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Dr. Gordon O. Wilber
By
Ben Mitchell
A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of TED 531
History and Philosophy of Technology education
State University of New York at Oswego
Fall 2005 – Dr. William Waite, Professor
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Introduction
The profession that we recognize as Technology Education has had many faces
throughout history. Previous to Technology Education was Industrial Arts. The field of
Industrial arts was important during its tenure to the development of what is now
Technology Education. The field of Industrial Arts contained many progressive leaders
that had vision of what Industrial Arts would become and laid the foundation for the
future and in it what would become Technology Education. One of those progressive
leaders in the field was a man named Dr. Gordon Owen Wilber, and it is the author’s
intention to share the findings of preliminary research of several journal articles and text
authored by Dr. Wilber.
Gordon Owen Wilber (1897-1972)
Dr. Wilber was born May 28, 1897 and graduated from the Great Valley High
School, New York in 1917. In the year 1922 he earned an Industrial Arts diploma from
the State University College at Buffalo. He then went on to complete his Bachelor’s
degree from the New York University in 1930, continued on with his education
completing his graduate work in 1936, and doctorate in 1941 form Ohio State University.
In his early career as Industrial Arts teacher in public schools Dr. Wilber taught at Islip,
NY, as well as Chazy, NY, and his final public school effort was Little Falls, NY.
Following his experience as public school teacher Dr. Wilber was employed as an
instructor of metals at what is now known as State University of New York at Oswego in
1933. Dr. Wilber held this position until his appointment to Director of the Division of
Industrial Arts and the following year became full time director of the program. Dr.
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Wilber can also be connected to great visionary in Industrial Arts from Ohio State
University, Dr. William Warner. We will later see this connection as we explore a text
authored by Dr. Wilber and edited by Warner (Unknown, memorial program).
Gordon Owen Wilber leader of Instructional Ideas
Starting around 1938 Dr. Wilber was involved in corresponding his beliefs and
opinions about the field of Industrial Arts through his writings in professional educational
journals. Often in his writings, Dr. Wilber made certain that readers understood that
Industrial Arts was a professional field and all involved must be professional in manner
and progressive in their view of the field. Dr. Wilber also was a pioneer in justifying
Industrial Arts place among the core subjects of math, science, English, and social
studies. He made clear the importance of instructors of different subjects working
together for the betterment of the student and his education. Dr. Wilber makes it clear
that in order to be a good citizen in a democratic society one must have a well-balanced
general education. Evidence of a progressive style of teaching is present when examining
an article from the journal of Ohio Schools that Dr. Wilber authored, titled Metals in the
Industrial Arts Program of the Ohio High School Standards (Wilber, 1938). In this
article, Dr. Wilber clearly makes a connection of relating subjects and experiences with
students he expresses to teachers “we hear much of related information. It is more than
related. It is the very lifeblood of Industrial Arts. It is the connection between the
materials used and the knowledge and understanding of those materials. Too long have
we have assumed that because a boy knew how to use a certain kind of wood, clay, or
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metal, he understood about the particular material. We know now this is not the case”
(Wilber, 1938).
This article was written during a time when Ohio had implemented standards for
the curriculum of Industrial Arts and instructors were looking to Wilber for guidance on
how to make connections from what they were already doing in their classrooms to
crossover and meet the new standards. Wilber explains that learning of metals should be
so much more than just naming different types of alloys. It should be the history of metal;
the parts of the world were we find certain metal, how we transport the cargo, and then
what we do with it from Earth to processed material. Since the point of a good general
education is to become a well-rounded citizen, instructors must also deal with
occupations related to the topic of metal and how metal plays a role in the economy.
Also, a retrospective of the inventors and craftsmen that worked and invented the
products that consumers use that are made from metal could be brought into a class as
research for students to explore. Dr. Wilber is trying to make connections for instructors
across many fields. He makes a point that metals class is more than just learning names
of metal but can be taught in a way to be taken as far as the instructor and student are
capable of taking it. Obviously the same could be said for any material used in the field
of Industrial Arts. Wilber states later in the article, “The clever teacher will direct his
students to means of solving these problems rather than to answer them for him. In
Industrial Arts as in other subjects our aim should be to produce answer seekers, not
answer givers” (Wilber, 1938).
