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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1946)
Page 4 THE NEBRASKAN Tuesday, March' 5, 1943 Survey Lists Nebraska's Air Program Nebraska's aviation training program for school children, lay ing the educational ground work for future generations of air minded Nebraskans, has been rated along with New York state as "tops in the nation by a Chi cago survey concern. The program started from scratch in 1940; was given a con siderable boost during the war by helping prepare high school graduates for the air corps; and is now enojoying a post-war avia tion boom in over 75 high schools offering aeronautics courses to many thousands of young boys. Nebraska educational training plan has become somewhat of a national model. In the past few years a number of other states have patterned their programs after the Nebraska system. The tools for the program textbooks and teachers manuals were de veloped at the University of Ne braska Teachers college. Interest Began in '40. Aviation study interest began in 1940 when the stale aeronautics commission offered to furnish free text books to any high school in Nebraska which would add the subject to the couse of study. Over 160 high schools applied. But there weren't enough books, and the ones existing then were for college students, not high school boys. Prof. Frank Sorenson of the University of Nebraska Teachers college organized a committee of Nebraska teachers at the Univer sity Teachers college summer workshop in 1941. An 83 page manual for high school boys was produced for the high schools. United Air Lines also asked for 250 for teaching kits they were dis'ributing. The manual so impressed Bruce Uthus, Civil Aeronautics associa tion educational director in Wash ington, D. C, he came to Lin coln immediately, and asked the University of Nebraska to de velop an aviation text book for high schools. At the summer work shop in 1942, Professor Sorenson, Prof. Harold Wise and Prof. Ralph C Dedell supervised work on a 555 page book, and a 113 page manual. The book was published and be came a best seller and widely used in Nebraska high schools. It told high school boys of the mys tery of flight in simple language. Contributing authors were: Ray mond E. Collins, York, Harley F. Glidden, Fairbury, Florence Jen kins. Lincoln, LeRoy E. Smith, Omaha, Edward Vacek, Beatrice, Robert A. Wells, McCook, D. A. Worchester of the university psy chology department, and Victor P. Morley, George E. Rotter, and John H. St rake of the university's extension division. Request for Book. Teachers also asked for a book on the social significance of aero nautics. The summer workshop of 1943 wrote such a book now used in over 150 Nebraska high schools. A revised edition of this book is now being printed. The university in co-operation with other agencies, has also: 4 Developed 18 full page posters to aid teachers understand the principles of flight published by the Nebraska Educational Journal; developed a series of simple pamphlets for elementary grade students; supplied the National Chamber of Commerce with ma terial for aviation kits they art distributing; urged the aeronautics commission to finance visual aids and model airplane kits for Ne braska school children; developed wider use of motion pictures in teaching aeronautics. Wilcox . . . (Continued from pac 1.) will create the means for its own repayment. The $120,000,000 that Britain will be required t: pay back annually is only 2 percent of the annual earnings of the United Kingdom. Surely Great BritaJn can be considered a good risk, ' he added. Answers Questions. In answer to the Question that - America cannot afford to make ' the loan, Wilcox pointed out that . the loan would increase our na tional debt only 1 percent. "We , would have spent this amount in one week of additional wariare, be said. Dr. Wilcox is of the opinion that a delay in passing this legislation may result in our exporters being Prof. O. Collins Reports Seeing Bright Meteor Professor O. C. Collins of the university observatory has ' had some reports of a meteor seen at sundown Sunday night, and is interested in hearing from any others who may have seen it. According to reports received at the observatory, the meteor was very brilliant and resembled a blowtorch in appearance. Facts that should be known about the meteor include time and place of observation and the direction in the sky lrom the observation post. Position. The azimuth and altitude of the meteor should also be included, or the horizontal distance and height above the horizon. If it was visible for any length of time, the obser vatory would like to know the azimuth and altitude when first seen and when last seen, and also whether it disappeared from view in midair or below the horizon as they saw it. Information about the meteor should be written on a postcard and sent to Prof. Collins at the university observatory, together with the name and address of the observer. frozen out of world trade. That will be the result if Britain is given time to consolidate and work out its trade policy. "Failure to pass this bill will likely cause international reper cussions and leave no hope for international co-operation," was a statement issued by John Winant, American ambassador to Britain, according to Wilcox. "If Great Britain and the United States will collaborate in working out trade problems, the outlook will be bright for world trade unity," Wilcox concluded. Nebraska is the only state uni versity with 33 college