Evening star., 1938-05-07
HIGH EDUCATORS
GIVE CONFLICTING
VIEWS ON NEEDS
Rochester U. President
Declares Teachers Are
Not Good Enough.
POLITICS IS WEAKNESS,
SAYS HEAD OF PURDUE
Common Philosophy as Search
for Truth Is Urged by
Vanderbilt Chancellor.

Leaders of education clashed over
concepts of what education should be
today as the 2lst annual convention
of the American Council of Educa-
ton went into its final sessions at
the Mayf1ower Hotel.
The convention will close this after
noon following addresses by Robert
NJ Huchins. president of the Univer-
sity of Chicago and Dorothy Garfield
Fisher, writer
Lashing out against overemphasis
of techniques in training teachers,
Alan Valentine, president of the Uni
versity of Rochester. this morning told
the delegates that If education is
what I think it is. then school teach
ers are not getting enough of it for
their own good. and not enough to
justify turning them loose upon boys
and girls
Poor teachers will literally be the
death Of US he lamented
DR.. Valentine confessed to the out
moded conviction" that most teach
ers. If they are intelligent people with
something to say, will soon learn how
to say it.
Represents Old "Stodgy" View.
THE main trouble with teacher ed
ucation and hence with school educa-
tion is that it is not good enough
because in general teachers are not
good enough" he said He said he
represented the old "stodgy' liberal
arts point of view
DR.. John A. SeXon, president of the
American Association OF School Ad-
miniStrators. however, anticipated a
future development of a functional
program of vocational education. The
frultion of this trend, which he sup
ported. is hampered by the hard
bands OF Observation-Disclosures, dictato-
rial administrative policies and a nom
productive routinlzation of class sched-
ules." he said.
DR.. Sexon declared there is a trend
toward clearer recognition of pupils
needs and pupil interests as the basis
for learning.
Taking more inclusive stand.
Chancellor o. c. Carmichael of VAN
derbilt University asserted the real
issue is not whether there is a common
subject matter. but whether there is
A common philosophy of education as
a search for beauty and truth
1t is difficult to agree that a short
sighted view Of what constitutes the
most useful training has been a defect
in American education" he said.
Weakness Held Political
At the formal dinner of the group
last night DR.. Edward C. Elliott presi-
dent of Purdue University, told the
delegates that the essential weak
nesses of American education are po-
litical rather than pedagogical
large part of the ills which beset
education today, he explained are due
TO ''indiscriminate, uniformed. un-
scientific and undeserved criticism"
Education cannot function logi-
cally." he said. because life itself is
not logical"
Democracy cannot be vitalized by
teachers compelled to maintain silence
about forces dominating the social and
economic life of the individual, he
added.
William E. Dodd former United
States Ambassador to Germany. also
addressed the 400 delegates pointing
out that only education based on
democratic principles can defeat the
aims of Fascism
Miniature Hollywood
A miniature Hollywood with every
thing but string of high saIaried
acting stars, constructed on the cam
pus of the University of Minnesota,
was described to delegates yesterday
afternoon.
Slides were shown to the group by
Robert A. Kissack, jr.. director of the
nnlverSlty's movie department, show
ing the equipment in the university's
studios for filming any kind of pic
ture for the various departments of
the institution
Students with defective speech, for
example. Mr.. Kissack said. have had
sound movies made showing them Civ
ing talks. These are shown to them
and the class. The student sees and
hears what he does wrong, Mr.. Kissack
explained.
Sample Films Shown.
Samples of pictures filmed for the
department also were shown as an ex-
ample of visual education One, taken
for the psychology department. showed
mental recation tests in which
normal child and much older but
feeble-minded lad were timed fitting
blocks cut in various geometrical
shapes into a pattern cut in the same
shapes.
The pictures, taken at different
times and at different places, showed
simultaneously on the screen the little
girl rapidly putting the right blocks
in the right pattern while laundering
George fought to make square fit in
q round hole.
Mr.. KiSSack explained that an ad-
vantage of this method was not only
seeing the two together, but the fact
that George probably would not have
been willing to enter contest before
q crowd.
The object of the films is to dra-
Matte classroom activity as much as
possible, the director said.