The American Scene; Job Hor: Teaching

The American scene, a series of pre -recorded programs providing a closer look at those things which form our contemporary society, produced by the Illinois Institute of Technology and Cooperation with WMAQ. The discussion today will consider job horizons in teaching. Now here is today's host, Don Anderson. Good morning and welcome to the American scene. My name is Don Anderson. Education may well be America's most critical issue today. It is certainly one of the most challenging fields in the American scene. New demands are constantly being placed on our schools, growing enrollments, a widening scope of knowledge, developing methods and ideals, and new social issues which cannot be ignored. The future of America's education rests with the trained professional educator, the teacher, the administrator, and the professor. The need for education is growing. The traditional concept of formal education within a 12 -year span is rapidly becoming obsolete. High school is now a necessity, college of demand, and graduate work of practical

advantage. The catch word is more education for everyone. Demands are increasing for quality of education as well, and this is being reflected in the great changes taking place in methods and techniques and objectives. Traditional concepts are being altered in terms of arrangements of students and teachers and classrooms. Innovations include ideas such as team teaching, flexible classes and schedules, and special programs for the very talented and for the slow learner. Education is indeed a demanding and creative profession. Today there are some 2 million members of the teaching profession, but it is estimated that we need up to 150 ,000 more teachers each year than we are able to get. Turn over in the profession is fairly rapid, and the supply of new teachers barely keeps up with this demand alone. It is estimated that on the kindergarten and elementary level, 15 ,000 additional teachers are going to be needed every year through 1970. The anticipated

number of candidates is appallingly low. On this level, we are probably faced with the worst gap in Americanity. On the second level, through 1970, we will need about 90 % of our new teachers each year. Current trends indicate we can expect 60 ,000. Colleges and universities are now facing their greatest enrollment pressures, and the demand for new teachers has risen to over 30 ,000 each year. But those earning masters and doctors degrees and thus qualifying to teach on this level only a fraction pursue academic careers. The demand for professionals in the field of education promises to remain high well into the future. To help us better understand the opportunities, expectations, and training required by this most essential career. I am pleased to welcome this morning to our program, Dr. George Ross, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at IIT, and Dr. Urban Fleege, Associate Vice President for Institutional Research

and Educational Planning at DePaul University. Gentlemen to begin with, in view of this introduction I have given about the shortage of teachers today and about the indication that we are not going to be able to fill these needs in the profession, would you say that this is a good field for people to enter? Well, it seems to me that one of the best fields for a young person to enter these days is teaching. There are so many aspects of teaching, the various levels of teaching all the way from preschool up through college teaching. One of the reasons that if I were a young person I would think about teaching is that with the automation and the other changes occurring in the society today, it is the service areas that are expanding as far as job opportunities are concerned. Now teaching is one of the ideal and most professional probably of the service areas for a young person to get into. Yes, I would agree with that and I

would certainly underscore the fact that we are going to need more teachers because we are going to need more education in a rapidly changing society with what do they say science, knowledge doubles every seven years and total knowledge about every ten, so that regardless of what you are prepared for, everyone has to be a student. Now some can continue to educate themselves but some need that extra assist of a teacher. Consequently we are not only going to need teachers where we have them now but we are going to need them in new areas like adult education, continuing education. And of course we have this growing need for ambitious parents, particularly children of professional parents who want preschool education. So we have to add that and then we have this recent thing that much talk about making a 13th and a 14th year obligatory just like we have our four years of high school. So when you add that all together in addition to the increase births that we have, it is an area where we are going to need far more than we have ever had in the past. That is why to me is one of the most promising areas and I think there are certain other reasons why if I were a young

man I would think very seriously about teaching. The teaching is rising in status because the increasing emphasis on standards, on quality and on excellence and then increasing salaries. I was going to say one of the things that always builds status is salary and the salaries have been rising just recently a few of the universities have increased their salaries to a point where they are able to draw the very best people from the PhD level in the old days or maybe even today many PhDs will think in terms of going into industry but now the salaries and teaching are rising so rapidly that they are much better. Some of them don't feel rapidly enough. Well that is very true. Well I would like to get into this area of with this great great need for teachers why don't more people go into teaching? Why is it so difficult to get teachers? Well the salary I take it would be worth a lot of time. I think the salaries are rising quite definitely

