Visual Education (Jan 1923-Dec 1924)

Visual Education Courtesy Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. "THE BLUE BIRD" The delightful personifications of Bread and Milk, Light, Fire and Water, the treacherous Cat and the Faithful Dog, that Maeterlinck wove into "The Blue Bird" are charmingly visualized in the film. After a child has read about Tyltyl and Mytyl and their wonder-filled journey to the Land of Memory, the Kingdom of the Future, and other regions in the world of Maeterlinck's fancy, he will take special joy in seeing the film and comparing critically his own mental pictures of its fascinating characters and events with those which the screen gives him ready-made. The process should not, however, be reversed; that is, he should NOT see the picture before he has read and studied the story. Let us give full and free scope to his own active imagination; let us make the most of every opportunity to exercise his interpretative powers. Teaching Literature with Films and Slides Ethel Wakefield Head of the English Department, University High School, University of Oregon EDISON once said, "Some day oiir school children will be getting more knowledge from moving pictures than from books and lectures." This statement, while anticipatory, is none the less true, for when we follow recent tendencies in education we find that practically all of the older subjects, such as history, geography and science, are being vitalized in the classroom by means of the film and the slide. Literature has remained in the background during this forward movement for several reasons, chief among them being the limited number of good literary films. However, the demand for such productions has been growing and today a number of classical films are obtainable. This should encourage a new era in the field of English, for surely no other branch of the curriculum offers a more fertile field for the application of visual methods of instruction. Visualizing "The Lady of the Lake" Take, for example, Scott's "Lady of the Lake." This poem may prove uninteresting to the student who has not learned to visualize the lines. He may see nothing of beauty in the lochs, crags and glens of the Highlands ; the characters may remain mere names to him rather than fine, stalwart men and women; and altogether he is likely to get little out of a poem that is filled to the brim with beauty of thought. If appreciation goes hand in hand with understanding, then our conclusion must be either that we have lost sight of our aim in teaching literature, or that our method is faulty. Recent developments and experiments in picturization lead to the belief that there is a better way to teach literature ; that any poem can be so vitalized through the use of films and slides that the characters, the country, the customs and the ideals involved will be realized by every student. Had the study of "The Lady of the Lake" been supplemented by an appropriate motion picture, who can doubt that Scotland, with its splendid scenery, its quaint people, traditions and customs, would have been recreated in the mind of every member of the class? Appreciation, understanding and a store of information would all have been gained, and these results would have fully justified the study. In a word, literature needs the picture to make it vivid and live. When Shall We Introduce the Film? The right time for the presentation of the film is perhaps one of the most important considerations before the teacher, and one concerning which many questions