222:. Her teaching methods were unconventional - she started the day with singing and dancing for example, as she found that many of her pupils worked hard on their family farms and needed relaxation at school. She also removed the teacher's table and chair in her classroom as symbols of authority and sat on children's chairs herself. As there was little reading material for the younger children, Somerset started to write her own booklets. School inspectors and the headmaster supported her and her new ideas, and in 1923 she was promoted to Infant Mistress.
248:, and became co-directors of the Feilding Community Centre for Further Education. They ran classes for adults, showed films from the National Film Library, and established the Feilding Community Players amateur drama group. Somerset also branched out into pre-school education by setting up a play group for children under the age of five years.
263:, which is still used as a reference and guide for Playcentres today, and a number of booklets as well as editing the Playcentre Journal. Gwen also became active in the WEA and in the Free Kindergarten movement, and lectured on child development at the Wellington Free Kindergarten Training College. She was also active on the
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when
Somerset was three, and her father became headmaster of the local high school there. When Somerset was 14, the family moved again, to
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218:. She was inspired by his ideas and said that this course changed her life. She went on to apply for a teaching position in
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151:, 16 November 1894 â 31 October 1988) was a New Zealand teacher, adult education director, educationalist and writer.
190:. Two years later she became a pupil-teacher at a Christchurch primary school, and simultaneously took classes at
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In 1947 the
Somersets moved to Wellington as Crawford had been appointed to the Department of Education at
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in 1895. She was the second of seven children of
Frederick Alley and Clara (born Buckingham). Her brother
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432:"Honorary graduates and Hunter fellowships | Victoria University of Wellington"
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and attended the First World
Conference in Early Childhood Education in England.
286:, becoming the first woman to receive an honorary degree from that institution.
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386:"The Panels for 60 Makers Of Modern New Zealand: 1930-1990. | Brian Easton"
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Contribution to development of adult education and pre-school education in
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later became famous for his development work in China. Another brother,
364:. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books. pp. 614â616.
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New
Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire
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After one more year in Oxford, the
Somersets moved to
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in 1930, and in 1936, the couple jointly received a
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489:People educated at Christchurch Girls' High School
420:(3rd supplement). 12 June 1965. p. 5514.
244:at the invitation of L.J. Wild, principal of
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289:In 1988, she published her autobiography,
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276:Member of the Order of the British Empire
509:Early childhood education in New Zealand
265:National Council of Women of New Zealand
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114: 1930; died 1968)
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484:People from Springfield, New Zealand
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175:, and was later National Librarian.
328:Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
499:20th-century New Zealand educators
360:Macdonald, Charlotte, ed. (1991).
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333:Ministry for Culture and Heritage
284:Victoria University of Wellington
253:Victoria University of Wellington
246:Feilding Agricultural High School
434:. victoria.ac.nz. Archived from
204:Workers' Educational Association
494:University of Canterbury alumni
188:Christchurch Girls' High School
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214:, a professor of education at
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362:The Book of New Zealand Women
272:1965 Queen's Birthday Honours
216:Canterbury University College
202:In 1921, Somerset attended a
192:Canterbury University College
198:Career and professional life
274:, Somerset was appointed a
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474:New Zealand schoolteachers
323:"Somerset, Gwendolen Lucy"
186:and she began to attend
161:Springfield, New Zealand
206:(WEA) summer school in
140:Gwendolen Lucy Somerset
267:, the YWCA and CORSO.
321:McDonald, Geraldine.
159:Somerset was born in
178:The family moved to
42:Gwendolen Lucy Alley
504:New Zealand writers
291:Sunshine and Shadow
235:Carnegie Fellowship
208:Oxford, New Zealand
16:New Zealand teacher
417:The London Gazette
392:. 23 November 2011
390:www.eastonbh.ac.nz
261:I Play and I Grow
227:Crawford Somerset
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100:Crawford Somerset
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25:Gwen Somerset
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440:. Retrieved
436:the original
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394:. Retrieved
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336:. Retrieved
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231:Christchurch
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184:Christchurch
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69:(1988-10-31)
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469:1988 deaths
464:1894 births
412:"No. 43669"
169:Geoff Alley
126:Geoff Alley
88:New Zealand
56:Springfield
458:Categories
396:24 October
371:0908912048
297:References
282:degree by
257:Playcentre
165:Rewi Alley
155:Early life
131:Rewi Alley
75:Wellington
48:1894-11-16
173:All Black
133:(brother)
128:(brother)
122:Relatives
242:Feilding
210:and met
180:Amberley
270:In the
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442:10 May
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338:10 May
220:Oxford
94:Spouse
149:Alley
147:(nÊe
110:(
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444:2015
398:2015
366:ISBN
340:2015
64:Died
38:Born
229:in
144:MBE
30:MBE
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112:m.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.