The training of staff of training centres for the mentally sub-normal : report of the Sub-Committee.
- Great Britain. Sub-Committee on the Training of Staff of Training Centres for the Mentally Subnormal.
- Date:
- 1962
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The training of staff of training centres for the mentally sub-normal : report of the Sub-Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![We wish to emphasise the importance of the practical nature of the course. While students should be given a good foundation of the principles and theories of education and psychology, great care should be taken constantly to relate these to the actual problems of caring for, managing and teaching severely subnormal children. The medical, legal and administrative information should have a direct and helpful bearing on the teachers’ work. We think that much of the study should be done in tutorial groups and that staffing should allow for this. There should be constant interaction between theory and practice and the arrangements for the teaching practice and observation should so far as possible be spaced to allow for this. Actual teaching practice should, naturally, form an important part of the since students find it difficult to do this while facing the problems of group management. It is important, too, that theory and practice should be in line with the best up to date practice in ordinary schools; students should have an opportunity of visiting these and we wish to underline the benefit they would gain from observation in good nursery and infant schools. At the same time they can benefit from visits to special schools and to schools for ordinary children at the secondary stage of education if only on being reminded of the sorts of activities and social demands suitable for the older children in the centres. Visits to clinics, to welfare and employment offices etc. should also be included. Students would greatly benefit from a period of residence with children, not necessarily handicapped. The Curriculum—Subjects In making suggestions about the subjects of the curriculum we recognise that in listing and analysing subject matter there is a danger that we may imply that the physical, intellectual, social] and emotional growth of children can be treated in separate compartments. On the contrary we wish to emphasise that severely subnormal children like normal children react as whole persons in every type of living and learning situation. Nevertheless we think that some reference to divisions of subject matter may give emphasis and clarity to our suggestions. Broadly speaking, students should be given information and enlightenment in the following :— Stages in normal child development; The importance of play. The principles and practice of education (with relevant history of pioneer developments in education). Psychology, particularly with maturation, learning, behaviour and the idea of mental growth in normal and handicapped children. Child health and child care. Medical aspects of subnormality. Aspects of the relevant social services.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32175644_0037.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
