RURAL SCHOOL IN AUSTRALIA, THE

One of the earliest and best-equipped among Australians in the history and philosophy of education, Cole published widely, culminating in his History of Educational Thought (London, 1931). His comprehensive view of education and the catholicity of his interests helped him to contribute many valuable articles, mainly to the college journals, Schooling (1910-35) and its successor, the Forum of Education (1940-), on such aspects as classroom practice, the curriculum, early childhood education, and the relation of the school to society and employment. ‘Their significance lay in that the teaching profession had previously had to rely almost entirely on overseas publications for reading and stimulation. With Mackie, Cole wrote Studies in the Theory of Education (Sydney, 1925), the first book of its kind published in Australia. He also assembled the contributors for, and edited comprehensive discussions of educational problems inThe Primary School Curriculum in Australia (Melbourne, 1932), The Education of the Adolescent in Australia (Melbourne, 1935) and The Rural School in Australia (Melbourne, 1937). Meanwhile, in a less obvious fashion, Cole, by his own scholarship and personal influence, reinforced Mackie’s determination that a teachers’ college should be an institution where professional practice was taught in an atmosphere of recognizable scholarship.