TRAINING COLLEGES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 37, 12 February 1926, Page 5

TRAINING COLLEGES

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

REPORT OF CONFERENCE.

The conference of representatives of those branches of education especially concerned with teachers' training colleges—a meeting called to give advice to the Government on the question of how the existing system may be improved—has forwarded the following recommendations to the Minister of Education:— '' That, in order to provide the greatest unity and co-ordination of effort between the Training College and the University, it is desirable there should be one professional head, and that until arrangements can be made in each centre to give effect to this ideal, the Education Department should afford facilities to the professors of education for visiting all types of schools in their districts • and carrying out educational investigations and experiments, and that the professor of- education and the principal of the college be encouraged to co-operate in all matters in the best interests of the students.' "That in the opinion of the conference it is not advisable' to establish a separate training college for secondary teachers; that it be recommended that further facilities should be given for training college students who contemplate engaging in secondary worki to obtain practice in post-primary schools; a further year of training be provided for students selected for this work, with a view to a special training and a more complete course in the methods of teaching in secondary schools. "That the professors of education be given full facility in relation to the training, colleges .. and post-primary schools 'to train secondary teachers along with other specialist teachers, in accordance with the University diploma in education. "That inspectors be Tequired to forward to the principals of training colleges special reports on the work of training college students for the two years immediately following their leaving the training college; that all inspectors, as far as practicable, visit the training college at least once in each year, and facilities be afforded the principal or vice-principal of the training college to inspect the work of training college students for two years immediately folio wing, their leaving the training college.

"That if a training college be established away from a university centre, arrangements should be made for the extension of university work to its students.

"That there be established an additional training college in some centre of the North Island other; than a present university centre, and that it should specialise' in. some important feature/of the work of women teachers. "That in general the number of students in attendance at any training college be not greater than 300. "That the conference considers that the amount of time spent by training college students in practice is sufficient, taking account of the present facilities for supervision. ' ' ■ . "That in order to secure a desirable result in teacher-training, it is necessary, that provision should be made for hostel accommodation under college control for all students who are not able to live at home."