Academic Skills “Too Often Over-Valued”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31672, 7 May 1968, Page 16

Academic Skills “Too Often Over-Valued”

“Too often we tend to over-value academic skills,” Professor A. Crowther, head of the department of psychology and sociology at the University of Canterbury, said at the opening of the biennial conference and refresher icourse of the New Zealand Speech Therapists’ Association in Christchurch yesterday. About 60 speech therapists, 1 doctors, university representa-

tives and other interested persons from throughout New Zealand are attending the conference, which will end on Friday afternoon. “Those qualities which go to make successful academics are not necessarily those qualities which make the most successful teachers of young children—-those of human qualities, drive and interest,” said Professor Crowther.

Originally professions associated with teaching normally had their training outside the university setting, he said. However, as teaching had developed into professions these became included within the wings of the university. “The university is an institution which is charged with the responsbility of seeing that research is done,” said Professor Crowther. “It is a place in which new knowledge may be learned. It is possible to do research outside the university, but here is a place specially designed for doing it.”

To have a professional school within a university was very desirable, as it provided a body of people who were dedicated to advanced knowledge in a certain field. “I would welcome a much closer relationship between teacher training and the university,” he said. Mr S. S. P. Hamilton, District Superintendent of Education, who was the chairman at tiie opening session, said that the effect of a closer association with the university was profound in all aspects of teacher training and in all forms of speech-therapist training. The university had a very positive attitude to what was going on. he said. Mr Hamilton said that the field of adult education, which particularly concerned speech therapists, should be entered into more adequately. So far the Education Department had not proceeded very far.