An article published in the February 1944 issue of the Education Digest, titled  The Army Program for Illiterates  that describes the Special Training Unit Program.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/stu_1210th_fort_ontario/1065/thumbnail.jp

Goldberg, Samuel

Witty, Paul A.

English

Morehead State University

THE ARMY PROGRAM FOR ILLITERATES Mayor Paut A. Wirry and Captain SAMUEL GoLDBERG In the Elementary English Review < O help meet the country’s man- power problem, the Army found it necessary to accept for military service many illiterate, non-English speaking, and educationally retarded men. These were assigned to Special Training Units, whose mission is to provide preliminary training through which such men will attain the re- quired academic and military pro- ficiency which is essential to proceed with regular basic training. The Army’s program of special training has proved highly successful. Most of the men in these units have ac- quired sufficient skill in language, arithmetic, and preliminary training to be able to proceed with regular training. Thus, the Army is doing its share in helping to meet the man- power problem. However, it is doing more. It is demonstrating the possi- bilities inherent in a sound program of adult education. Application of a comparable program in _ postwar America should help to remove il- literacy as a national problem. The program of training in Spe- cial Training Units is organized to cover an 8-12 week period. Eighteen hours a week are devoted to read- ing, language, and arithmetic, and the remainder to military subjects. The time spent by a man in a Spe- cial Training Unit serves both as a period of preparation and explora- 44 tion. On the one hand serious efforts are made to equip him for the pur. suit of regular basic training and Army life generally. On the other hand he is studied carefully to as certain whether he has the capacity to maintain himself and_ perform some useful job in the Army. The Special Training Units not only pre- pare men for more direct and ef fective discharge of their duties but help to make them more cheerful and better adjusted soldiers. Considering the urgency of the general military situation at the time America entered the struggle as an active belligerent and the ex- tent of the mobilization program undertaken by the Army, it is sur- prising that effort should have been made to introduce a well-rounded system of instruction in Special Training Units. Yet, judged by usual criterions which may be set, study of the Army’s program of instruc- tion reveals a broad constructive ap proach which incorporates many de- sirable educational features. Some characteristics of the program follow. 1. Classification of students. — The men assigned to Special Train- ing Units are studied individually. Information pertaining to the sok diers’ past school attendance, occu- pational history, avocational inter- ests, and intellectual abilities is avail- able carc they The men of | sent rou: yea tion cial wh the nee anc abi Th pat fur epi an car iSsi lan Th net an th forts pur- and other O as yacity form The j pre- d ef. s but erful the the iggle € ex- zram sur- been nded ecial usual tudy e ap y de- some llow. rain- sally. CCU nter- vail- able on their soldiers’ qualification card which is completed by the time they reach the Special Training Unit. There each man is tested for place- ment purposes to determine to which of four possible groups he will be sent. The levels of these groups are roughly equivalent to the first four years of elementary school instruc- tion. Classification of students in Spe- cial Units is a dynamic process in which every effort is made to place the student correctly, analyze his needs, record his accomplishments, and advance him in accord with his ability to assimilate newer material. 2. Subject matter and methods. — The material which has been pre- pared for the classroom is highly functional in character. It deals with episodes and experiences which are an outgrowth of the man’s life in camp and the Army. It presents the issues and progress of the war in language the men can comprehend. Thus, it represents a fulfillment of needs and interests. It is well graded and so correlated that instructors can easily integrate their instruction in one area with that of another. A particular method of instruction is not prescribed for use in Special Training Units. For example, in the field of reading, teachers are provid- ed with instructional guides which utilize several different approaches. They are then permitted to select those methods which will best meet their needs. The material furnished is highly diversified and richly illus- THE ARMY PROGRAM FOR ILLITERATES trated. Many film strips and other visual aids have been prepared to facilitate learning of difficult subject matter. The approach to reading represents an incorporation of the best features of different methods which have been recommended over a period of years by competent edu- cators. A basic stock of sight words is taught first. This is presented through the medium of a film strip, in which 46 basic words are associ- ated with their pictorial representa- tions. The acquisition of this basic stock of sight words is facilitated in many ways and all efforts are direct- ed toward building up rich associ- ated meanings for each word and toward developing the ability to recognize words at sight from their general configurations. Through the administration of a simple test, the teacher is able to select those men who are ready to proceed with the Army Reader. The Army Reader presents “Private Pete” in four grad- ed sections, through very simple to more complex soldier experiences, through words, phrases, and short sentences, to complete reading epi- sodes. Through various types of ma- terials, such as a weekly paper and a monthly magazine, students are taught to read for details, to follow directions, and to acquire the cen- tral thought of a passage. A recent publication, Teaching Devices for Special Training Units, describes many aids and games which instruc- 45 tors can employ in the teaching of reading, language, spelling, hand- writing, and arithmetic. Diagnostic and remedial procedures and meth- ods for each of the subjects are pre- sented. 3. Method of dealing with indi- viduals who experience difficulty in learning. — Students who experi- ence great difficulty in learning are carefully studied. The teacher con- sults with the personnel consultant. If, at length, following tests and interviews, it is decided that the man is inept and uneducable, ar- rangements are then made for a Board of Officers to meet to con- sider the desirability of his discharge from the Army. The approach to the individual is positive and con- structive. 4. Teacher selection, preparation, and supervision.—Individuals chosen as teachers are carefully selected. Many have had college train- ing and previous teaching experi- ence. Many of the teachers have the Master’s degree and some have re- ceived the Doctor of Philosophy de- gree. Instructors are selected not THE EDUCATION DIGEST only on the basis of their academic qualifications but also in considera- tion of their interest in and ability to handle slow-learning individuals, Once selected, teachers in many units are prepared for their work through local training conferences, The local training conferences are modeled after the two national train- ing conferences which were con- ducted by the Development and Spe- cial Training Section, Training Branch, A. G. D. Representatives from each of the major units attend- ed the national conferences and then returned to their own units to initiate improved teacher training. A pro- gram of teacher supervision is in operation. Teachers are observed by the educational director of many units. Periodically, a supervisory “in- spection” is made by representatives of the Development and Special Training Section under the super- vision of the Training Branch, A. G. D. and the Director of Military Training, A. S. F. Recommenda- tions for the improvement of a unit are contained in the report of the “inspecting” officer. Major Paul A. Witty and Captain Samuel G. Goldberg are members of the A. G. D. Report- ed from the Elementary English Review, XX (December, 1943), 306-11. RR oy U. S. Office of Education estimates that 7 percent of the teachers of the country hold only emergency teaching certificates. pa ov thi 

Journal Article – The Army Program for Illiterates

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Journal Article – The Army Program for Illiterates

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