Pat Denomine,. Brenda Mohring; Stelae Meriam, Ken Shelton, Jeff Fisher, Danny 'Wilkinson, Jeff Harrison, Stephen Collins, Jim Riley, Mary Harper, Tony Vollick, Don qCirkconnell, Laird Eisler and • COUNCIL j COMMITTEE MEETING o. I . T of Thuriday, Ogtober 21, 1971, I will be held on 1,NeginensOay, afternOon, October 20, 1971 at • 4:00P.M, -COUNCIL' MEETING of Thursday, November 11, 1971 will be held on Wednesday, November .10, 1971 at 4:00 P.M. Changes due to Election and Remembrance' Day respectively. Diana Oke. • Don Milne NDP 4f• STANDS FOR TRW:VI, REPRESENTATIVE .1 GOVERNMENT The policies of the-N.D.P. are not formed by politicians, they are formed by the, needs of the—people who are affecied by the pbliCy: Check N.D.P. policy on: Family f a rmi ng,' maintenance of farm 2 equipment, ctomobile ,‘ insurance, pollution, employment, industrial development ,asSistance; taxes, and separate scnool support. 55 ' WE'S SUPERMARKET SUPER DISCOUNT PRICES ON THE SQUARE 'GIANT SIZE POWDERED' DETERGENT TIDE XI( OPEN NIGHTLY TILL 10 WE DELIVER -1 ALLEN'S 48 oz. *( FrOm Concentrate) APPLE ,yo,RK FANCY 10 oz. CREAM .STYLE CORN or PEAS. 894 PRUFF - SPRAY STARCH 94 BERRY qpx-9 o RASPBERRY or STRAWBERRY JAM 4i$1L BICK'S BABY DILL, SWEET MIXED or YUM YUMS-32 pz. PICKLES 594 GET • La" r Ingersol 16 oz. Spread ONLY SCHNEIDEWS "MINCED C OKED :HAM' CHRISTIES .PLAIN OR SALTED SODAS ' 1 lb. 2179' SILVERWOOD'S -LILY BRAND. ND: 1 CREAMERY , BUTTER 4 Ib. 70 ONTARIO'NO. :1 POTATOES 25 lb. — .67 " ONLY U.S. NO. 1 WHITE OR PINK 48's GRAPEFRUIT 6,494 \ • SCHipEIDER'S RED-HOT or REGULAR, WIENERS • 1 Ib. VAC PAK, 594 STAMPS TOO ! 44 • r - — •• V. "., •