-15
from a conference on PBTE conducted at the University of Houston in May, 1971 (33). The Power of Competency-Based Teacher Education: Report of the Committee on National Progran Priorities in Teacher Education was the result of the findings and suggestions of this committee established by the United States Office of Education. (53)
In the final chapter of the former source, William L. Smith explicated the theory of PBTE:
In theory, performance-based training provides
a way for prospective teachers to build on their individual skills and interests. It implies an
open-ended education with freedom to move, to develop
an individual teaching style and individual competencies.
It suggests that preparation to be a teacher is an
exciting and rewarding experience, one that will lead
to life-long intellectual curiosity and growth; the
effective teacher never stops learning. The
competency-based approach assumes that such advantages in the teacher's own preparation will enable him as a
graduate to enter the classroom and pass on these
advantages to. the next generation of youngsters.
(33:172)
Commenting on the psychological implications of PBTE, Young and Van Mondfrans stated that performance-based education can reduce.negative psychological effects and increase learning (64:17). Klingstedt analyzed the philosophical basis for the movement and concluded that PBTE has its roots in experimentalism, but educators embracing other positions can, and perhaps, should, exert an influence on its direction (39:14). In a study for the AACTE Committee on PBTE, Nash did exert influence for the