SOME SIGNIFICANT INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SPECIAL STUDIES AND REPORTS. By ROMIETT STEVENS Careful search through the studies and the special reports reveals many items of interest for those who have to meet the real administrative problems in the practical field. First, we call attention to the increase of interest in practical work. Of the 30 State universities reported in Prof. Mead's study, 19 gave practice teaching; of the 11 that did not give it in 1914-15, 6 were then planning to do so. Several of these have already reported progress to this committee (1916). Thus, there are only 5 of the 30 still omitting this phase of work. Of the 13 non-State universities reported, 13 give practice teaching; of the 133 small colleges, 81 give practice teaching. Of the agricultural colleges reporting, 100 per cent make provision for practice teaching. This we believe to be indicative of the value that is attached to practical work in connection with university and college courses in education. RECOGNITION BY TEACHERS THEMSELVES OF THE VALUE OF PRACTICAL WORK. Although we have only one local study bearing upon this point, its conclusions are overwhelming for that locality. Of the 79 reported graduates of Indiana University who entered the teaching profession, 41 had had previous experience in teaching and 38 had had no previous experience. Of the first group (with experience), 33 reported that practice teaching in the university had been of much benefit, 6 moderate benefit, and 2 little benefit. Of the second group (without experience), 36 reported much benefit, 2 moderate benefit, and none little benefit. RECOGNITION BY SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE VALUE OF PRACTICE TEACHING. In the report of the 19 superintendents replying to Prof. Child's questionnaire, 10 of the practice-trained teachers were found to be above the average of all the teachers in the school; 17 of the 19 were equal to or above the average of all. The comparison with teachers who had had no previous experience is still more striking, as 14 of the 19 were rated decidedly above the average and 18 as equal to or above the average. These studies are too meager for broad general conclusions, but it certainly is of interest to us to know that in the judgment of one group of superintendents, one semester of practice teaching produces a more successful teacher than does one, two, or three years of teaching without training. RELATIVE USE OF "OWN" OR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL. From Prof. Mead's study we find the use of "own" and public high schools distributed as follows: Data regarding the use of both "own" and public high schools by the same institutions are incomplete. Speaking generally, these institutions do not seem to appreciate the value to them and their students of carrying on practice in both types of schools. VARIABILITY IN NOMENCLATURE. The terminology of educational practice is being formulated very rapidly in different universities and colleges. It is as variable as the nature of the practice itself. For example, coordinate with the term "practice teaching" we find the following expression: "Apprentice teaching," "volunteer teaching (Teachers College)," "cadet teaching," "practical work (Teachers College)," "directed teaching (Wisconsin)," "student-teaching," "training in teaching (Minnesota Agricultural College). In order to avoid confusion in the interchange of ideas and of practices a problem is at once raised of standardizing the terms used. TYPES OF WORK RECOGNIZED AS PRACTICE TEACHING. From the special reports it would seem that some of our institutions classify as practice teaching only those hours that are spent in actual teaching, while others include in the term a period of apprenticeship in the practical affairs of a classroom which the student undertakes before taking actual control of a class. The nature of the work included under this caption is carefully defined in some of the reports, from which the following excerpts are taken: University of Chicago: (a) "The student is responsible from the beginning for participating and assisting in the activities of the room, e. g., correcting papers, gathering materials, assisting in dividual pupils, etc. (b) As a rule the student will be assigned at the first some easy subtopic in a larger unit and allowed to teach from one to five lessons, thus being initiated gradually into the work. (c) The number of periods of teaching will be increased as the student becomes capable of assuming them. University of Minnesota: Minnesota requires not less than 36 hours of actual teaching per semester. Supervision of pupils may be counted for practical work up to 10 periods when the supervision is done in general study periods and in teaching and in teaching pupils how to study. Two periods of supervision are counted as one period of practice teaching. Ohio Wesleyan University: Here practice teaching includes teaching; assigning lessons; keeping class records; attending to matters of sanitation, ventilation, lighting; conducting quizzes; making reports as the regular teacher makes them. University of Pittsburgh: Junior year-The student serves a period of apprenticeship in the high school, but does no teaching there; he teaches a few periods in the seventh and eighth grades and acts as a substitute teacher in the grades. Senior year The prospective teacher has charge, throughout the year, for two or three periods each day, of instruction, discipline and, management of a