The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 132

LEARNING A-24 Boston Sunday Globe June 23, 1974 He's a humanoid computer The teacher's a l- block-head, but he's smarter than us all after his wife Gail, the I 1 1 I the teacher will ever become outmoded. "The advantage of the robot is that it frees the teacher to do more fthe human aspects of teaching. "I don't)' think the robot should ever replace the teacher. What it does is take things that the teacher shouldn't do and which the machine can do better. It's only a machine and the teacher can use the machine to get free.

"There are plenty of things th machine can't do. It can't teach relations to people, for example. It is hot a dehumanizing ma tion or answer on a terminal it verbalizes it." Its repertory also includes the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance (during which it stops and queries a student on the meaning of the fable of the boy who cried wolf, some basic Spanish and a joke: "You are thinking so hard I can see smoke coming out of your ears." What does that mean for the five students Leachim can teach simultaneously Listening with his own earphones, each can be asked questions geared to his level of achievement and ability, extra ques tions for the faster students and additional drilling for the slower ones. The questions 'can be on different subjects. Students answer by punching a series of buttons, much like a touchtone phone, on the computer's side.

"The computer is built to teach at, and just above, each student's ability. If a student has a problem that requires human attention the computer can tell the 'Dr. Freeman explained. Dr. Freeman, who won the New York City Science Fair's first prize at the age of 17 for building a computer, thinks the computer has become increasingly useful as an educational aid since the advent of busing and open enrollment.

"Now classe are not homogeneous as they were 10 years ago," he said. "There are many different ability levels in a class. If a teacher teaches to the bright students she leaves the slower ones behind. If she teaches to the slow ones then the bright ones get bored. I have built the machine to help solve this problem." Despite the potential his brainchild holds for revo--lutionizing teaching, Dr.

Freeman does not believe By Ben Ginsberg Globe Correspondent It could be a typical classroom situation. Five fourth-graders surround the teacher. Questions are asked, answers given. Wrong answers bring admonitions, correct answers praise. But the situation is not typical The teacher is a computer.

But the computer is not just any computer. It stands five foot five weighs more than 200 pounds, has a humanoid oaken body and head, black plastic arms and legs and blue light-bulb ears. It has a memory better ask different questions to five different students at the same time. Leachim is the name, and it is the invention of Dr. Michael Freeman (Leachim is an anagram for Michael), an assistant professor of management and behavorial sciences at Baruch College of the City University of New York.

He conceived the idea (i las PEOPLE IN EDUCATION (T) 1 I I I Is? chine because it frees the teacher to do human things." Dr. Freeman reprograms Leachim every six months. It is capable of operating for six months at four hours per day without becoming repetitious. There is little training necessary for a teacher to operate the computer, Dr. Free-ma nmaintains.

"When a teacher wants to program the machine or find out a student's progress she hits a series of buttons like a push-button phone," Dr. Freeman explained. "By hitting the buttons she gets a verbal assessment of the performance of the student." Although Freeman said he had gotten commercial offers for Leachim he said he was trying "to get foundation money for continued research." Computer "teacher" in use in a New York City school has all the exciting lights it needs, plus these essentials: 1. speaker; 2. sound sensor; 3.

answer indicator buttons; 4. answer indicator lights; 5. move- ment indicator light; 6. onoff switch; 7. main switch; 8.

"on" lights; 9. volume control; 10. status indicator board; 11. "hold" button for looking things up; 12. programming housing; 13.

earphone jack. Thomas Crombie Srhel-ling, professor of economics in the Harvard faculty of arts and sciences, will become the fifth Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Political Economy at Harvard's Graduate School of Public Administration. 1 Susan Lima of North Dartmouth and Clifton Lyons of Haverhill have received medals at the White House last week from Julie Nixon Eisenhower, the President's daughter. Both students were chosen presidential scholars from Massachusetts.

Francis Marion Pipkin, professor of physics at Harvard, will become the first associate dean of the faculty for Harvard and Radcliffe colleges, supervising all undergraduate education and administra-vising all undergraduate tion. Mrs. Joanne Goldsmith, a Maryland public school teacher and university lecturer, has been named executive director of the National Coalition for Public Lincoln to see if non-r parents can have voice 1 Two women have been named to key posts in the state Dept. of Education. Mrs.

