§ 2. Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to encourage research into and the development of programmed learning techniques; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Education and Science (Mrs. Shirley Williams)The Department is supporting the development of programmed learning by financing research projects at universities: by supporting the National Centre for Programmed Learning at Birmingham University and the National Council for Educational Technology, and by encouraging educational institutions to run courses to give teachers an understanding of programmed learning and training in writing programmes.
§ Mr. RobertsWould my hon. Friend not agree that while I accept that a great deal of work has been done already, a great deal more has to be done if we are to achieve the substitution of some of these programmed learning techniques for the rôle of the ordinary teacher in order to provide some of the highly specialised technological and scientific skills we shall need on a much wider scale in the foreseeable future?
§ Mrs. WilliamsMy view is that programmed learning is essentially supplementary to teachers' work and is not a substitute for it. At present it is being installed in 130 local education authority areas, in more than 30 universities, and in 80 colleges of education.