Cinema Progress (1935 - 1937)

Dr. John W. Studebaker, the United States Commissioner of Education, has sent out some letters of inquiry to teacher training institutions in order to ascertain the number of institutions that were offering or planning to offer some instruction in radio program or motion picture appreciation. The purpose of this study is to make available to these institutions and interested national agencies information about the present and contemplated teacher training activities in schools of higher learning. The study discloses that a total of 309 institutions are offering or planning to offer some instruction in radio program and photoplay appreciation, ^ight report that they are offering regular courses in photoplay appreciation, six indicate that they are giving both, and fifty-three are considering offering regular courses. The majority are of the opinion that instruction in these lines should be units in other courses rather than new courses. Some of the respondents point out that appreciation is a by-product or end-point of an intelligent understanding. President L. B. McMullen of Eastern Montana Normal School expresses himself on this point as follows: "In general, appreciation can be taught only by participation. Let me illustrate what I mean in the field cf Music. "We have a lot of half-baked young women waving their arms about and exclaiming, 'Don't you love that' when beautiful music is played upon a phonograph. They call that teaching music appreciation. On the contrary, I think the way to teach music appreciation is to teach the child to play some musical instrument. I think the same thing is true in regard to radio and motion pictures." The consensus of opinion of the majority of those replying is that prospective teachers as well as those in service should have some special instruction in radio program and motion picture appreciation if they are to teach pupils to develop discriminating Teacher Training tastes in these fields. The following comments show the nature of these opinions: "Personally, I am of the opinion that this problem is one of the most pressing in the field of education today."— E. M. Hosman, Director of Extension Division, the Municipal University of Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska. * * * "The value of films in influencing attitudes toward war and crime, has been rather clearly shown by Peterson and Thurstone of the University of Chicago. I feel sure that films could be produced to develop scientific attitudes or habits of scientific thinking." — Victor H. Noll, Professor of Education, Rhode Island State College, Kingston, Rhode Island. * * * "The techniques of the teaching of the uses of the radio and the photoplay as mediums of the various arts can be learned, along with the other important techniques that a secondary school teacher must acquire." — E. J. Gergely, Head of Department of Education, Mount Saint Joseph College, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. * ♦ 4 "In view of the permanent impressions made by the radio and photoplay on young people, I believe that specific training for desirable outcomes should be one of the next steps in educational progress."— George C. Grant, Morgan College, Baltimore, Maryland. * * * Perhaps existing courses in education or in special methods are used more than any other to touch upon the various phases of critical analysis, interpretation, and appreciation of motion picture and radio programs. Next in importance are courses in visual education, which touch upon appreciation as one phase of the work. English courses occupy a third position in importance. Art appreciation, music appreciation, or play production are still other courses into which work along this line may be incorporated. Pre-Convention Notes Mr. Fred Orth, Miss Marian Evans, and Mr. Bernard J. Lonsdale led the discussions which were a feature of the Cinema Appreciation League's PreConvention which was opened by Dr. Boris V. Morkovin July 6. Contributors to the discussions were leaders in the fields of visual .education and the teaching of motion picture appreciation. After a dinner in the Elizabeth von KleinSmid Hall, the prs-c^nv\ntion was officially opened by Dr. Rufus B. von KleinSmid; President of th? University —28