During World War II, Dr. Wilber again took to pen and authored an article titled
Industrial Arts in Wartime (Wilber, 1943). The article represented the impacts that war
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was having on Industrial Arts and the role that Industrial arts would play in the war
efforts. “The needs of a country at war have brought clearly into focus the facts of this
country’s industrial and technical unprepared ness. It is likewise apparent that the
Industrial Arts organization is expected to contribute directly to the war effort. Pre
induction courses are being offered in fundamentals of electricity, fundamentals of radio,
fundamentals of auto mechanics, code practice and touch typing, and radio maintenance
and repair” (Wilber,1943). The courses that are fore mentioned were sponsored courses
of the United States Army. Another thing to keep in mind is girls have no presence in the
Industrial Arts program at this time. Industrial Arts has been a series of courses exclusive
to males. Also keep in mind that women up to the beginning of the war effort had almost
no presence in industry and this contributes to our country’s industrial and technical
unprepared ness do to the fact that men are going overseas to fight the war and now for
the first time women are expected to take on a role in industry that they have no training
or experience in. “One may expect an unprecedented influx of girls into Industrial Arts
classes in anticipation of employment in war industries. Employers report that one of the
first obstacles to overcome on the part of women workers is fear of machines. An
Industrial arts course organized directly toward the achievement of this end might save
valuable training time, and at he same time, reduce the number of accidents among new
workers” (Wilber, 1943). One must also consider that the Industrial Arts instructor is
male and men are being drafted to fight in a war leaving fewer instructors to teach the
influx of students including girls that would be coming into the trade programs.
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Living in an Industrial Age
Selection of activities for student has always held great weight for instructors in
the field. Instructors must select activities that meet their objectives, use a multitude of
tools and machines, require a certain amount of design, and always have a problem to
solve. Dr. Wilber discusses three select methods of choosing activities for the industrial
arts student, which will be discussed further in the paragraph. Along with the changing
times come challenges with justifying a program, which we will also touch on. “Every
great struggle through which civilization passes has been followed by a period of
readjustment, growth in certain areas, and accepted values. Any type of education which
cannot be justified on the basis of sound theory and philosophy understandable to the tax
payer and politician is likely to find itself repudiated and ignored. It behooves the leaders
and friends of Industrial Arts education, therefore, to make sure that there can be no
question concerning the value of this subject in the school curriculum” (Wilber, 1945).
After the war, Dr. Wilber recognizes yet another time when the validity of Industrial Arts
may be questioned and its place in general education. Dr. Wilber sees that professionals
in the field need to have solidarity and be ready to take the trade to the next level. The
war is over; industry and society are changing along with this trend Industrial Arts must
change as well. A new phrase was added to the curriculum, consumer literacy.
Consumer literacy was the result of the ever-expanding technology that was
present in society. People had a need to understand the technological world that was all
around them. This technological world was changing from just technology in industry to
technology in your everyday life. Some examples would be electricity, cars, radio,
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television, etc. This need by society to understand the technology that surround us every
day will later come to be known as technological literacy. Dr. Wilber expressed that to
change in a positive way was through activities selection by the instructor. One of the
three methods that could be used was “Trade Analysis Technique” (Wilber, 1945).
Surveying what the local industry might need from a recent high school graduate for
employment could use this method. The second method was the “Student interest
method” (Wilber, 1945). This method was designed with the student in mind to take a
particular interest and bring it to the shop. The only problem was that you as an
instructor could not have any predetermined objectives because you would have no idea
what was coming from class to class. The third method was the “Teacher Interest
Method” (Wilber, 1945). This allowed instructors to bring their individual interest to the
classroom and explore them with students. Unfortunately, this method often left the class
without many choices. “This survey of methods indicates that, whereas each may have its
own merits and weakness, all fall short when measured against the yardstick of
attainment of all the objectives commonly accepted for Industrial Arts teaching. Now the
attainment of an objective clearly means that a change must have been made in the
student’s behavior” (Wilber, 1945). Dr. Wilber recognizes that no matter the method for
selection of activities, if student’s behaviors don’t change in an expected and desired way
then the objectives have not been met. Teachers, after completing a given course, should
recognize changes in student behavior as a life changing experience.
Industrial Arts in General Education
Possibly the most valuable text related to the field of Industrial Arts and being
published in four editions was the methods text, Industrial Arts in General Education
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authored by Dr. Gordon O. Wilber. The first edition of this text was available around
1948; three more editions were available in 1954, 1967, and 1973. The later two editions
were co-authored by Norman C. Pendered, a Professor of Technology at Penn State
University and later at East Carolina University. Dr. William Warner, the great Industrial
Arts advocate and Professor from Ohio State University, also edited the first two editions.
This text would become a bible of Industrial Arts methods to many college students
studying to become skilled in Industrial Arts. This text was the first to make clear and
concise arguments for why Industrial Arts is and always should be part of general
education. “Industrial Arts is an essential part of general education. It is conceived as an
answer to the problem of educating boys and girls to live in a world which may be
accurately characterized as industrial and technological” (Wilber, 1954).
