User:PDethBW/de Lissa

Early Life

Time in Adelaide

Gypsy Hill College

Later Life

Lillian Daphne de Lissa 1885-1967.

Born October 25 1885 in Darlinghurst, Sydney. Parents Montague and Julia de Lissa (ADB)

Seeing the effect on poor children of the education provided by the Woolloomooloo free kindergarten, she decided to become an educator. (ADB)

In 1902 she attended the Kindergarten Training College, Sydney. In 1904-1905 she was a kindergarten director and undertook a course in training teachers. (ADB)

In 1905 the Reverend Bertram Hawker paid for Frances Newton, principal of the Kindergarten College, to visit Adelaide to demonstrate kindergarten methods. de Lissa accompanied her. (ADB)

1906 de Lissa became of the first free kindergarten in Adelaide. The Franklin Street kindergarten was situated in the slum's and de Lissa's staff were young women who worked as volunteers. (ADB)

Although her parents were Jewish de Lissa was not a practicing Jew. She encouraged her students to celebrate major Christian festivals. (ADB)

She believed that improved child welfare and education were the basis of social reform. (ADB)

The Kindergarten Union established the Kindergarten Training College under the influence of de Lissa. This opened in 1907; de Lissa was the principal and had eleven students. The course was two years and based on that at the Sydney Kindergarten College. Specialist lecturers taught some subjects while de Lissa taught the professional subjects. The specialist lecturers included Helen Mayo, William Mitchell and Lucy Morice. (ADB)

From 1908 free kindergartens continued to open in the poor areas of Adelaide, and in 1911 she helped to establish the Kindergarten Union of Western Australia through her visit to Perth. (ADB)

In 1910 it was proposed that the Kindergarten Training College be absorbed into the University Training College. Although de Lissa was to remain as a lecturer she fought to stop the absorption and was successful. (ADB)

A royal commission into education in 1912 saw the independence of the Kindergarten College confirmed and funding continued. (ADB)

Hawker convinced de Lissa to visit Maria Montessori in Rome in 1913 and to travel further to learn more about education. He also paid for her to be able to do so. She received the Montessori diploma. (ADB)

In 1915 she was invited to establish an English college for teachers of young children after being the key speaker at a conference in Norfolk organised by Hawker. She returned to Adelaide and presented the report 'Education in certain European countries' to the South Australian government. (ADB)

In 1917 deLissa returned to England to establish Gipsy Hill College. She was the foundation principal and attracted students from around the world as well as England. (ADB)

Leader in the development of early childhood education in South Australia.

Three Scholarship at the University of South Australia in her name.

Lecturer in early childhood education England Gipsy Hill College

a pre-eminent figure in the field of early childhood teacher education a century ago (Kay Whitehead)

As a teacher educator, de Lissa was much more interested in women teachers' socially transformative potential. (Kay Whitehead)

De Lissa was freed from directorship of the kindergarten to become principal of the Kindergarten Training College(KTC) in February 1907. (Kay Whitehead)

1909/10 push for the amalgamation of the University Training College (UTC) and the Kindergarten Training College (KTC) fought against by de Lissa because she believed the philosophy behind the education of teachers in the UT different and not suitable for kindergarten teachers. Her teacher education methods were based on those of Froebel which looked at the education of the teacher holistically and made the focus child centered. She stopped the amalgamation, with the help of her supporters, which led to the loss of many lecturers and student numbers fell. (Kay Whitehead)

The Kindergarten Union Of Western Australia was formed after a visit by Lillian de Lissa to Western Australia. (Larry Prochner)

In 1917 Lillian de Lissa left Australia for England to take charge of Gipsy Hill Training College for Teachers of Young Children

'De Lissa was one of a growing number of middle class women, among them many educators, whose careers crossed national boundaries in the early twentieth century.' (Kay Whitehead - Contextualizing)

Lillian de Lissa arrived in Adelaide in 1905 as a kindergarten teacher, when she went to England in 1917 she left behind a group of excellent kindergartens and a teachers' college based on sound teaching principles. (Helen Jones p126)