The Faculty of Creative Arts, Roby Comprehensive School

Abstract

Few teachers of practical subjects would disagree that the acquisition of practical skills by the pupil is an objective to which all of us should work.

However, many teachers would suggest that, valuable as these skills are, their acquisition should form only a part of what we are doing. The constitution of the other part of the course is open to much discussion.

It would seem to me that we must involve the pupil in some form of thinking process and that this component of the course is of equal importance to the skills we can teach him, both are required in later life. It would now appear that the previously skill-orientated course might be of lesser importance in an economic climate of unemployment and job retraining. What might be required is a course that is wide rather than specific and encourages adaptability rather than rigidity. A flexible mind as well as skilful hands.