grade, a class, or a school. One-half of this work must be in the student-teacher's major subject. Teachers College, Columbia University: Teachers College uses the term practical work to cover the practical needs of several grades of students; the inexperienced teachers who need practice in teaching and in the control of the classroom; experienced teachers who need practice in supervision; administrators who need practice in administration. Every phase of the practical work of a secondary school that falls within the field of each of these three types of students is considered worthy of recognition, of careful study, and of credit, if performed in ways that contribute to the efficiency of the school. Strictly within the field of practice teaching, the college recognizes as practical work every phase of classroom activity and control, such as correcting papers, tutoring those who are below grade, supplying illustrative material, etc. Wisconsin: "Students are called upon with or without previous notice, to meet all sorts of real situations in the class; e. g., to answer questions; present topics in the lesson; quiz the class; develop types of work; summarize a review; illustrate by means of objective material; check results; analyze performances of pupils, locating difficulties, and suggesting ways of meeting them; in short, to take the next step in developing either a lesson or any other phase of the teaching process. The effectiveness with which these various typical 102796°-17-5 situations are met constitutes the principal basis of estimating teacher qualities and teacher possibilities." MINIMUM ESSENTIALS IN HOURS FOR CREDIT IN PRACTICE WORK. Here again local needs and local facilities have cooperated in establishing local practices that vary greatly, as may be seen from the following summaries from Prof. Mead's report: State universities.-Average amount of teaching in semester hours, 4 to 413. Median amount of teaching in semester hours, 5 (A. D. 2.2). Non-State universities.-Average amount of teaching in semester hours, 4 to 4.8. Median amount of teaching in semester hours, 4.55. Small colleges.-Average amount of teaching in semester hours, 3.08 (A. D. 2.1). Median amount of teaching in semester hours, 2.5 (31 institutions). State agricultural colleges.-Average varies from to about 3 semester hours. If the term "practical work" is used to cover the different interpretations of practice teaching, as quoted in the excerpts, from special reports above, the following requirements are observed in local practice: Chicago requires one hour a day per quarter. Minnesota requires 1 hour a day per semester, including 36 hours actual teaching. Missouri requires one hour a day for one year. Ohio Wesleyan requires 1 hour a day for 36 days. Pittsburgh requires two to three hours per day for one year. Wisconsin, 40 days. Assuming that these statements cover the requirements for practical work rather than actual practice teaching, several questions. suggest themselves: (1) Should there be a definite period of apprenticeship before actual teaching is begun? (2) Is there a minimum essential in hours of actual teaching for the certification of a teacher? (3) Is there a maximum in hours for the teaching of one subject or one class? (4) Should adequate training definitely provide opportunities to work with more than one group of pupils? RESPONSIBILITY FOR WORK OF SUPERVISION. Supervision of practice teaching varies in kind and amount to such an extent that it is difficult to secure any distinct tabulation. The data in Prof. Mead's report, examined in an attempt to discover where the responsibility for supervision rests in State and nonState universities, show the following results: 1. With the exception of California, Georgia, and North Dakota, the work of supervision is everywhere performed or shared by colleges of education. 2. In the following universities supervision rests wholly with the members of the department of education. In several instances where there is danger of interpreting the statement inaccurately, I have quoted the wording in Prof. Mead's report: University of Arkansas ("Supervisor of training and critic teacher"). University of Minnesota ("Special supervisor"). University of Nevada ("Instructor who gives theory and practice"). Ohio State University. University of Oregon. University of Texas ("Professor of art of teaching and his assist. ants"). University of Utah. West Virginia University. Northwestern University ("Critic teacher and professor of secondary education"). New York University. University of Pennsylvania. 3. There is very little supervision by academic departments. Of the 30 universities in the list, only 6 mention supervision by academic departments: Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Teachers College, Leland Stanford, and Chicago. PREREQUISITES FOR PRACTICE TEACHING. Because of the difficulty in interpreting the requirements for majors and minors and the nature of the college courses from their titles, it seems impossible to classify or to tabulate these returns in any intelligible way. While the nomenclature of college catalogues is perfectly clear to those who originate and use it, it is often bewildering to the stranger. That there is considerable variation in the nature of the professional preparation that is prerequisite to or parallel with the work in practice is undoubtedly true, but in the main universities and colleges alike report as prerequisite some courses in the general field of education, the academic subject the |
