SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.—L. 463 
My contribution to the discussion, as that of an assistant teacher in an 
elementary school, a product of the Training College of fifteen years ago, 
confines itself to an answer to this question. 
(1) Difficulty of setting limits to the influence of a psychology course 
whose principles, in application, could be seen shaping a society. Theory 
and practice. Importance of the right attitude. 
(2) Some particular problems of school in the light of the psychology 
learnt : 
(a) The teaching of English. 
(6) Corporate life ; discipline. 
(c) Religious teaching. 
(3) Psychology as an introduction to philosophy ; reality in the Central 
School. 
Miss A. LLoyp Evans (11.30). 
Training Colleges in the past-——Thirty-five years ago ‘ academic’ and 
‘ professional ’ work were kept separate. The ‘master of method’ was 
responsible for all work in the principles of teaching. The students’ course 
was the same for all; they learnt a set technique of teaching ; they were 
taught through precept rather than principle. 
The stages of change.—(1) Sully’s Teachers’ Psychology ; (2) Child Study ; 
(3) ‘ Academic’ psychology ; (4) The present stage in which students are 
taught through principle and practice rather than precept by psychologists 
who are also teachers and subject lecturers who have studied psychology 
as applied to the art of learning. 
The opinion of students ——Students about to leave college expressed their 
views on the use of their study of psychology. In their relations with 
(a) themselves : they gain in self-confidence and the power of self-criticism ; 
(6) others: they gain in tolerance, sympathy, and power to live in a com- 
munity ; (c) children: they gain in interest in, patience towards and under- 
standing of normal children and in the power of dealing with difficult 
children. 
The fundamental change.—There is a complete change of relationships. 
The centre of importance used to be the teacher ; now it is the child. 
Mr. N. F. SHEPPARD (11.50). 
As psychology is a young and rapidly developing science, and as general 
opinion about the aims of education is changing rapidly at present; this is a 
better time for reviewing present tendencies and the consequent require- 
ments than for laying down a definite final policy. Changes in schools are 
increasing the opportunities for psychologists of the right type ; a plan for 
their work will be considered. 
Probably one of the most important influences upon the young mind is 
imitation of the teacher, who should have a fully integrated personality. 
Any shortcoming may be exaggerated in the next generation, and thus faults 
are cumulative. During the period of training every teacher should be 
considered and if necessary be treated as a clinical case. 
Teachers should be made to realise that pupils’ difficulties can be treated 
and overcome, but here a little knowledge is dangerous. More particularly 
they require a specification of the ideal conditions for full and healthy 
mental development, and the permissible degree of variation from that 
' ideal to suit practical conditions—a study of mental dietetics. 
