'n Teoretiese en empiriese studie van ortodidaktiese tegnieke en kundigheid om vertraging in Duits by standerd nege-leerlinge te bowe te kom

Abstract

The problem of retardation of standard nine pupils in German is expounded in this treatise. Six pupils were chosen to serve as experimental subjects. They were diagnosed and given didactical and pedagogical remedial treatment over a period of eighteen months. In the treatise the child is studied from an anthropological point of view as it was necessary to determine the parents', the child's and the teacher's philosophy of mankind in order to discover the reasons for the retardation and to account for the teacher's point of view in applying remedial teaching. Developmental psychology was studied to explain the defects and flaws which came to light during puberty and adolescence and which resulted in learning disabilities. The reasons for retardation are analysed to enable the remedial teacher to diagnose the pupils' problems. Diagnosis is necessary to get to the root of the trouble and to serve as a scientific basis for trustworthy conclusions. The various diagnostic techniques and procedures are discussed. The various remedial methods to remediate various manifestations of retardation are expounded in the next chapter. The reason for the retardation determines to a certain extent remedial procedures. Children with brain disfunction, who suffer from hyper-activity, must be treated in a specific way. Six case histories of the six experimental subjects were prepared and an evaluation of the remedial treatment concludes each study. In conclusion certain inferences are drawn and recommendations made. The problem of retardation is a tremendous challenge which is being directed at educationists. It can be deducted from this treatise that children must be helped in time, at the moment that they become retarded, which is usually in the primary school. The transition from the primary to the secondary school is often hazardous and a child easily becomes retarded at this stage. Special vigilance must be exercised then. The commencement of puberty is also a period fraught with danger, for the girl approximately in standard five and for the boy approximately two years later. As the result of this transitional stage with its stress and strain a child easily goes off the track and becomes retarded in school. Five out of the six experimental subjects suffered from lack of communication between parent and child. In consequence the child became aimless and drifting. It is necessary to install intensive remedial programmes in schools and to reorganise schools so that it will be possible to have children with learning problems taught by specially trained teachers. The universities will have to keep pace with the demand for training facilities to train teachers for diagnosing and remedying various manifestations of learning disabilities.