Joan Srhunian; left, Welles-ley, will be director of student services, and Mrs. Amanda V. Houston, a Simmons College administrator, will direct the special needs bureau of the Division of Occupational Education. teacher of the fourth grade class, repeatedly complained of wasting time on drill and review. It now helps teachers in a New York City school Leachim is equipped with a patented memory bank containing information on 50 students including biographical facts, records of past performances on reading levels and math scores, progress in previous sessions and hob- The computer, which took Dr.

Freeman 18 months to construct and cost approximately $1500, is also programmed with the contents of Compton's Encyclopedia, Webster's New a Ginn Science book, a thesaurus and a Macmillan reading series. "It operates likea normal analogue computer," Dr. Freeman explained, "but its unique character istic is that it can search through its memory and come up with the verbal counterpart of what it wants. The result is that instead of printing a ques unit to open said. Scheduled to open in the fall of 1975, the new College of Professional Studies is expected start with about 500 students.

It is planned to embrace five 'broad areas of professional sluuies: Business and public administration. "We hope lo offer finance, and public adminstra-tion," said Larner. A fellow with a BS in accounting, say, is as likely to do as well as anyone so far as getting a good job. Community health: Nutrition, medical technology, environmental and occupantional health, Larner said, but not nursing. There are already several collegiate nursing programs in the Greater Boston area, including one SCHOOLS June 17-JuIy 17 4 p.m.

Education and Religious Liberty, a new" organization of 29 religious, educational and civil liberties groups supporting public education and religious liberty by opposing government aid to non-public schools. Holy Cross College has named its first woman department chairman: Mrs. Caren G. Dubnoff, who will be chairman of the political science department. Other department chairmen named are Rev.

John Hamilton, classics; John F. O'Connell, economics; and John E. Reil-ly, English. Radcliffe college has named Rosemary Park Anastos, professor of higher education at the School of Education at ULA, as the recipient of the 1974 Alumnae recognition award. The Graduate Society of the alumnae association this year gave its medals to Elizabeth Max-field-Miller, an instruction at Concord Academy, and Kathryn McCarthy, senior vice president and provost at Tufts University.

struction would be contemplated for the new college to accommodate it at the harbor campus, Larner replied, "we haven't even started building yet for College Three (the liberal arts-community and public service college)." Dr. Richard M. Free-land, 33 of Boston, has been named dean of the new College of Professional Studies. He has been assistant chancellor and director of Educational Planning, said Larner, and he will now supplement planning for the new college. Freeland, who received his academic training in American History, is the author of "The Truman Doctrine and the Origins of McCarthyism," a noted work in its field.

SCHOOLS IS at UMass Boston in '75 1 7, CHARLES H. BUZZELL Bay State man to get US education job Charles H. Buzzell, former associate commissioner in the Massachusetts Dept. of Education, is expected to be named this week an associate US commissioner of education in charge of planning for occupational education programs. Buzzell, 42, a native-of Connecticut and a resident of Beverly, would head the occupational planning programs in the Bureau of -Occupational and Adult Education and work on curricula aimed at both high school and college students.

An associate commissioner in Massachusetts since 1970, he is a graduate of the Teachers College of Connecticut and holds a master's degree from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate from Rutgers University. Before coming to the Bay State, he was coordinator of a national training institute and director of the Bureau of Professional Services in the New Jersey Education Department's occupational education division. LEARNING Careers start here 0) esident in schools Hanscom base school has, 800 students while ther are 880 children in the Lincoln elementary schools. There are Metco youngsters in Lin- coin, 11 percent of th town enrollment, Cheeveri said, and next year thei; percentage will rise to 12.fr with additional Metco dents to be admitted. SCHOOLS 10-623 PR TT Professional By Stephen Curwood Globe Staff Jobs at the professional level: this is the training goal for the newly forming College of Professional Studies at UMass-Boston.

