The training of teachers in the United States of America — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The training of teachers in the United States of America
John Stuart Mill · en
The order of studies, and the relative lengths of time spent on
academic and professional studies, is determined by the president
of the school. In the Bridgewater School, pedagogical subjects are
not studied systematically until the fourth term or semester, for
those who take the Two Years’ Course, and the seventh semester, for
those who take the Four Years’ Course. Thus with the exception of a
single semester, and a few hours of the first semester given to an
introduction of psychology, the whole of the two years or four years is
devoted to school subjects. In the Westfield School, the last half-year
of the Two Years’ Course is devoted to pedagogical subjects, and the
additional work of the Four Years’ Course is entirely academic.
The studies prescribed for the Normal Schools of New York State are in
three courses:
i. The English Course, comprising the usual English subjects,
Mathematics and Science. This occupies three years.
ii. The Classical Course, comprising more advanced English subjects,
Mathematics and Science, with Latin and Greek, or German and French.
This occupies four years.
iii. The Scientific Course, including all subjects of the English
Course, with two years’ study of two of the languages, Latin and
Greek, French, German.
The order of subjects, and relative times devoted to academic and
professional studies, is approximately the same for all the Normal
Schools of New York State. Taking the schools of Oswego and Oneonta as
examples, we find:--
_Three Years’ Course_: Psychology, philosophy, history of education and
methods of teaching various subjects, taken up for the first half of
the third year, and sometimes made to extend into the second half of
the same year.
_Four Years’ Course_: The same work, chiefly done in the first half of
the fourth year.