N.D.C. Report “Negative”

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31984, 10 May 1969, Page 19

N.D.C. Report “Negative”

The “negative” attitude of a report by a National Development Conference committee on secondary teacher training was criticised by the principal of the secondary division of the Christchurch Teachers’ College (Mr E. P. Blampied) this week. In his report to the college council he said: “I feel it my duty to comment on the negative attitude expressed in this report, the philosophy of which is years out of date, and the cursory manner in which the whole subject is dealt with and summarily dismissed as if it were of minor importance,” He was commenting on the report of the education, training and research committee of the conference which stated that it was concerned at the apparent negative attitude of graduates towards the value of secondary teachers’ college courses. The committee recommended that all students at secondary teachers’ colleges should have at least one term’s teaching in a school during the first year of leaving university with a definite responsibility for classes under the guidance of a senior teacher. Sandwich Coarse The amount of time spent at a school and at a teachers’ college should depend on the student’s experience and progress. the committee recommended. For most, the college course should be more in the nature of a sandwich course. After Mr Blampied’s report had been first adopted by the council, the Education Department’s senior secondary inspector (Mr F. N. Wylde) 1 said the opinions expressed '■ were personal and he ques-1 tioned whether they should be published. “I know the composition of i the committee and the < opinions could be taken quite i firmly,” Mr Wylde said. They were impersonal i comments and nothing was i personally abusive, said Mr i D. W. Lyall. I After discussion as to what i extent adoption of the report 1 implied the views were those ■ of the council, it was decided i to “receive” the report The phrase, “apparent I negative attitude” attributed s to graduates was typical of i the meaningless jargon that > bad emanated from some i other hastily compiled,it Government - sponsored re-h

ports on teachers' colleges, Mr Blampied said. “It constitutes a baseless and quite unwarranted criticism of our students.”

Attitude Good Graduate students’ attitude had improved “out of all recognition.” They came to both the Christchurch and the Auckland colleges with good attitudes and a determination to make the best possible use of the courses available. This did not imply changes were not needed, Mr Blampied said. "But we think we have gone nearly as far as we can go within the narrow limits laid down by existing regulations and practices which should themselves be inveatigated,” he added. The suggestion that the college course should be a sandwich course was an unfortunate reflection on the wort and enthusiasm of college staff, he said. Modern thinking here and overseas was very much the other way round, in that teaching practice should be sandwiched in between elements of the college course. “A much better integrated system of teaching practice and college work spread over a great period of time and involving the appointment of associate tutors in schools

- would constitute a much more forward looking recom- > mendation than the one ■ sketched in superficially in the committee’s report,” Mr Blampied said.