Normal Institutes for intermediate teachers

Title

Language

English

Source

The Philippine Craftsman Volume V (Issue No. 7) January 1917

Year

1917

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

508 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN NORMAL INSTITUTES FOR INTERMEDIATE TEACHERS. By C. E. Wriciit, Division Superintendent of Schools, Iloilo, Iloilo. During the past five years, the rapid increase in the number of intermediate schools and in their enrollments, has made it necessary to give special attention to the problem of training teachers for these schools. Recent reports show that during the school year of 1909-10, there were 198 intermediate schools with an average monthly enrollment of 17,144; while during the past year there were 350 intermediate schools, with an average monthly enrollment of 45,000. In 1910, the teaching force in these schools consisted of 330 American and 361 Filipino teachers, while last year there were 92 American and 1,004 Fi lipino teachers. In 1910, in the teaching corps of practically every interme diate school there was at least one American, or one Filipino who had been educated in the United States. This gave a very satisfactory force, for with experienced teachers at the head of the school, new teachers were given constant supervision in the presentation of their work. As the number of intermediate schools increased and as those already organized grew in size, it became necessary to select new teachers from among the normal-school and high-school graduates, the secondary classes, and the primary teaching force. While these schools were increasing in size and number, the force of American intermediate teachers was steadily being reduced. And these changes took place faster than a supply of trained teachers could be turned out by the schools. In the division of Iloilo, during three years, the number of schools increased from 7 to 17 and the Filipino teaching force from 37 to 84. At the beginning of the last long vacation over 100 new teachers had been employed for the year 1916-1,7. Most of these were from the high-school classes. A few had been student or teacher pensionados at the Normal School, three or four were taken from among the primary teachers; but at least 80 per cent of those newly employed for intermediate teach ing had no special professional training for their work, either in academic or industrial branches. Three of the schools, including the trade school and the inter mediate department of the provincial high school, still had American teachers who could help from time to time in directing the work. In the other fourteen schools the teachers had to depend upon their own initiative, and upon the little help that they received from supervising officials. No effort had ever RELATED SUBJECTS 509 been made to give them help from the division normal schools, beyond a little industrial training. The newly appointed intermediate teachers had taken their work in the schools at a time when there was very little inter mediate industrial work, and when that little was poorly ar ranged and entirely without system, so that they could not even fall back upon their experience as pupils when it became neces sary for them to teach industrial work. With the idea of remedying this condition to some extent, permission was asked to have a special normal institute for intermediate teachers in the division of Iloilo during the long vacation of 1916; and authority to hold such an institute from May 8 to June 9, was secured. The institute was organized with two American and four Fi lipino instructors. Work was arranged so that each new teacher might take at least one course in industrial work, and two or more subjects in the review of academic work with special at tention to methods. The institute was held in the Iloilo Intermediate School build ing and no special equipment was required. Each teacher was asked to pay Pl as a matriculation fee, to help buy the industrial materials needed. All materials were on hand on the opening day, and by the last session 95 per cent of all work was com pleted in a satisfactory manner. The results obtained more than justified the holding of this institute. A decided difference in the work of the teachers who attended and of those who did not, was noticed. Normal institutes of this type should be held annually until the teachers of the intermediate force have had sufficient drill to enable them to go to their schools with a definite idea concerning what they are expected to do and how they should do it. In Iloilo, it is believed that such an institute is necessary as a permanent part of the work for the year. From 25 to 50 new intermediate teachers will be employed each year, and unless these can be drawn entirely from the new high school normal department, they should have this special training. One week of two hours a day on a real job with a real work man, is worth more from the standpoint of vocational guidance than two or three hours a day every day in the year in an artificial shop, working on artificial work and under artificial conditions, even though a master workman is in charge.—William Wirt.

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