Calvin Ellis stowe and the history of education

Abstract

Teacher t r a i n i n g programs in America as well as legal requirements for certification are very diverse. Despite this diversity there has been a core of professional subjects in teacher education programs for well over a century. One sees frequently in such programs of the late nineteenth century the required professional courses in the history of education, the philosophy of education, educational psychology, and practice teaching. From this core has grown a great variety of courses in educational techniques. The purpose of this article is to examine a normal school course of study that first appeared in 1839, because it gave heavy emphasis to one of the traditional core subjects in teacher education—the history of education. This program, written by Calvin Ellis Stowe, helped to muster support for the inclusion of such a course when teacher education in America was in its infancy. Stowe believed that educational history can add to a teacher's knowledge about the relationship between the school and its social context and about its influence in promoting the welfare of mankind. Furthermore, he could not believe that the growth of a so-called science of education could be articulated by people ignorant of the past. It is useful first to look briefly at Stowe's professional Me to see why his suggestions on teacher education should be given serious consideration. After taking his first degree at Bowdoin College in 1824, Stowe graduated from A n d o v e r Theological Seminary in 1829. He became professor of Greek at Dartmouth in 1831, and of Bible literature at Lane Theological Seminary at Cincinnati in 1833. During the latter year he helped to found the Cincinnati College of Teachers, although it never really flourished. While at Lane, Stowe believed strongly that advanced professional schools were seriously out of harmony with the intellectual needs of the nation. He felt that in addition common schools were academically weak and generally not accepted; consequently, formal education was in a tenuous state. Moved by the desire to improve American education, Stowe accepted the commission given him in 1836 by the trustees of Lane to purchase a library in Europe and, more importantly, to survey the state