The Faculty Council yesterday approved a new plan designed to ensure both language proficiency and general teaching skills of all prospective teaching fellows(TFs).

The resolution, which will take effect as early as the fall of 1995, calls for each department to design a plan for its own graduate students.

Departments have the option of designing their own program or using the resources at the Derek C. Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, as well as the English as a Second Language Program of the Division of Continuing Education.

Each department will then submit its plan to Dean of Undergraduate Education Lawrence Buell for approval.

The plan, proposed by Buell, differs from an earlier version which called for centralized tests and training limited to graduate students whose first language is not English.

"The previous proposal was considered to have two defects," Buell said. "One was that it was too narrowly focused on the language issue alone, and the other was that it was too rigid in developing a central plan for dealing with [the training]."

The plan is strong, Buell said, because it addresses overall teaching skills in addition to language competence.

"It's taking a more comprehensive step toward ensuring that TFs are properly trained and supervised, and in particular that language skills are addressed," he said.

Professor of Sociology and Faculty Council member Theda Skocpol praised the resolution for its broader scope.

"There was something disturbing in singling out one group of people. The issue should be the skills and orientation needed to do the job," Skocpol said.

Faculty, members also praised the new plan for allowing individual departments to design their own procedures, subject to Buell's approval.

"This allows each department to have flexibility to do what they think is necessary and important," Baird Professor of Science Gary J. Feldman said. "And, at the same time, since Dean Buell will review the plans, it guarantees that the departments will meet their responsibilities."

Skocpol also emphasized the need for departmental flexibility in TF training.

"It's very important that this be up to thedepartments because what's taught in departmentsis not the same, and what it means to be a skilledTF is not the same" in different departments,Skocpol said.

Feldman pointed to the need for departments andprofessors to take responsibility for teachingquality in their courses.

"Professors who pay attention to what's goingon in their classrooms are the best answer [toensure TF quality]," Skocpol said.