50
could afford to concentrate on practice. The dislocation of the
two activities was thus made as much by theorists as by sceptical
practitioners.
In the Alternative Course the relationship of theory with practice
was basic and took for granted the value of an earlier view that
theory should be included in teacher education and that it should
relate to practice. Taylor (1976) summarises and makes clear both
the pervasiveness and the institutional consequences of this stance.
There is a particular irony in the concern that he voiced regarding
the present situation "We shall not improve teacher education by
learning to despise theory" (1983) for it is precisely this attitude
which appears to be reflected in the findings of Patrick et al .
Educational Theory and Method Departments
In their consideration
of the aims of method
tutors they state
Although aims differed from tutor to tutor .....
the aims most frequently mentioned were essentially
practical, relating on the one hand to the student,
his subject and how to teach it, and on the other
to children, how they learn, how to discipline them
and how to relate to them. (1982 P2O3)
Data from both
staff and students points to a practical concern
that underlies established practice and yet which gives rise to
dissatisfaction and ambivalence for both students and staff.
Staff
were aware that ’’everyday
pressures of working in schools could
discourage teachers from
experiment ing
(1982 P193) and students
experiencing such pressures were often inclined to see more practical
help as essential for their resolution. The data suggests that
within a setting where practice is emphasised and where students