buildings and 2 greenhouses. One edition of the Warsaw (Poland) Registered Times aver ages 25,001 words. Dr. W. Bailer, Guidance Head, Judges Student's Aptitudes BY TOM GREEN. Dr. Warren R. Bailer's official capacity on the staff of the uni versity is acting head of the denartment of educational Psy chology and guidance consultant m the junior division. However, it is in his capacity as guidance consultant that his greatest influence is felt by the student. Part of the work in this job is concerned with the guid ance and aDtitude tests which are of so much importance to those in the junior division. Two Programs. "There are at least two pro grams of tests which are of some importance to students, both of which bear the term 'aptitude tests' ", according to Dr. Bailer. The first of these tests is the series which are required of all entering students below the junior level. This battery of tests serves to facilitate the selection of appro priate programs of study, lay a foundation for later advisory work, as well as to provide an accurate means of classification into the prope sections of study corresponding to the appropriate level of accomplishment of the student. Disagree. According to Mr. Bailer, the ad visors have learned that the uni versity test results and the high school grades do not always agree, and therefore, their policy in as sessing the relative value of the test grades should not be limited to one or the other but should be a combination of the two in dices. The reasons for this conflict between the two scores are varied. It may be accounted for by con sidering the close proximity of personalities in the high school as compared with that of the university. In regard to such a condi- dition, Dr. Bailer makes it plain that the personality which may clash with the high school teacher will not become evident to the university professor, and there fore the students personality will not be an influencing factor either in the recording of the apptitude test or in the school mark rewarded to the student. Accuracy Test. Another factor tending to scuttle the accuracy of ths test scores is those students who for some reason or another are not at their best when taking the entrance tests. Last, there is the difficulty inherent in the vary ing . system of grading employed in the different high schools of the country. Before the examination results are of any use to the advisor, the tests are scored by machine and the raw scores thus determined are converted into standard scores, which are in turn based upon the distribution of scores in the average entering class. The standard ratings are then plotted on a standard form in' the shape of a graph by which the advisor may see at a glance the level of accomplishment dis played by the subject in the vari ous departments which are cov ered by the tests. The raw scores may sometimes bring to light defects in the tests themselves. If the test does not measure the height of ability and the depth of ability present in the group it cannot be an accurate measure of the accomplishment of the group. This is determined by an examination of the scores to see if the test is too hard or too easy for some of those who were subject to it. Mary Variables. "Our experience with the tests has shown that prediction cannot be made 100 percent, but neither' can those predictions based on high school grades," stated Mr. Bailer. However, he went on to say, "Those whose profiles are consistently in the lower 7 or 8 percent manage to continue in school beyond the first semester in a very few instances about one in ten." Mr. Bailer makes it plain that there are many varia- bles concerned In the prediction which cannot be taken into ac count. For example, a person whose tests may show a low level of mastery may effect real accom plishments with motivation and consistent effort. In this connec tion, he says that the tests used as entrance examinations are largely a measure of mastery with the exception of the college apti tude test which is inserted in th series. Another significant fact is found in his statement that, "Nearly three-fourths of the students with consistently high college grades (85 percent and above) are found to have scored above the mid point in the entrance tests." Be cause of the fact that the entering class is taken from the upper half of the high school class, predic tion of this kind is very signifi cant, according to Dr. Bailer. Special Inventory. After students get underway, some are more and more uncer tain of their vocational choice. For this reason there are also aptitude tests which may be taken at the junior division. About 1,000 in a year ask to take these tests to solve this problem. The tests are administered in batteries to inventory their special ability, their interests and personality. Consultation is then provided on the basis of the results. According to Dr. Bailer, the individual profile of each student is available for his examination upon request. Home Ec Club Attends Ag Tea All home ec club members will be honored guests this afternoon from 4:30 to 5:30 at a tea in the home ec social rooms on Ag campus, Marolyn Hartsook, presi dent, has announced. Tea will be served from 4:30 until the program begins at 5 o'clock, when Mrs. Frances Keefer Atkisson will review the best seller, "The Egg and I." Tea will again be served alter tne re view. Members of the club will be hostesses and Miss Winston Os- born will preside at the service table. Ufa" v-m M t K "7 W r '. 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