936 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 



Logically tlie first step towards improvement in education would be to direct 

 attention to the better professional ti-ainiug of teachers. But school building?, 

 equipment, codes and curricula, examinations, and systems of scholarships have 

 received far more attention, and the necessity for teachers being specially prepared 

 for their work on intelligent, rational, and thoughtful lines has only lately been 

 realised. Primary school teachers, both men and women, secondary school 

 women teachers, and teachers of special technical subjects form the main body of 

 'trained' teachers, but even of these a large majority are still untrained. Only 

 a very small proportion of men actively engaged in secondary school teaching, or 

 in directing and inspecting primary and secondary school work hold a teachers' 

 diploma. 



The training of teachers has three distinct st:iges: — 



(i) General Education in school, coUegs, or university, where the methods 

 of teaching employed have an important, if indirect, influence on future teachers. 



(ii) Professional Training in training college or department, where the 

 course should include instruction in the theory and practice of education and in 

 school hygiene. The course should be largely determined by the previous general 

 education of the student rather than by his future woik ; it should be i/itensive 

 rather than extensive as regards time ; it is best pursued alone, not as in most 

 primary training colleges along with the general education. The short post- 

 graduate training fur intending secondary school teachers seems to give better 

 results than the longer course for intending primary school teachers who are 

 pursuing degree and training courses together. 



The purpose in studying the theory of education is to induce a scientific habit 

 nf mind in approaching educational questions. Practice in education, which 

 includes the preparation and presentation of lessons by the student, the hearing 

 and reporting on lessons given by others, aims at developing and increasing skill 

 in teaching. The aim of training is not to produce finished and perfect teachers, 

 but rather ' aspiring ' and intelligent ones who will be able to adapt themselves 

 to, and learn from 



(iii) the Rvpen'ence Stage 0/ Training, \n which the student passes into the 

 responsible class-room teacher. This has often been the sole training of suc- 

 cessful teachers, but the increasing complexity of life, the urgent need for clear 

 ideals on the ])art of experts to whom democratic educational bodies look for 

 guidance, as well as the needs of the taught, imperatively demand that future 

 teachers shall regard their woik from a professional standpoint. Those who 

 so regard their work will not feel that finality is reached when a teaching diploma 

 has been obtained, nor even when their pupils obtain brilliant examination 

 results. 



Theory and practice should correct and supplement eacli other. This may 

 be attained through the work of students in demonstration schools and classes, 

 and still more by the active participation in school teaching of all members of 

 the training college stafi". I'he teaching should be under the most natural 

 conditions possible, and therefore series of lessons in the ordinary course are to 

 be preferred to criticism and the so-called ' Model' lessons. 



Some problems in training which press for solution are — 



(a) How to adjust the claims of liberal and j^rofessional education — cf. 

 German and American normal colleges.— The special diificulties in primary 

 school teaching, which have caused a premium to be placed on the pupil teacher 

 system {e.g., unwieldy classes) are gradually disappearing, and many county 

 council schemes show a better way than this for preparing future "teachers. 

 Secondary schools are displacing pupil teacher centres and less actual practice in 

 teaching is required of a student before he enters a training college. 



{&) How to obtain adequate school j^i'actice for those zrho have had no e.r- 

 perience as Pupil Teachers or Student Teachers. — A demonstration school I'ius 

 classes in schools of different scope and management would seem to afi'ord the 

 best practice. There are special difficulties due to local and other conditions in 

 obtaining adequate practice, Schools are soiiretimea afraid of admitting graduateij 