and quite adequately in many ways. I think there is an old stereotype would you say that I think this is the main reason I believe because unfortunately at least in the early part of this century we had a number of novels written that sort of characterized the teacher or made a caricature of a sort of a made man. You couldn't do anything else so you got into teaching and the teacher was one who never had a sharp looking suit and had creased pants but always baggy trousers. This kind of thing and then the fact is that we are not paid. Now I would say that the status has risen terrifically and not only because of salary but I really believe the hard core reason is the emphasis on quality and the teaching profession itself. It has taken steps nationally to rid itself of the incompetent. I mean any group that has as Don mentioned before 2 million in the profession, no other profession has. Every profession needs some way of cutting off the dead wood.

Those who refuse to grow or for some reason are not changed with the time. And with these built -in ways of keeping people up to date and then with television which now if you are not as good as the television teacher you keep your eyes peeled and you probably take a few cues from the better teacher. And not only that but everybody else then having a sort of a look see into the classroom through television the general status in the minds of the parents when they are talking with their kids about teaching. As soon as the kids says I think I like to be a teacher formally I think the problem is oh no but now I think they are going to encourage this kid. I think that's a big thing. Everybody goes to school. Everybody experiences education. Why don't they make up their minds when they are in school? This is what I would like to do. Is it because they have to go to school? That's part of it and I think the other

reason is we have not had ways. You see we have had what we had called a lifetime certificate. So once you finished your college degree and got the certificate then you were in. Now there are built -in measures to sort of make sure that the person continues to grow. Well there is no lifetime certificate in most three. That's right they have eliminated that. And so some kids have sat at the feet of some of these unenthusiastic and they have made up their mind day after day. Well if there is one thing I am going not going to spend my life or waste my life on a human and a teacher. But I think that is another reason too I think and that is the improving of the quality. Now a teacher is not so much a technician as he is a professional that has a deep understanding of human motivation, of learning and of the fact that each child is an individual in himself. And therefore it takes more of a professional person where they flex the mind to work with you. Now you see it in the schools.

How do you teach your preparation program now? Formerly the teacher preparation program was larger as you say preparation. The old normal school tricks about the teaching this and methods of teaching that and so you came out with a whole host of methods. Now they insist number one you can't give what you don't have. If you are not liberally educated how can you awaken a thirst for a liberal education in your children. So a liberal education. Including the fifth year that is they are going to the professional education here. And in the professional education it has been a tremendous change. Instead of this technicians approach the how to do it type of thing it is rather understanding what are the sources of motivation in the child. Why does each child differ? Then how do you evaluate a child? How do you guide him? And then the laws of learning. Understanding the rationale underneath it gives a person then a certain depth and breadth of wrath so that a person can stand on his own toothache and he doesn't have to remember how do you do it this way. But rather his insights enable him to really act

professionally. The role of the teacher might be changing and with this great expansion of knowledge the teacher no longer can at the first year begins teaching work out his class program. The old stereotype is going the new teacher the teacher coming in now is much more of a professional who doesn't have to run and ask how do I do this what do I do with this. He is a well -educated man with a broad background with considerable depth in some area. And as this develops then you see the supervisor or the administrator can permit more freedom to the teacher if he understands the rationale underneath good teaching, good learning. So the teacher today and in the future is going to be able to earn his classes and courses pretty much himself. I think that's one of the advantages you're talking about young people going in. I've heard a lot of young people that make the comment. One of the reasons that I have thought of going into teaching is there is no

cut throat someone looking down their neck all the time as there might be in some of the other businesses. He is somewhat his own master and he gets a feeling of accomplishment from working with these kids seeing them progress seeing them blossom and so on like that. And his own classroom is his own master. And the constant opportunity or challenge rather of becoming better acquainted with these children adapting the curriculum or his methods or his approach or projects. And I think this is one of the most rewarding things about teaching. And it's all yet creative. The teacher has an opportunities issue. I don't need to use his knowledge but his enthusiasm and personality his imagination just everything that he has. And I think all of us have lived enough a life to realize that really the source of down deep soul stirring happiness is not possessions but rather opportunities to utilize. And very few things rather as far as I know very few professions.

