Unified Training Of Teachers

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31632, 19 March 1968, Page 26

Unified Training Of Teachers

Unified academic and professional training of teachers within a university is feasible and desirable, according to Dr C. E. Smith, associate dean of education in the University of British Columbia at Vancouver.

In Christchurch yesterday he said his faculty had 3200 undergraduate students, 100 post-graduate students, and 600 doing post-graduate degrees part-time. All teachers trained in the last 12 years had degrees and 40 per cent of the teaching force were now graduates. This applied to both primary and secondary teachers, Dr Smith said. Primary teachers took a four-year bachelor of education degree and secondary teachers took a fiveyear degree. The province would not now award its senior teaching certificate to anyone without a master’s degree. Teachers took any subject of the usual bachelor of arts degree, primary teachers advancing fewer subjects whereas secondary staff undertook more studies in depth. However, both were awarded “thoroughly good degrees of the university.” Indeed, said Dr Smith, teachers probably had better degrees than most others because they had their professional training in addition. These subjects were integrated with their university courses as was half a day in schools every week in term time. When the university was closed, they had much longer observation and practical experience in schools. This applied especially to secondary teachers. Asked whether academics had any criticism of vocational training in the university, Dr Smith said: “The purists do but they haven’t got a leg to stand on when the records and results are examined.”

except the first, is any more important than the others,” said Dr Smith. There was no reason why such unity should not exist in New Zealand.

Robbery Fails. Thieves broke into the Papakura branch of the T.A.B. during the week-end and unsuccessfully tried to cut open a safe with a gas-cutting torch.— -(PA.)

After training, all teachers joined the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation and united in professional activities and in research projects. “We see education as one long ladder in which no step,