MORE FREEDOM ADVOCATED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20781, 16 July 1937, Page 6

MORE FREEDOM ADVOCATED

TRAINING COLLEGE METHODS VISITING EDUCATIONIST'S VIEWS By Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, July 15. Describing the training progranun for elementary school teachers a overcrowded and advocating that ; much freer hand should be given t> the Training Colleges of the Dominioi in formulating their policies, Professc I. L. Kandel, of Columbia University New York, interviewed on teache: training and the University, suggestet that New Zealand should consider th affiliation of the Training College with the University on the same bas: as the law and medical schools’ at filiation. “I think New Zealand ha to consider the affiliation of Trainin Colleges with the University, givin the Colleges a much freer hand i: determining their policies than the have now," he said. ‘‘l look on th whole problem of training teachers a one of as much importance as training fol - any other profession, and as teachers have more freedom their responsibilities will increase.” The present two-year programme was overcrowded. Professor Kandel claimed. The student had to carry his academic work, his professional theory work and his practical training, and then about 60 per cent, of the students attempted to' take University studies at the same time. Where they found the time to study he did not know. From what he had seen in the Dominion the students took their University work at the end of the day when they might legitimately be expected to be tired. Affiliation and adjustment between the Colleges and the University would allow this difficulty to be surmounted. This was the trend of the Colleges abroad. In New Zealand “cramming” was confused with higher education. In the United States three or four years’ training was required either in a school of education, in a University or in an independent teachers’ college. In Britain the practice was a dual system. Some of the teachers ■were trained in a university for four years taking their degrees in the first three and their professional work in the fourth, otherwise they went to a training college for two years. The training colleges abroad were practically independent of prescribed regulations from the Board of Education in the matter of their curriculum, said Professor Kandel. They were organised regionally, and were under the supervision of advisory committees which formulated suggestions for the curriculum and conducted examinations. Certificates were granted on the recommendation of the committees after the candidates had been tested for practical ability by inspectors of the board. This meant that the training colleges were more definitely professional institutions free to adapt their work without external control from the Board of Education which inspected but did not prescribe what the colleges should do. The trend was to bring teacher training to the same level as professional training for other fields.