Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

woni.in who defies pagan superstition to the very brink of a boiling volcano crater in asserting her faith, in regaining her hold on her wavering converts, and in reawakening the missionary impulse and motives of a young couple from the mainland. For use with young people and adults in the context of worship and inspiration. Recoimiicnded. Rental ,?I2. In 'M minutes running time, Cry of the China Seas takes us to Formosa, to Korea, to Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Here we see the life-giving Gospel contrasted with the grab-bag of illusions offering by communism, and witness for ourselves the ability of many of these struggling people to discern the far-reaching difference. Recommended. By Cathedral Films; renting for |12, and widely available from Cathedral and other film rental libraries from coast to coast. Filmstrip-Centered Week-Day Teaching By Elizabeth Loughead First Baptist Church Hudson Falls, N. Y. Here they come! From the public school nearby for our released-time religious instruction. How released they are — from the restraints of the school room, with its necessary discipline, to the glorious out-of-doors for a short period before they arrive at the church in high spirits and in no mood to learn anything. .Staffing such a school, especially in a small community, is quite a headache, and when you add the problems of adequate and attractive curriculum, you soon have migraine. But we wrestled with these and other releasedtime problems for several years. No one was happy with our instructional pattern and our progress with it. Then our pastor tried a plan which has proved successful, and the best way to explain it will be to describe it in action. Let's see what happens to a Seventh Grade class. On Wedne.sdays at 2 o'clock they are released from the last school period for the day. They arrive "released" — all 44 of them — at the church. They go to an assembly and are met by six adults. One acts as the superintendent. Hymns are sung. This gives them a chance to "let off steam." These hymns are related to the theme for the day. Gradually these young people settle down. Scripture is read. Prayer follows; the young people often suggesting the central concern of these prayers. Now a sound filmstrip is pre.sented. This year we are studying the life of St. Paul, using Cathedral's excellent "Life of St. Paul" series. We try to bring this presentation off smoothly. After this assembly program, the young people go to permanently assigned discussion groups, eight or nine to a teacher. Here they discuss questions, prepared by the superintendent and based on the filmstrip. Each pupil gets a set, mimeographed and ready for his notes and inclusion in his notebook. The superintendent does not teach a "class" but remains available as a general resource. At the close of the class session the teachers meet with the superintendent to evaluate the session, to preview and to discuss the filmstrip for the next week. What makes this a good plan for us? First, it is relatively easy to secure teachers since the superintendent takes the initiative in guidance and weekly preparation. Secondly, with enough teachers available, the class or discussion groups can be small. Thirdly, a good sound filmstrip holds attention and gets over its message, factual and otherwise. Lastly, our teachers enjoy the staff meetings and leave each Wednesday feeling that they are prepared, in the main, for next week. Our filmstrip-centered plan is not perfect, of course. We like it enough to keep working at it and with it, and just the other day one of our teachers remarked, "Now I enjoy week-day teaching," and there was a lot back of that indirect appraisal of our plan. AV Usage in a Typical Church According to Williard Le Grand, chairman of the AV committee of the Roundy Memorial Baptist Church (4819 N. Ardmore Ave.) of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, the box score on AV usage for a recent year is as follows: Sound Film Filmstrips strips Films I'le-School Nursery 1 5 2 Kindergarten 7 5 2 Primary Department 8 6 2 Junior Department 7 8 junior High 11 1 Youth Fellowship 3 ... 1 The Congregation 1 .... 1 \'acation Bible School 4 4 l.enten Programs ... ... 5 During the year this church purchased 23 filmstrips, 16 of them with recorded narration. It also put darkout shades in the fellowship hall, and bought a three-inch lens ,so the Lenten films could be more satisfactorily projected. During this past summer it used a series of audiovisual programs for kindergarden and primary children during the worship service. This usage and progress took place under the guidance of an active audio visual committee, whose annual repor' was made last spring to the congrega tion, and from which the above dat; was taken. — WSH Rural Christmas Film For 22 dclightfid and informing minutes, Christmas on Grandfalhef: Farm holds aside the draperies oi time and we look back across the land .scape of the years and see in vivid colors and true perspective how a typical rural family celebrated Christ mas as it was observed even as late as the teen years of this century. Foi those with lives old enough to have roots which reach the social-soil of the early 19 hundreds, the seeing of this film will be enjoyable nostalgia; for all others it will be the engaging and instructive drama of life that moved at a pace leaving room for graciousness. Such films, when given the sheen of authenticity and charm, are never easy to make and Coronet Instructional Films deserves genuine appreciation for bringing this one off so well. \\ very valuable and useful and enjoyable contribution to film-.Americana. Available from local rental libraries. Headache Switch That's what the worker at the nextdesk called it! It fit the case pretty well, for Ed, design engineer, blew his top over a smudged drawing. He got a calm explanation of his behavior from a knowing colleague who called it another case of the "headache switch." The film telling us about Ed, and showing us how he got over this ailment, is called Anger At Work. I liked it. I wished that every man of my church could see it. What it would do also for their wives! They get headaches, too, and they need to understand their husbands, besides. Well, pastor, service club programmer, staff advisor to assorted organizations in the church, here is a good film which will come pretty close to home (in a constructive way) to most of your folks. Recommended. .Available from International Film Bureau, 57 East [ackson Blvd.. Chicago 4, 111. Running time 21 minutes. Pli'iise send all maleri als for review in III is Dej larlment t 0 Will iam S. Hock ni a n , 12 June Diitie, Glens Falls. Xew York. 44 EdScreen & AV Guide — January, 1959