A very early attempt was made in Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, to arrange courses in theory and methods of teaching, but the movement was not successful. Little actual work in the training of secondary teachers was done in the Eastern States, until the Industrial Education Association of New York City, feeling the demand for skilful teachers in manual training, began to organize plans for preparing them for their work, and sending them out daily to teach in the schools. At the beginning of 1889, the work had developed so much, not only in connection with one branch of training, but many, that the institution gained a provisional charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York, under the name of the New York College for the Training of Teachers.
In 1892 the charter of the New York College for the Training of Teachers was made absolute, and the name changed to Teachers’ College. An agreement was also made, whereby certain pedagogical courses in the Teachers’ College are considered as courses in the Faculty of Philosophy at Columbia University, New York, and count towards a Columbia University degree. By the same agreement, qualified students of the Teachers’ College are admitted to the courses in philosophy and pedagogy at Columbia University. In this way we may regard the Teachers’ College as the newest of University departments, although, on the other hand, it has developed and become a most important and successful means of secondary training, quite apart from any connection with a college or university. The courses in pedagogy given at Columbia University, and open to students of the Teachers’ College, are:
The History of Educational Theories and Institutions—a course given each alternate year.
Systematic Pedagogics; the Psychology of Childhood; Principles of Teaching; (given also every alternate year).
A Pedagogical Seminar (one hour a week for advanced students).
The lectures in philosophy and experimental psychology are also open under the same conditions. Among them are the following courses:
(a) Logic and Psychology; (b) Ethics; (c) Introductory course in Physiological Psychology (lectures and laboratory work); (d) Advanced course in Physiological Psychology (experiment work in the laboratory); (e) Introductory course in Experimental Psychology (lectures, themes and laboratory work); (f) Vision (lectures, reports and advanced laboratory work); (g) Advanced work in Experimental Psychology and Research (individual instruction daily).
The courses at the Teachers’ College, open to all Columbia University Students, are:
i. Educational Psychology; Study of Children.
ii. Science and Art of Teaching, with illustrations from the Kindergarten and Elementary Schools. Observation.