Challenge offers many challenging opportunities to utilize oneself so completely and hence you find teaching very rewarding. And this is the answer. Like many people say I don't see why you stay in teaching. Why don't you go in industry where you can earn more. And that fact is they probably good. But many of them prefer to stay in teaching. First of all of course salaries are good now. But even before that they were because it was such a so deep soul stirring satisfaction. At the end of the day you just were tired but very happy. Many others may be happy. That's right. A true sense of achievement. What about this salary question? Why were salaries below for so long? It's lack of appreciation for teaching. You know where? I also, it's only 20 odd years that we came out of the depression. And at that time everybody fell back into teaching who possibly could because there were some jobs open there. There were no jobs open to many of the other areas. So many people came in at the depression times and they stayed with it. And they came in without adequate preparation and people knew this you see. And this is one of the things that

the National Commission on Teacher Education Professional Standards and National Organization has been fighting all this time. To get the administrators within a state and or local administrators not to hire anyone unless they meet certain minimum standards. And of course this is the obligation it seems to me of any public administrator. Middle there's another area that might prevent people from going into teaching. And that is that a good share of their day is devoted to things other than teaching. They have to take care of records. That is a complaint that a lot of teachers make. So they have too much clerical work. There's some truth in that. However, in the past there's been quite a bit of truth in that. You can demograph your own tests and direct them and post your records and transfer the records. Maybe too many notations from the principle of things to fill and file and be forgotten about later on. And a lot of work at home at night. Well, this is true. But

what a bit of that is starting to disappear with the team teaching, with teaching assistance. There is a clerical. And clerical. A lot of work. A lot of work at home at night. Well, this is true. But what a bit of that is starting to disappear. With the team teaching, with teaching assistance. If a kid that just simply didn't like school or didn't like reading. Or just couldn't master math. Well, the teacher was 30 kids. 35 children in front of her. Could not take the time to test this individual. Now you have test specialists in the school so you direct this person. Someone else. So that's a strong right arm for this teacher. Or the child needs some talking. Do we need some guidance, education, or vocation, whatever it may be? Have guidance. So you have guidance. Do you have a pharmacologist? Do you have a pharmacologist? And you have a remedial program? Do you have a remedial math program? So the person doesn't get so

far back that he's just, you can't save him. So the teacher has many of these. It's not to the extent that they should have as yet. But these are some of the promising friends. And in some systems, they're quite well developed. Well, this might then have an effect on another area that I imagine would keep some people out of teaching. And that's the discipline problem. And this I hear right and left that some of them wouldn't teach because they've been on their time. And I think you've been hearing some a lot of old wives day. Well, let's bring them on. There are some schools that are a little difficult. There are some classrooms. But such books as the Blackboard Jungle does not represent the school system. It's over -grammatized and represents only a very small segment. It's true. You have a few discipline problems once in a while. But if there are, we put out where they really run into trouble. Really? Except if they are placed in schools where you have high -transiency areas. Yes. And there, you see, there are some schools in Chicago that I've heard that may have a 200 % turnover. This is people come in. They may be in a

month or two months. Well, now a teacher, she has started her year with certain objectives. And this makes it very difficult. And then you take your stung children that have been there the whole time. Well, they get bored if a person has to ring these keys. So it's a very difficult situation. And these kids, this is, of course, the source of this problem. Lackly, whatever they do is not zeroing in on the kids' motivation. So it's something to be engaged in. Something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be, something to be. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. This is changing.

