Household arts

Media

Part of The Philippine Craftsman

Title: Household arts
Language: English
Year: 1916
Rights
Fulltext: 46 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN HOUSEHOLD ARTS. The work as outlined and completed during the 1915 assembly was repeated this year with but few changes. All but two of the girls in advanced sewing made and took with them to their stations the following garments: An athletic suit, a handmade nightgown, and a youth’s Russian blouse suit. Cutting and altering of patterns, fitting, and putting together of garments were A practice olass at the sand table. given special attention. The tentative revised course in sewing was followed. The advanced work was entirely new and consisted of making up embroidered nightgowns. ELEMENTARY HAND WEAVING. The courses as taught in 1915 were given with practically no change. All but two of the 22 teachers completed the work in hard strips, which consisted of 18 exercises in simple sawali weaves, 2 in hexagonal mad weave, one candy basket, and one GENERAL TOPICS 47 fan. Specifications were followed very closely, and each teacher kept an accurate account of time and materials expended. Records were kept of costs, both individual and total. MAT MAKING. Although only one loom was provided for every three workers, each teacher completed a coir mat. The quality of all but three of these was excellent. All material was prepared at the assembly. The results were considered very satisfactory. BASKETRY. In general, the work in basketry was very successful. Fifty per cent more baskets were completed than at the previous assembly. This was due in large measure to the fact that many brought their own materials already partially prepared. These teaohers are wearing athletic uniforms which they made In the sewing olasses. Because of the lack of dyes, the rapidity with which lupis baskets can be made, and the greater demand for them lupis basketry was taught almost to the exclusion of other coiled basketry. HAT MAKING. The fact that only three students enrolled in this course indicates a falling off of interest in hat making as a school industrial subject. FOOT LOOM WEAVING. As an industrial course for the public schools, foot loom weaving met with little demand and it is safe to say that it will not be taught at a subsequent assembly. BAMBOO-RATTAN FURNITURE. The required work and the designs for bamboo-rattan furniture were the same as those for last year. 141869----- < 48 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN GARDENING. A model primary .garden was fenced, laid out, and planted. The intermediate garden made by students at the Philippine Normal School was used as a model for demonstration purposes. Emphasis was placed upon the correct use of fertilizers. The Bureau of Agriculture cooperated by furnishing each teacher with seeds with which to plant the school garden upon his return to the provinces. SCHOOL-GROUND IMPROVEMENT. The work in this course followed the plans laid down for the two’ previous assemblies. More emphasis, however, was placed Bamboo-rattan furniture and Its makers. on field work and less upon theory. The class made walks and concrete fence posts on which they stretched and fastened the woven wire fencing. Lawns were made and hedges set out. Many took home with them cuttings of ornamental plants and shrubs with which to adorn school or home premises. DRAWING. More than usual emphasis was placed on how to teach primary drawing. The results secured in intermediate free-hand and decorative drawing indicate that the work in this class was well taught. Much of the success in drawing was due to the proper selecGENERAL TOPICS 49 tion of materials and to the care with which the teachers who took this work must have been chosen. GOOD MANNERS AND RIGHT CONDUCT. Pictures and dialogues were used extensively in this course, and, through these as a medium, there was firmly Inculcated in the teachers the need of obedience, punctuality, order, quiet, and cheerfulness. Approved methods for using the Perry pictures were shown. The matter of individual and true politeness was given due stress. MUSIC. Most of the time was spent in presenting to the students methods for teaching music in Grades I to V, inclusive. The The class in free-hand and decorative drawing. members of the class were required to do practice teaching, using the methods previously given. Special emphasis was placed upon the teaching of rote songs; tonal dictation, both oral and written; and sight reading. PHONICS. The same outline was used as last year. Special emphasis was placed upon proper vocalization and the recognition of sounds. This course was popular and the students were much interested. They seemed to appreciate especially the story telling given in connection with it. WRITING. Much attention was given tox'methods in the work of this course. The reduction from a two to a one hour period gave better satisfaction. 50 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN METHODS. There were four model classes. These were conducted by six carefully selected Filipino teachers of the Manila schools. The outline covered observation, practice teaching, and conferences with critic teachers. The two-division program, special methods and devices, picture studies, materials for opening exercises, story telling, and lesson plans formed an important part of this course. ACADEMIC SUPERVISION. This course consisted of instruction in methods, and discussions of why certain methods were more desirable than others. The outline was unusually well prepared and received by the teachers, most of whom became so much interested in the work as to purchase books on methods, psychology, and pedagogy before returning home. INDUSTRIAL SUPERVISION. The outline divided the work into two parts: (a) Supervision and inspection of industrial classes; (b) judging of finished industrial articles. The course was well outlined and merited a larger enrollment. MUNICIPAL INDUSTRIAL ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. This course was very comprehensive and especially popular with the students. It was even more thoroughly outlined than last year. Those who took it should be well equipped to teach the subject at normal institutes. ATHLETICS. The subjects taken up in this course were athletic courtesy, the handling of crowds, athletics for girls, training of track athletes, and the social side of athletics. In addition to daily group games, there were a number of very interesting indoor baseball games. SOCIAL EVENTS, LECTURES, AND EXCURSIONS. The Vacation Assembly was not all work, for there were a number of pleasant social events, lectures, and excursions, all of which were well attended. On the opening day the Director of Education, Mr. Frank L. Crone, delivered a short address, and during the following weeks other addresses were made by Mr. H. A. Bordner, superintendent of the Philippine Normal School; Mr. Henry S. Townsend, GENERAL TOPICS 51 division superintendent of schools of Rizal; and Mr. Francisco Benitez, assistant professor of education, University of the Philippines. Excursions were made to points of interest on Saturdays. The Aquarium, Bureau of Printing, the cigar factory of the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas, Oriental Brewing Company, Wm. Ollendorf Embroidery Company, the PickettJohnson rope factory, Corregidor, and the agricultural experiment station at Lamao, Bataan. Classes were held till 4.15 on Friday, the last day, immediately after which a literary program was given and the Eleventh Teachers’ Vacation Assembly came to a close. Although the assembly just closed was the most successful thus far held, it is expected that next year’s assembly will show improvement because of the following measures which it is planned to adopt: More expeditious method for matriculation is to be put in practice. The program is to be so arranged as to give greater latitude in the choice of courses. Designs desired by the General Office are to be in the hands of the superintendent before the opening of the assembly. The instructions of the Bureau of Education as set forth in the vacation assembly announcement should be followed more closely, particularly with regard to the quality of teachers, the courses to be pursued, and the special privileges, if any, to be enjoyed. HOW THE SCHOOL SITE AT 1‘ASSI, ILOILO, WAS IMPROVED. By Jose Lagos, Supervising Teacher, Pass!, Iloilo. At the beginning of the school year the grounds of the central school at Passi were about as sightly as an ordinary rice field covered with tall grass and stagnant water. The rains that fell almost incessantly in this locality at the time made conditions worse than usual. The plaza and the streets around the school grounds were used by the children for athletic purposes. The paths which led to the building and to the outhouses, and which had been placed in good condition during the previous school year, were completely covered during the vacation with tall weeds and grasses, and the ditches had filled up. As the posts for the wire fence which surrounds the site were of temporary material, many of them had decayed and given way to the wind. Little or nothing had been done to relieve the barren appearance