Elwyn Richardson and the Early World of Creative Education in New Zealand

From a one-roomed school in the remote Far North of New Zealand, Elwyn Richardson became a radical and internationally-renowned teacher. This is his story and it is as inspirational and timely for educators and policy makers as ever. Central to his philosophy was his use of the natural environment to create an integrated programme of art and science. This book explores the man and the influence of the innovative pedagogy he developed at Oruaiti School from 1949 to 1962. Described as an 'educational saboteur' by poet James K. Baxter, Richardson valued curiosity and turned to children's lives and their immediate surroundings to shape his curriculum. Learning was often organised in themes and students worked together on real problems drawn from the local community. The record of his teaching at Oruaiti, In the Early World, first published in 1964, was widely used in teacher education in New Zealand and the United States.