This is changing. This is changing. This is changing. There are many students who made little teaching. To make little teachers. to make little teachers. this Mayo image on which you patterned himself. And I would say this is particularly true in high transparency areas again, where many of the homes don't have a father. I was just thinking of that for a while. I know of one color, but it's teaching in disguise and doing a very successful job. I thought of the time, and I thought of the time and we're out of look anyway. I don't realize, well, maybe some of the kids are either don't have a father, or they have a father and they're so busy that he's never home. And so here's a wonderful opportunity for these children to have a sort of a Mayo image.

Even quite early. And then you see, formerly, the salary scale was such that if you started low, then if you moved up a grade, and then if you moved up the high school, of course, now it's all the same. And so now that you've leveled off these differences salary -wise, and if a person feels inclined to children over given age, there's no reason why you shouldn't be a teacher at that age. And the rewards are ample. Well, of course, all of us recognize you if you're really good as a teacher, you're more in demand, the lower down the ladder you go, then up above. What about the traditional way of, I don't know how long, up to sixth grade sometimes, of having a single teacher all day teaching all your courses? Is this changing? I would say, you mean the where you will have the math teacher come in, or you'll have the music teacher, the art teacher? I would say this is a general trend. You will still have one teacher, though, who might be the only teacher who can't talk of the word, responsible, yes. And I think this is good, because while a child can relate to many different individuals, it is well for him to relate more fully

to one mature and one person that is responsible. And who understands him? Who understands him, and sees what the other teachers are doing in relation to that one pupil. But specialists are coming in to the elementary school. And who about the fifth or sixth grade? In some cases, you have a science teacher, even for the primary. That's right. Well, let's get into something. We've touched on a few of these trends already, but I think I'd like to get into them a little more deeply, because it seems like it might affect the demand of teachers in the future, for instance, television, automation, teaching machines. How important are these going to become in education, and will it affect the demand for teachers? Well, maybe replace the teacher. This is, I'm glad you asked that, because the first reaction of almost teachers' invariability to every one of those new innovations, as you mentioned, is that this is going to somehow undercut the Sigma Security.

And the answer is simply no, because teaching is such a complex job. But what we do need is to use these to release the teacher so that she can really use her professional insights more effectively than at present where she has to go. They are really teaching aids, and they are very significant, and very helpful teaching aids. But they will never replace the teacher, because of the fact that the teacher is interacting as a person with the student, with the pupils, and it's going to be difficult for a student to interact with a machine. Well, as we learn more about how people learn, might not be programmed into a machine and have the best way of teaching. Much of it already knows. Some of the routine might be. This is very true. There is much of this interaction has been programmed. Of course, that's what good program learning is. You know so well how the average child reacts, that you build in then, and you anticipate these reactions with questions, over the answers time. And this is done in good television teaching. I think one of the amazing

things that we learned, thus far, with television, and educational television is only 10 years old, is that, a pupil could feel so satisfied with a real first -rate television teacher. Anticipating menu. But there again, there's ample evidence to show that you can teach a foreign language, for example, just by television. But this is more technical. This is more technical. Or you take math. But when you get into economics or history or discussion topics at a given take, oh yes, this is something else. But even with these topics, I would not want to have anyone have the impression that a machine could do a good job as a first -rate teacher with this machine. Where this language teacher is an able assistant that you just call on by the push of a button and he's right there. He spent about 18 hours preparing a half hour lecture where how many teachers can prepare at which time will all the visual aids and auditory agents are? Well, they're not going to eliminate the human factors. I think one of the greatest contributions these are going to make is, again, to

upgrade the quality of the teaching, the status of the teacher. And in the mind of the public, they're going to, until gradually, we will approach here in a narrowization of the teaching. Within the next two decades, I feel rather confident that we will approach in the public image of the teacher what is the professor has enjoyed in Europe for a number of years. And over there, of course, if you carry a title of professor, even at the secondary level, people prefer that because that carries more status than a say in MD. Then an MD is right. Or a commercial title. Automation might also give the teacher more time to prepare instead of... And take away a lot of the room. That's right. Yes, cut down on the routine and the technical... And permit the teacher to grow professionally. And keep abreast of the teacher a chance to... And to teach more creatively. Keep learning his own subject, which is changing rapidly all the time. What about this concept of team teaching? What does this involve? What does it mean? Well, I think a good way of explaining it, at least this is how I look at it, is everyone knows what a baseball team is. And with a baseball team, you have someone who is the captain. I mean, you have to have

