Teaching Sir: Those who are seriously concerned about deteriorating standards
in our education, should be greatly indebted to John Terraine for his incisive and devastating assessment of the mumbo-jumbo of the 'progressive doctrine' (11 December).
For too long there has been a pointless quest to invent attractive new ways to learn, in language and number, those awkward 'facts which will not go away.' Yet there are no short cuts. These essential tools of learning can neither be ignored (as bad teachers clearly prefer) nor sidestepped and learnt incidentally. They must be squarely faced.
After their acquisition (for some unhappily a laborious process), there may be a case for 'progressive methods,' especially to foster creativity.
However, it is a hopeful sign that many teachers and student teachers at the primary level are beginning to reject the disastrous delusions of that sort of pompous verbiage which Mr Dixon deals in.
Wilfred Taylor
Sun Court, Cromarty, Ross-shire
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