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MEMORANDUM ON THE TEACHING OF

DRAWING.

PREFATORY NOTE.

THE present is the fourth of a series of Memoranda which are being issued at short intervals. As is well known, it has for years past been the policy of the Department (as expressed in the Code) to refrain from prescribing in detail the courses of instruction in the various school subjects. Teachers and managers have been left free to formulate their own proposals for consideration and approval. There is no thought of departing from this policy, which, though not without its disadvantages in certain cases, has yet given a stimulus to independent deliberation upon questions of curriculum, and thereby a directness of purpose and aim to individual work, the effects of which are becoming increasingly visible in our schools. The task of laying down a suitable course in any given subject is, however, by no means an easy one, and the Department has been repeatedly appealed to for guidance. It is in response to these appeals that the preparation of the Memoranda has been undertaken.

It follows from what has been said that, as a rule, no attempt will be made to formulate a definite scheme of instruction. A definite scheme must be relative to the particular school to which it is to apply, and must take account of many circumstances, such as the size of the school concerned, the extent to which the classes are subdivided, and, above all, the contribution which the home may be depended upon to make towards the education of the children-considerations which are foreign to a general discussion. But an endeavour will be made to present clearly the end and aim of instruction in each separate branch, and the inner articulation and development of its subject matter, as well as to indicate certain leading principles which should be kept in view in the preparation of detailed syllabuses. Furthermore, the Memoranda are not put forward as final or authoritative documents. The views expressed embody, it is believed, the ideals and aspirations that animate

the best schools; and few, if any, specific recommendations are made which are not supported by the actual experience of teachers of repute. But criticisms and suggestions will be welcomed and will be carefully weighed, with a view to issuing revised editions, from time to time, as experience may prompt. All that is expected, therefore, is that the Memoranda will receive the thoughtful consideration of teachers and managers in the framing of their syllabuses, in order that no radical departure may be made from the general principles advocated without a deliberate judgment as to the reasons which justify such a departure.

Scotch Education Department.
August, 1907.

ON THE

TEACHING OF DRAWING.

tion.

The careful study and more or less complete repre- Primary sentation of actual objects, natural and fashioned, large school drawand small, singly and in well-arranged groups, may be ing instruc looked upon as the foundation of all primary school drawing instruction. The intelligent arrangement and carrying on of this work, and of the various correlations and developments which naturally arise from it at all points, are problems which have to be faced by the majority of primary school teachers.

Aims and

In dealing with these problems there are certain main considerations which should be kept continually in view. Before endeavouring to map out a course of instruction in drawing, it is of the highest importance that a clear conception of the aims and possibilities of the subject should be obtained. A well-conceived scheme of draw- possibilities. ing instruction, intelligently carried out in correlation with a course of true nature study-with which it is naturally allied-should gradually awaken the pupils' interest and delight in the world which surrounds them, instilling an appreciation and love of beauty in form, colour, material, and arrangement, as well as a regard for utility. It should cultivate in them habits of accurate observation, and the power to represent faithfully and truly in different mediums the results of their observations, so that through practice they may gradually gain facility in graphic and plastic representation-the language of hand and eye. Along with these it should develop their inventive and imaginative faculties, and create a taste for graceful form, fine colour, sound decoration, and harmonious arrangement in their own homes and surroundings,

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Pupils should observe for themselves.

From the very beginning the child should be encouraged to observe on his own account, and to record the results of his observations with as much accuracy as he is capable of. Nothing should ever be interposed between him and what he is representing. This principle is a fundamental one, and should be strongly impressed upon the pupil from the start, care being taken to avoid anything which might tend to weaken or confuse the idea in his mind. He should always feel that he is recording his own impressions of something real, and not those of tion of reality, anyone else however accomplished; so that, although his representation may be crude and its accuracy only approximate, it shall be at least an honest attempt of his own to represent what he has actually seen, and as such will afford a firm basis from which he may proceed to more and more accurate renderings.

Personal

epresenta

Futility of diagram copying.

If this important principle is logically carried out, it is clear that there can be no place in any primary school drawing scheme for the copying of diagrams or pictures of any description, either printed or drawn. Printed cards or diagrams are as a rule either representations of actual objects, or examples of abstract ornament. A Second-hand flat diagram of an actual object, being only a secondinformation: hand and more or less imperfect source of information, is not at all suitable as a subject of study. Its use, therefore, deprives the pupil of the really intellectual part of his training, the study and interpretation of reality; and confines him to the mere copying of a copy, an occupation which has but little to offer in return for the educational principles which have been sacrificed. A diagram of abstract ornament is usually something which the pupil neither appreciates nor understands, and therefore he cannot even copy it intelligently.

Sacrifice of principles involved.

Teacher's

sketches on

The teacher should also be very careful how he uses blackboard. the chalk and blackboard in the course of the drawing lesson. The objections to a printed diagram apply with equal force to a drawn one, and while a blackboard sketch in illustration of a method or principle is often of service in the drawing lesson, the utmost care should be taken that this is never allowed to degenerate into a diagram to be copied, or a drawing to inadmissible. show the pupils what they ought to see. Indeed, the

Copying

child's mental development may be seriously retarded in

this way.

drawings.

surfaces.

In the younger classes much of the drawing should Large-scale be done to a large scale. For this work, vertical or nearly vertical surfaces should be provided, the individual space being large enough to allow of really free work being done by the pupils. Wall surfaces, where Wall these are available, are found to be most generally satisfactory. In addition to providing an extended surface for large-scale drawing, the extra blackboard accommodation in the schoolroom is of great service for many other purposes. Unfortunately some types of desk fit- Desk fittings. tings which have been supplied are neither rigid enough nor sufficiently large to permit of genuine free drawing to a large scale being practised on them at all, and occasionally the discredit properly due to faulty methods and appliances has been improperly bestowed by the unthinking on the system itself.

practice.

Some good practice may be obtained, especially in the Large-scale younger classes, from the free and rapid drawing, to a large scale, of such simple, well-known forms as the circle, ellipse, loop, and others, mainly with a view to gaining facility, freedom of action, and a command of the medium employed. These exercises, whose general forms should first be studied from their natural counter- Memory. parts and afterwards drawn from memory, should be kept as simple and free as possible, and never allowed to monopolise, or even to dominate, the large-scale drawing. Much of this work should consist of the obser- Large-scale vation and drawing, with chalk, charcoal, or coloured representa crayons, of actual objects, natural and fashioned, simple at first and gradually increasing in difficulty with the pupils' capacities for dealing with them. It is not advisable to select small objects and to make greatly enlarged representations of them.

tion.

In younger

This method of study affords an excellent training, classes. especially where the pupils have acquired but little command of either pencil or brush. How largely it should be permitted to bulk in the work of the higher classes. classes is a matter which any teacher who devotes.a

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In higher

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