Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1912 — Purdue Summer School for Teachers [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Purdue Summer School for Teachers

By J. D.HARPER

Purdue University Agricultural Extension

There has been a growing demand throughout the state for agricultural Instruction for teachers. The state board of educatiota has outlined a course in agriculture which the teachers have had before them in their “State Manuals” and “Uniform Courses of Study” for the last two or three years, but this has been merely suggestive. The teachers have bedn asking where they can get information on this subject that will enable them th teach it successfully. They have felt that they did not have the necessary information to do the work as.it should be done. In view of these facts, Purdue university as the leader of agricultural education in Indiana, will conduct a summer school for teachers from June 17 to July 20, 1912. Instruction will not only be given in agriculture, but in,domestic science and manual training as well. The purpose of the school will be to prepare teachers in the rural schcools for teaching these subjects effectively. The instruction will emphasize the elementary side of the subjects principally, with Especial attention to the organization of materials and apparatus for rural conditions. The university laboratories and equipment, including the library, will be available. The school will be conducted primarily for teachers already in the service who wish toNbecome more valuable to their respective communities. The corps of instructors will be chosen from the Purdue faculty, with especial reference to their fitness for the'work, and will be, under the leadership of Prof. George L. Rob-

erts of the department of education. All correspondence, however, relative to the school should be addressed to G. I. Christie, superintendent of agricultural extension, who will have charge of all details of management. The work is so planned that each teacher may, if desired, spend the major part of his time on any one of the three main divisions of the course, namelyi—agriculture, domestic science or manual training,-and elect one of the other two’for the rest of his work. Or he may spend all his time on'any one of the three divisions. 1

The work in agriculture will embrace instruction in farm crops, plant studies, soil .studies, horticulture, dairying, animal husbandry and poultry. The domestic science teachers may do additional work in either agriculture or manual training and mechanical drawing. Teachers manual training will be given mechanical drawing instruction relative to wood working and blpe printing. They will also be taught the use and care of tools. In addition to the above regular conferences will be held to consider ways and means of introducing industrial subjects into the public schools, methods of conducting the work, courses of study, equipment, books, teachers, co-operation of patrons and school officers, the correlation of the industrial work in other subjects, etc. The work as a whole will be administered in such way as to be extremely practical and helpful as an effective aid in furthering the development of vocational training.

Purdue University Campus.