The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

September, 1937 Proceedings of the Department of Visual Instruction Meeting Page 215 Obstacles —11. Few non-tlicalTical producers, distributors and exhibitors have developed a satisfactory system for distributing motion pictures to be used in schools. Remedial Steps —1. Each school building should contain a library of essential visual materials owned by the school authorities. 2. Supplemental materials should be circulated from a school owned and operated library serving a local geograpliical unit such as a city school system, a townsliip or county. 3. District sales, rental and service organizations of a com- mercial nature covering a state or larger area would supplement the work of local, county or school officials. The primary function of the commercial organization would be to render projection service and to sell, rent, or lease prints in quantity to the local libraries. Obstacles —12. The cost of films for school purposes has been too high. Schools could not afford to pay the high cost of projection equipment and films. Remedial Steps —1. Mass production of equipment and of materials is necessary to reduce costs. 2. The formula is quantity and quality. 3. School authorities must establish a regular item in the school budget for visual instruction and place it on a sound financial basis. Obstacles —13. Educators have not purchased nor used motion pictures for schools on a broad scale because few offerings liave been suited to the curriculum. The motion pictures available for school use have not represented a comprehensive educa- tional program. The films have not been correlated closely enough with units of study nor with text books. As a conse- quence the films used in schools have been a side issue. Remedial Steps —1. A careful analysis of basic courses of study needs to be made to discover wherein visual materials may be used to greatest advantage in accordance with econom- ical and educational criteria. 2. Producers should not attempt the production of motion picltires for classroom use until the continuities for such films have been validated by educators who are experts in the teaching of the particular fields of study in which such films are to apply. 3. An evaluation of existing visual materials needs to be made by educational experts in the teaching of the subjects in which these materials are to be used. Such evaluation should be based wherever possible upon actual experience in the use of that particular film or aid in the classroom. 4. Educators should not use motion pictures which are unsuited to the educational purpose of the schools. Obstacles —14. Pioneering educators have not had sufficient information relative to the sources of and effectiveness of educational motion pictures and equipment. Remedial Steps —1. An independent unbiased clearing house of visual instruction must be established. It would: a. Conduct research and surveys to determine where the greatest needs for visual aids occur and disseminate that information. b. Survey and appraise the pedagogical pictures now available, suggesting in some instances reediting, in ottiers the specific conditions under which the pictures could be used to greatest advantage, and eventually determine upon or organize a plan of endorsement acceptable to educators and producers. c. Promote cooperation between publishers of text books and producers of pictures, to the end that each might complement the other. d. Evolve a comprehensive blue print for the production of visual aids, to avoid duplication and insure eventual coverage of the whole curriculum. t. Serve as a clearing house for information, at the dis- posal of all interested parties. f. Promote the training of teachers in visual instruction. g. Secure the active interest in and support of educators in the development of the new techniques. Obstacles —15. Pioneers who despite great handicaps and obstacles proceeded to develop motion picture programs for schools found that teachers needed to be trained to use motion pictures effectively in the classroom. a. In the early days of the visual education movement, pioneering producers held fo the notion that motion pic- tures would supplant text books and teachers, hence teacher training in motion picture instruction was not considered by them to be of importance. b. Despite the fact that educators as early as 1923 began to emphasize the necessity for teacher training in visual in.struction, progress has been painfully slow. While there has been an increase in the number of teacher training in- stitutions offering courses in visual instruction, these courses are electives (with the exception of a few insti- tutions, especially in the State of Pennsylvania), which means that the vast majority of teachers in training are not tutored in the use of motion pictures and other devices in education. Remedial Steps —1. There is agreement as to the need for training teachers in visual instruction. But authorities are not in agreement as to the way to accomplish this goal for teachers- in-training. (a) One suggestion that has considerable backing is the introduction of a required core course in teacher training institutions. (b) Another is to require the specialists in the teaching of the several school subjects to train teachers in the use of visual materials in teaching those subjects. 2. It is generally agreed for teachers-in-service (a) That the best procedure would be for them to ob- serve in demonstration centers the work of teachers who are successful in the use of visual materials. (b) That visual instruction be made a major subject for discussion in professional meetings. From the foregoing discussion it is apparent that the great- est immediate need is to shift educational thinking with respect to visual education from the experimental base to that of prac- tical application. Teachers want guidance as to best methods of using visual materials in the classroom. A number of dem- onstration schools or centers should be created in the public and privafe schools of the country in which a thorough-going, continuous demonstration of visual instruction in daily class- room use would be exhibited. Each of these demonstration schools should be fully equipped in every classroom with pro- jection equipment and with the necessary visual materials such as bulletin boards, diagrams, models, et cetera necessary for a systematic instructional program. The demonstration centers should be geographically located so that teachers, principals, and school board members throughout the United States could benefit by visiting the centers and seeing the work at hand. It is my firm belief tliat the equipment companies would enhance their sales and make rapid progress, if they were to invest money and materials in the esfablishment of such cen- ters rather than to spend further money in experimentation of the type that has characterized most of the past research in this field. The Department of Visual Instruction could serve as an agency to bring this to pass. Many of the large city school systems already have spent considerable time and energy servicing schools with visual materials. Would it not be practical for these bureaus to consider the desirability of equipping completely one school building fo serve as a dem- onstration center for the city in all subjects and in all phases (Concluded on page 217)