ABSTRACT

Nova Scotia teacher education remained captive of the "Teachers' College" tradition for over 140 years. From the inception of the provincial Normal School in 1855 and its reincarnation as the Nova Scotia Teachers College (NSTC) until the 1970s, teacher education in the province was largely focused on the task of providing initiates with a standard curriculum, inculcating practical skills and instilling a grounding in standardized routines. The advent of university teacher education programs was a sign of broader changes afoot in Nova Scotia society, culture, and education. Academicians in university graduate programs, like A. George MacIntosh of Saint Mary's University, considered the Teachers College to be "an enigma" in the early 1960s, essentially a polite way of explaining its supposed "backwardness". The Shapiro Report delivered a significant jolt to the NSTC and the affected universities, which sparked a rare public furore.