if you have different individuals. And each one is assigned a role, according to what he is best prepared to do, or what he does best. So similarly, let's say if you're teaching English with a team of English teachers. Maybe one is best in creative writing. Another one is best in teaching the... Where one is in the middle. Another one is teaching literature. And so then, let's say George here, and you can even have two people teaching a course. Let's say it were biology. So he takes the unit, but he feels he can put across better than I could, and then I take the one that I think I could do better. And we plan the entire thing. All right, so he teaches it. Now, let me give you an example of team teaching in a school where they have several hundred. And they used to teach 35, 35, 35, 35. So all they long these two teachers are teaching each one. So they decided that this was killing. So the two of them would divide this into a unit, and they put, oh, let's say, a hundred and fifty in one room in auditorium, and then 35 in this room. So he teaches his unit, let's say, on the cell or whatever it is. I'm out there with the hundred and

fifty. And maybe I have an assistant or two. We have planned this together. He teaches this. And then I carry forward. And then we break them up in the sessions. So it's a team approach. When he's finished with that, we review it. And I take over it. And he goes over there. What will this do to the semester system? Couldn't you do that on the semester basis, and have you have the kids for one semester? Ah, the unit area is too long for the semester. Yeah, the semester is too long. Now, you long. You can get away from the idea of really team teaching. As a matter of fact, you also have team teaching with just simply one presentation. You don't have to have a whole unit, you see. So that as a... Would this require more teachers? Not necessarily. I'm thinking of a knowledge high school out here in a western suburb where they are using team teaching. And I went out there with the idea of getting an answer when I asked, but this costs more, doesn't it? And don't you have to have more teachers? And the answer was that budget is the same as any other one and no more teachers.

But you teach larger youth. Well, there's another point, too. You're talking earlier. You said about the teacher having so much preparation and a whole lot of this type of thing. Under team teaching, you're cutting this down. Because he's working in this area, especially. And he is... If we start with the idea of he's lecturing to 150 or teaching to 150 and then breaking it into smaller sections for discussion. And he only has that large section. He's handling 150 kids at one time. And what this is going to bring about, too, is the recognition that there are various levels of professional competence needed to be a teacher. And so we can use AIDS. We can use assistance. We can use regular teachers. And then we can use really a specialist, you see. And we're moving gradually into this area. And team teaching is going to help bring that about. And that would open up new levels for teachers. And that's right. And that's very important for the different competency levels. We're teaching a much more rewarding and I think enjoyable work. And people could prepare themselves to be specifically teacher -laid. That's right. There's one little area just before we finish that I

didn't mention, or none of us mentioned. And that is, teaching is teaching. All through the colleges, too, it's the same business. The colleges are going into a tremendous expansion. And there is already a shortage of college teachers. I think we're going to have to stop, Dr. Ross. That's a good point to stop on, because I think both of you have shown that teaching is a demanding, exciting profession, and that there's certainly going to be job openings in the future. And that the job horizons in teaching is excellent. And I want to thank you, Dr. George Ross, Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at IIT, and Dr. Erwin Cleese, Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Educational Planning at DePaul University. And this is Don Anderson, good morning for the American scene. This has been the American scene. Today's discussion, job horizons and teaching, add as guest, Dr. George Ross,

Associate Professor of Psychology and Education at IIT, and Dr. Erwin Cleese, Associate Vice President for Institutional Research at DePaul University. Today's host was Don Anderson. The American scene is pre -recorded and is produced by the Illinois Institute of Technology in cooperation with WMAQ. Next week's topic will be job horizons in government, as we continue our investigation of the American scene. The Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service makes the following announcement, which will be...