§ 24. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to encourage the use of branching teaching machines in teachers' training establishments; and if he will state the amount of Government finance devoted to such branching teaching machines in teachers' training colleges in Scotland.
§ Mr. NobleA number of colleges are using these machines but expenditure on them cannot readily be separated from the colleges' expenditure on equipment generally. I have agreed to the appointment at Aberdeen College of Education of a lecturer with a special interest in research in programmed learning and he is collaborating with the education authorities and with the University Automatic Teaching Research Unit.
§ Mr. DalyellWhy cannot they be separated? It is only a question of simple arithmetic.
§ Mr. DalyellIt was a quite simple one. Why cannot these figures be separated? It must be known how many branching teaching machines there are in each training college. It is merely a question of addition.
§ Mr. NobleIt will be known in a few weeks. I have written to local authorities asking them for this information.
§ Mr. DalyellThis Question is about teacher training colleges and not about local authorities.
§ Mr. Clark HutchisonCan my right hon. Friend tell us what is a branching teaching, machine?
§ Mr. NobleIt is a rather complicated instrument. I will write to my hon. Friend if he would like to know the precise difference between linear and branching teaching machines.
§ 25. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will allocate earmarked grants to local authorities willing to conduct experimental projects 426 in the use of branching teaching machines.
§ Mr. NobleI am encouraging the growing interest among education authorities in this field, but I have no power to make earmarked grants to them for experimental work.
§ Mr. DalyellDoes the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that development costs for this sort of hardware runs to six figures? Does he admit that this delay often puts developers in a fairly embarrassing situation, and that a working party consisting of his Department, local authorities and developers would at least provide, some idea of where pioneering firms stand?
§ Mr. NobleThis may well be something which will come about in the future. At the moment, I have given a grant to the University of Aberdeen to assist in research. In this country at least, all these machines are still in the experimental stage. Local authorities are keen to use them and I am keen to help them as soon as I know how effective they can be.
Mr. Gresham CookeWill my right hon. Friend bear in mind that these machines enable teachers to teach more children in a class, or to teach them better than they are being taught at present, and that they obviously have a considerable future? Teachers are gratified to take them up and they should receive every encouragement to do so.
§ Mr. RossOn the previous Question, which concerned teacher training colleges and had nothing to do with local authorities, the right hon. Gentleman said that he had written to local authorities. On this Question, which relates to local authorities, will he write to teacher training colleges?