"So far this urban university has only been offering liberal arts instruction," said John Lamer, director of public relations at UMass Boston's (Columbia Point) campus. "We have two straight liberal arts colleges, another college that liberal arts with public and community services. "The new College of Professional Studies will provide some educational diversity, such as business administration, which we haven't had so far," he LEARNING Cheevers said that Lincoln operates an elementary school on the base under a long standing government contract, with Federal funds. Hanscom high school students at, tend Bedford High while Lincoln students attend Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School. Cheevers said that the LEARNING Beaver Forest Sfeets Hvwtmm.

Mass 02154 By Muriel L. Cohen Globe Staff Almost 50 percent of the elementary public school enrollment in the town of Lincoln lives on Hanscom Air Force Base in the town of Bedford. About 11 percent of the town's students come from Boston under the state-supported Metco program. The parents of the Hanscom and Metco children have no legal voice in or control of the schools their children attend. The Lincoln School Committee has asked town counsel to determine whether it would be possible for non-resident parents to vote for members of the town school committee or to serve on that committee.

Lincoln School Supt. Daniel Cheevers said that the Hanscom parents have designated Capt. Dalton Baker, to represent their interests at the Lincoln meetings. He has no formal vote. SCHOOLS 301 1 Library Science.

Sociofe July 1-19. July 22-August Rett- KTTS 021Q1 that Boston State is starting. Mass communications: journalism, fiim, television, radio, communications technology and public relations. Architecture and urban city and regional planning, architecture and environmental design said Larner, adding that it. is different from: Urban Technology: an applied science and engineering program designed to meet such urban problems as transit, housing and pollution control.

A location for the new college has not been selected yet. "It could be downtown at 100 Arlington or out at the harbor campus," said Larner. Asked if any new con LEARNING FlANCONtA COLLEGE, located ia the White Moiiii-laiaa, a eo-rd liberal aru community based tolerance, mutual respect, and dedicated to academic and social responsibility as one route to individual growth and maturation. There are 450 students in residence. The faeullv, student ratio is 10:1.

or' more general information and brochure, contact: Box BG. Fran-conia College. Franconia, iew Hampshire 03580. In Boston, call Ann Aldrirh (from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Monday or Tuesday, June 21 or 25 for an informal inter view appointment. (617) 199-5567 Ch.ld psychiatric aids Medical assistant Executive secretary Lega ttcretary sj Retail merchandising International secretary Optometric technician Fisher cares about your Mure. F.rst. we can help you deed what you vanttobe. Then experienced teachers ou.de your educat.on.

And our li.eNme placement serv.ee has been 100 effective th past 5 year Ask for Catalog G-0623. Summer and evening programs, too. 1 1 8 Beacon Boston. MA 021 1 6. 262-3240.

FISHERJJNIOR COLLEGE LEARN TO TEACH TEACH TO LEARN LESLEY COLLEGE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION SUMMER SESSION 1974 3 6 Week courses designed to meet the needs of today's elementary school teacher, such as these exciting offerings EDUCATlCKAl PSYCHOLOGY (Korical Exceptional KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM IN DEPTH GUIDANCE COL'HSELIHS IX SPECIAL ED INNOVATIONS IN ELEMEHTASY SCHOOL SCIENCE Special two-week summer workshop July 1-Augutt 2 3 credits IMDI CMCaJTISJA ru nTrn wa iifirkkinbrt i inu vnAr I bn fvv 0 speakers such as Maynard C. Boy- I uJti? Minnesota. Wayna Fox. Umversity of Vermont: Ann McGonagie, Massachusetts Department of Special Education 2 CONTINUOUS PROGRESS EDUCATION THE UNGRADED CLASSROOM, I AND II I DIAGNOSIS OF CLASSROOM READING DIFFICULTIES Registration Dates: 9-noon, 1 STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES Please send me home registration forms and a summer catalog on Bentiey College Summer Sessions Seventy -Four, Session II. so o-ween eourss Art, Music.

gious Studies and Oriental Religions LESLEY COLLEGE GRADUATE CENTER (Nr. Harvard Square) 9 Mellen Street, Cambridge, Mass. 02133 863-9600 or 876-4738 Stop by today! regis college fcfu HKsro.v mm T-I I no-, m.v Telephone (blT) 893-1820. Exl. 240 C3 tSSSS OI J0C30r.