DOMESTIC SCIENCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 298, 10 September 1920, Page 5

DOMESTIC SCIENCE

TRAINING OF TEACHERS,

Exception was'taken at dhe Technical Education Confercnco yesterday moraine to the class of domestic science teacher being .turned out by the Otago Domestic Science School. The question arose durimg discussion of the following remit: "It is essential to the development ot our system of technical education that the Education Department issu« teachers' certificates to men and women from commerce and ibdustry who have taken up or intend to take up technical school teaching; vhat such examinations should include a knowledge of English, mathematics, and so'onoo to a definite .standard, with some knowledge of psychology and methods of teaching, and that m view of probable extension of voca-' tional education tho ti/mo for ©ncouraging men and women is now." Mi® Juniper (Auckland) complained that the holders of diplomas from the Otago school were not by any means as valuable as they ought to he as instructresses, because they were not! taught to teach. Instructresses, as a result, had been imported in some cases from Australia. Other speakers endorsed Miss Juniper's remarks, and urged that ability to teach should be specially ilncluded in the course. It was further objected that girls in their teens could' not Tightly be expected to teach domestic science in tho primary or secondary schools, and im. matllrer wome ii should be engaged. The rem.:t was carried. , Mr. J\ E. Cresswell (Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools) said that regulations were under consideration providing for the training of secondary school ijeachers, also for instituting heads of departments in largo schools, who would bave special knowledgo in one subject or group of subjects, nnd would plan out the whole course of work on such subject or_ subjects in the school as well as supervise the'instruction given by junior teachers.