TABLE 4.—Present occupations of graduates from the negro agricultural teachertraining departments-Continued Table 5.—Number, length of service, and turnover of agricultural teachers in the federally aided schools for negroes from 1917 to 1925 1. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture eight years. 2. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture seven years. 3. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture six years. 4. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture five years. 5. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture four years6. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture three years. 7. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture two years. 8. Number of teachers who have been teaching vocational agriculture one year. 9. Number of years vocational agricultural work has been operating in the negro of the different States. 10. Average length of service in years of vocational agricultural teachers. 11. Total number of vocational agricultural teachers employed. 12. Number of vocational agricultural teachers in service. 13. Number of vocational agricultural teachers who have left service. 14. Average yearly turnover of vocational agricultural teachers. schools Length of service and turnover of vocational teachers of agriculture in negro schools. From Table 5 it will be noted that from 1917 to 1925 there has been in the negro schools of the different States an average yearly turnover of 25.90 vocational teachers of agriculture. This turnover varies from four in South Carolina to not one in West Virginia. On making a study of the number of graduates in agricultural education from the teacher-training institutions for the year 1923-24 as given in Table 3, page 31, in connection with the number of new vocational departments of agriculture established in the negro schools for the year 1924-25 as shown in Table 1, page 13, it has been found that if all of the students who graduate from the teachertraining departments in the different States should be employed as teachers, the States of Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Virginia have trained a sufficient number of teachers for all of the new departments established during the year 1924-25, while the States of Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas did not train a sufficient number. Since Table 4, page 36, shows that of all teachers who have been graduated from these institutions only 42 per cent are now teaching agriculture, it is clear that the majority of the States are not yet actually training enough negro vocational teachers of agriculture to meet their needs. Practice teaching. Provision for observation and practice teaching, including supervision of home projects under the direction of a competent critic teacher, is admittedly one of the most difficult and also one of the most important features in the whole scheme for preparing vocational teachers. Very great variation exists between several States in providing observation and practice teaching facilities because of the differences in the environment of teacher-training institutions. Adequate provision for observation and practice teaching under supervision has in the past been largely neglected because of the fact that those responsible for the development of this phase of the training program were not in the beginning fully cognizant either of the absolute need for this kind of training or the best methods of organizing it on an adequate basis. In all of the teacher-training institutions provision has been made. for the trainees to do practice teaching under supervision. Alabama and Texas use the vocational department of agriculture in their teacher-training institutions and also the vocational department of agriculture in a near-by school. North Carolina and South Carolina use the classes in general agriculture of the lower grades of their teacher-training institutions and also the vocational departments of agriculture in near-by schools. Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia use only the vocational department of agriculture in the lower grades of their teachertraining institutions. Arkansas and Kentucky use classes in general. agriculture in the lower grades of their teacher-training institu tions. Mississippi is conducting a unit course in agriculture in a rural school near the teacher-training institution. The teacher trainer together with his trainees are responsible for the teaching of this unit course. This plan gives the trainees an excellent opportunity for participation in all of the various phases of the work, including not only classroom teaching but also field and community work. In the State of Virginia the teacher in the vocational department of agriculture in the teacher-training institution is conducting an evening class in a near-by community. This gives the trainees an opportunity for practice teaching with adults in an evening class. Sometimes it is necessary for the trainee to leave the campus for a somewhat extended period and teach or assist in the teaching in a regularly organized vocational department. This is known as the apprentice system. Where the trainee is teaching under conditions which do not permit of supervision by a member of the teachertraining faculty, it is essential that he should work under the direction of a teacher of unusual ability in order that he may profit by his experience. The apprentice system offers a splendid opportunity for extended, detailed observation in the various phases of the work for which the prospective teacher will presently assume full responsibility. Probably one of the most important opportunities that this method presents is that of participating in the practical phases of the teacher's job, such as helping to develop the supervised practice and, particularly, organizing and conducting part-time and evening courses. This phase is especially noteworthy because the presence of the apprentice relieves the local teacher of a portion of his daily routine. and