Adequate Preparation for the Teacher of Biological Sciences in Secondary SchoolsMcDonald, J. Daley (James Daley)
Science
Adequate Preparation for the Teacher of Biological Sciences in Secondary Schools
McDonald, J. Daley (James Daley)
Teachers -- Training of
The time of the Teachers Course is not far distant and it might be
worth while to see what could be done without radical modifications in
the curricula of the departments as they now are. For a working basis
I would like to present the following skeleton programme, which seems
practicable. In this schedule all preparation except that in subject
matter and method is understood to be included in "electives". A major
in Zoology is assumed. Each biological science department would have a
course of similar plan built about its major as a core.
First year,
Geography or Geology
Aims of science and its human values.
Chemistry
Electives
Second year,
Zoology,
Physics,
Electives
Third year,
Zoology--advanced courses
Botany,
Physiology
Electives
Fourth year,
Zoology--advanced courses
Bacteriology, and Public Health
Electives
Fifth year,
Zoology--research
History of Science
Teachers' Course, correlated with and supplementary to
practice teaching.
Electives
The reasons for selection and sequence of subjects in this schedule
are fairly evident from what has gone before, but a few points will
bear additional explanation.
A course in the aims and values of science should be introductory, for
in the absence of general knowledge concerning values, such as has
grown up with other professions, the student must be given early in
his work an enthusiasm for it and a sort of guide for future choice of
subjects for study. The difference in aim between university and
secondary school science must be clearly understood at the start. Too
often, university courses accept science as an end in itself and it is
taught from that point of view, whereas the prospective teacher must
hold to his point of view, that to humanity generally science is only
a very effective means to an end; it is just a faithful servant.
The schedule just submitted may seem to be overbalanced with science
courses, but it must be somewhat so, especially if courses are not to
be completely reorganized. Science would not need to consume quite so
large a part of the time if special courses were given for
teachers--another argument for a high grade, strictly professional
course.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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