A program of ceramics education in the elementary schools of Iloilo

Abstract

The fundamental objectives of all schools in this country as provided for by Article XIV, Section 5, of the Constitution of the Philippines are to "develop moral character, civic conscience, personal discipline, vocational efficiency, and to teach the duties of citizenship." This provision makes the economic development of the Philippines a great responsibility of the school. The educational program of this country has two phases; namely, general education and special education. Special education is charged with the economic proficiency of the individual and the economic productivity of the nation. The purpose of general education is to develop common values, skills, understanding, and appreciation based upon the tenets of democracy. Industrial Arts as a phase of general education deals with industry, its organization, materials, processes and products, occupations, and with the problems resulting from the industrial and technological nature of society.

At present, Industrial Arts is taught in the elementary schools under the broad term "Work Education." From the standpoint of what can be accomplished in work education, the intermediate grades are probably more important than any other two-year period in the school curriculum. This is so because the numbers are still large, the percentage of all pupils is still significant, and the maturity of the students is such that real accomplishment can be expected. Under present regulations the pupils in the fifth grade devote their work education time to elementary agriculture and gardening while the pupils in the sixth grade study handicrafts and general shop. The Industrial Arts classes on the sixth grade level are of crucial importance to the nation’s over-all economic population for the new technology which is being developed. Six major course offerings constitute the subject, Industrial Arts. These courses are ceramics, elementary electricity, graphic arts, handicrafts, elementary metal work, and elementary woodworking. Ceramics is a new area of industrial arts. It was introduced and organized as an industrial arts area when the first contingent of the Stanford University Contract four-man team was stationed at the Iloilo School of Arts and Trades on June 1, 1957 to May 31, 1959. The present economic situation of the Philippines is such that it is necessary to re-examine the industrial arts program of the intermediate schools of Iloilo to find out whether or not they enable the individual to contribute to the over-all economic and industrialization programs of the nation. This study attempts in a modest way to shed some light on the problem by studying in considerable detail the situation in one area, industrial arts ceramics.

Statement of the problem. Ceramics is one of the course offerings of the industrial arts program of the intermediate schools in Iloilo. Like other industrial arts areas on the elementary level, the ceramics program needs evaluation. Appraisal can be conducted along any one of the three lines; namely, (1) the opportunities for the pupils to work with ceramic raw materials so that they may understand their nature and might develop means of expression and possible vocational and avocational pursuits; (2) the pupils' attitude towards the nature of the ceramics industry and its employment possibilities; and (3) the pupils’ appreciation of good creative ceramic design and appropriate finish. This study, laying aside other aspects of the problem, attempts to evaluate the efficiency of the Industrial Arts ceramics program of public intermediate schools in Iloilo in terms of the first-mentioned norm. It makes detailed inquiries into: 1. The types of ceramics products made by the pupils. 2. The availability of ceramics raw materials. 3. The technical skills of the industrial arts teachers. 4. The school administrators’ attitudes toward the program.