thus gives him more time for special work. In the light of the trend of recent developments, the importance of this feature can not easily be overemphasized. It is difficult for a trainee to do apprentice teaching on account of his absence from his regular class work at the institution for a considerable length of time. This can be overcome if the institution is organized on a quarter basis and the student is absent for a full quarter during the year. North Carolina has the only negro teacher-training institution which is attempting apprentice teaching. This institution sends out its trainees for one month during the winter to do apprentice teaching and does not charge the trainee for subsistence during his absence. So far the local community has given the trainee his board and lodging in return for his help to the vocational teacher, so that the trainee who goes to a school to do apprentice teaching is not put to any additional expense. Since vocational education in the public schools is comparatively new and since very few of the students who are taking teachertraining courses in order to prepare themselves to teach in the negro vocational schools of agriculture have themselves engaged in farm practice or project work under supervision, some of the teachertraining institutions are requiring these individuals to conduct projects during the first year of the teacher-training course. These projects are under the supervision of the teacher trainer, and the trainees are required to do the same kind of work, keep the same records, and make the same reports as is required of regular vocational students. This gives the trainees the right viewpoint toward as well as practice in the activities which they expect to teach after leaving the institution. The trainees usually teach as they have been taught or as they have seen others teach. Physical equipment of teacher-training departments. Of the 13 States which have established teacher-training departments for negro vocational teachers of agriculture, 7 have provided separate rooms which are used exclusively for the teacher-training classes. In the five other States the teacher training is conducted in whatever classrooms are available. One type of department now in use in North Carolina and which seems to meet the requirements of the situation admirably is that wherein one large combination recitation and work room is available to those giving the special methods courses. This room is fitted up. with large tables and with chairs to accommodate the entire group when it is assembled for discussions, recitations, or any form of work which might properly be done in a discussion class. There is a well-arranged library in this room containing not only reference books but also a goodly collection of texts and references, a large collection of usable bulletins properly arranged and catalogued, supplies of illustrative material, and also equipment for the demonstration of the use of films and slides. There is also a small comfortable office for personal conferences and for such work as needs to be done by the instructors without being disturbed. An instructor's desk with necessary files and the like is located in the large workroom, which is occupied for a greater part of the time by one of the instructors both for the purpose of being in charge at times when it is used as a workroom by trainees and for convenience at the recitation hour. In some of the departments a dark room for use in developing pictures, making slides, etc., is available. Only one teacher-training department-namely, Tuskegee Institute-provides transportation facilities for carrying trainees to the practice schools. Teacher-training faculties. In the beginning teacher-training and vocational departments had to be supplied with such instructors as were readily available. Time did not permit of special training for these individuals. As a result in both fields some were secured who proved to be highly efficient while others failed. As the work has progressed some of the original teachers have taken the opportunity to improve themselves while in service. Others have been succeeded by younger men who have had special training for such positions, but there are still a few teacher trainers who are not adequately trained either by preparatory studies or by experience in service. Following are the qualifications of the negro teacher trainers employed by the various States to give special instruction to the trainees attending the negro agricultural and mechanical colleges, as well as to improve the negro vocational teachers in service: Degrees held M. A. in education with one summer in technical agriculture_- Number B. Sc. in agriculture from negro agricultural and mechanical college_ B. Sc. in agricultural education from Hampton Institute____ Total--- 11 2 2 62 22 15 It is not feasible to give a detailed summary here of the qualifications of these teacher trainers. The two men who have degrees only from negro agricultural and mechanical colleges have both been. north and have taken summer courses in agricultural education. Since most of these teacher trainers are better trained for their work than the majority of the members of the agricultural faculties of the various negro agricultural and mechanical colleges, they are exerting considerable influence in improving the methods of teaching and raising the standards of agricultural instruction which is being given in their respective institutions. Adaptation of agricultural content courses for prospective teachers. The establishment of teacher-training departments in the negro agricultural and mechanical colleges has resulted, among other things, in calling particular attention to the need of adapting agricultural courses to the needs of a person who was preparing to engage 1 Man elected to take his place for year 1926-27 with B. Sc. degree in agricultural education from white agricultural and mechanical college. 2 One of these men has a scholarship and expects to get B. Sc. degree in agricultural education, 1926-27. |