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| RG 24/1 - Oberlin Kindergarten-Primary Training School
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| Biography/Administrative
History |
| The Oberlin Kindergarten Training School (OKTS) was founded in 1894 for the purpose of instructing young women to teach kindergarten according to the methods of German educator, Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852). The Oberlin Kindergarten Association, a group of thirteen women, developed plans for the school, drew up a constitution, hired the first teacher, and organized several free kindergartens in Oberlin Village where OKTS students could fulfill practice teaching requirements. Over a thirty-nine year period, the Oberlin Kindergarten Training School had three principals: Belle Goodman (1894-95); Bertha Emeline Montgomery (1895-1915); and Clara May (1915-32). Under the leadership of Principal May, the school acquired five dormitory buildings, increased its enrollment, and placed its graduates in kindergartens throughout the world. In 1916, the introduction of the novel Montessori method by Clara May at the Centennial Kindergarten in Oberlin led to curricular additions in primary education; the name of the school was changed to the Oberlin Kindergarten-Primary Training School in 1927. In 1932, the school's two-year course of instruction came into conflict with a new state law mandating four years of preparation for teachers. Since the school could not afford to comply with the law, it ceased to operate independently and merged with the Department of Education of Oberlin College. The Kindergarten-Primary major was available at Oberlin until the academic year 1964-65. In its place, students followed a five-year program based upon the B.A. degree with an academic major, leading to the Master of Arts in Teaching. Academic year 1971-72 was the last year in which the M.A.T. in Elementary Education was offered at Oberlin. |
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