This text was more than just about the relationship to general education. It was
about having clear objectives for students so that instructors could easily measure
behavioral change. This text is very comprehensive; it includes all subject matter from
written instruction, how to organize your personal areas and papers, how to deal with
personnel in a building, how to set up tool boards and tool cabinets, floor plan layout,
how to buy shop equipment and how to evaluate your Industrial Arts program. In the
reading it is stressed that problem solving and critical thinking must be present in all
student objectives. This way of thinking was way ahead of its time considering these are
the same types of goals and objectives we have in Technology Education in 2005.
Throughout the four editions of Industrial Arts in General Education that were published
many of the same themes were present. However one change can be seen as the years
progressed and that was the unmistakable impression that the technological world was
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having on the field of Industrial Arts. The fourth edition had many new chapters
including how to integrate movie and sound equipment into the lesson as well as devices
like overhead projectors and electronics. Time is also taken to discuss classroom
management skills for a changing audience as well health and safety concerns are
considered. This is something that was not seen in the previous editions.
Other Works
As previously discussed Dr. Wilber was a visionary in his field. It was quite
evident to him in his later career that if indeed Industrial Arts had won its place in general
education then Industrial Arts must be available to everyone. Until World War II girls
were not part of the Industrial Arts program and then after the war again girls find
themselves unable to take part in subjects of industry that they may like to pursue. Dr.
Wilber could identify this very easily and it was evident that girls too had a place in the
general shop. In an article from 1950 titled Alvin in Wonderland (Wilber, 1950), Wilber
writes of a fictional character named Alvin, who after the Great War, comes home and
begins training to become an Industrial Arts teacher. Alvin, during his student teaching
recognizes that girls don’t have any opportunity at this point to participate in any of the
shops. As a requirement from his supervising teacher Alvin must establish a club. After
some consideration, Alvin decides to have a club for girls to do arts and crafts. It turns
out to be a big success and the girls are able to be part of what the boys have been doing
for decades. Even though this is a fictional depiction of nineteen fifties high school shop
it does tell a story of inequality. It also makes the point if Industrial Arts is in fact part of
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general education then all who participate in general education must be able to participate
in Industrial Arts.
One of the last articles published by Dr. Wilber came in 1955 titled What Should
the Administrator Expect from his Industrial Arts Teacher (Wilber, 1955). This article
sets the tone for what would be expected from an Industrial aAts teacher as a professional
involved in a school district and recognized as being an equal and important part of
general education. “During the past few decades, however, there has been a gradual
evolution in the status of the Industrial Arts teacher until now he is very largely accepted
as a regular member of the staff, and hence, subject to the same responsibilities and
privileges as other teachers” (Wilber,1955). Also stated were some duties that the
teacher should be expected to carry out as well as some that they should not. “All
graduates are assumed to have mastered the techniques necessary to establish and
maintain the respect of students” (Wilber, 1955). The teacher should be able to edge
hand tools, plan a shop floor plan, and how to buy equipment for a general shop. Dr.
Wilber states however a teacher should “hardly be expected, therefore, to double for the
carpenter, the plumber, or the electrician when repairs are needed to the school plant or
equipment. Above all the students in the Industrial Arts classes should not be expected to
work on school maintenance or production projects unless it is clearly evident that such
work is furthering the objectives of the course” (Wilber, 1955). The Industrial Arts
teacher should be a team man and can be expected to carry out any duty of a regular
teacher, such as having a homeroom or lunch supervision duty.
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Wilber Hall
In honor of his outstanding service and leadership at Oswego as well as at the
national level one of the Industrial Arts/Technology buildings on Oswego’s campus is
named Wilber Hall. This is in remembrance of a true progressive visionary in the field
Dr. Gordon Owen Wilber.
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Bibliography
Unknown (1973). A memorial to Dr. Gordon O. Wilber 1897-1972. Department of
Industrial Arts and Technology. State University College Oswego, New
York.
Wilber, G. O.(1938). Metals in the industrial arts program of the Ohio School
Standards. Ohio Schools, 16:126-127
Wilber, G. O. (1943). Industrial Arts in war time. New York State Education.
30:350
Wilber, G. O. (1945). A method for the selection of Industrial arts activities. Education
Digest.10: 53-55
Wilber, G. O. (1950). Alvin in wonderland. Industrial arts and Vocational Education. 39:
342-45
Wilber, G. O. (1954) Industrial Arts in general education. Pennsylvania: International
Textbook Company.
Wilber, G. O. (1955). What should the administrator expect from his Industrial Arts
teacher? Education 75: 394-397