The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

February, 1938 Page 39 Audio Aids In A Visual Program Visual aids con be supplemented by many audio devices, most of tchich are used by the large modern High School. By ARNOLD P. HEFLIN Director of Visual Education, Lane Technical High School, Chicago. EDL'CATIOX as a whole tends to lag behind in- dustry in availing itself-of technical advances in efluijiment. Nowhere is this more evident than in the field of visual aids, and more especially in con- nection with the audio devices which have been de- veloped to accompany the visual aid, such as the sound- on-film motion picture. The automobile industn.-, one of the most progressive in the country, now presents practically all of its film with sound. It does this not only in the field of direct selling and propaganda, but also in its teaching films to be used in its sales de- partments. Now as sound film is much more expensive to produce, there must be good business reasons for using it: and if there are. educators must consider these reasons also, and not accept too readily the dic- tum of those who say that the sound film is not as well adapted to instructional purposes as the silent film. Other audio aids, such as public address sys- tems, power amplifiers, and various devices operating in conjunction with phonograph records of various types, are common adjuncts of many types of business today. They are used in connection with radio, with still film projectors, with photographs, charts and dia- grams, and also with actual exhibits of products. If it pays business to use these devices, it will also pay the coimtrv in the long run to use these devices, in projx'r fonii and degree, in education. Inertia has much to do with the supremacy of the book in the classroom. It is supreme there, and will probably remain so: but it is no longer the absolute monarch it once was. As the cost of devices to aid the teacher becomes lower, and as more and more practical devices are being developed commercially, we find the heavj* bookish atmosphere of the old style classroom dispelled by the laboratory atmosphere, where teacher and pupil learn together by seeing, hear- ing, and doing things. Charts, pictures, slides, films, records—all these are a part of the scene; and the more they are home-made by the pupil himself, the greater the interest and the value they have to the pupil. Life today moves at a faster tempo than it did in the youth of many of our teachers; and by keeping up with it. we shall find our pupils loath to leave our classrooms rather than loath to enter them. .\nd while most of my readers will agree as to the value of visual aids in such a program, many will not be familiar with the benefits to be derived from audio aids used in con- nection with a visual program. Inasmucli as we are both using and experimenting with such audio aids in our school, an account of our experiences may prove of interest. Although it is quite freely admitted.—more especi- ally by those connected with the smaller school—that the large high school "cannot hope to do as good work as tlie smaller school" it is a fact that our high school of over 8000 pupils is far less handicapped in the mat- ter of visual and audio aids than the smaller school. This is primarily because we are able to finance our work to a large extent in the school itself. Being a technical school, our faculty and student body are in- terested in mechanical things, and the audio-visual pro- gram is well supported by them. Monthly showings of sound films are given after school hours, with music and stunts by various student organizations. An ad- mission of five cents is charged, and with the attend- ance ninning from one thousand to three thousand we are able to purchase many items, such as filmslide pro- jectors, filmslides, records. ampUfiers. microphones, lighting equipment, motion picture negative, motion pcture cameras and sound projectors. These items are not furnished by the board of education, and would not be available to us if we could not purchase them ourselves. We are able to do this, and also help out in the financial needs of other clubs and organizations in the school not having the opportunity which we have for making money. Interest in the work is gfrowing among the teachers, several of whom are at present at work on scripts for teaching films of their own, which will be produced and financed by the audio- visual organization, and directed by the teacher. The growth of the use of visual aids in the school has been greatly increased in the last two years, as is shown by the increase in the number of films ordered from the central visual education department main- tained by the city Board of Education. The use of stereopticon slides furnished by the board is also in- creasing, but not at the same rate as the use of films. We are not at the top of the list as far as the number of films used goes. Over a representative period, we find the number of films used per thousand pupils in the Harrison High School was 65; in Crane Technical High School 31. and in Lane Technical 28. However we hope by efficient showing of the films to increase the number of pupils seeing the film, with the idea in mind that anything worth showing to one class in a department should be shown to all, and that any film not good enough to be showTi to a whole department should not be shown by individual teachers. This is not a rule of the school, and is open to exceptions; but we believe it tends to discourage the showing of films in classrooms as a mere pastime. During a tjpical week, we shall receive from the board on Monday, 20 sets of slides, 6 sound films, and 31 silent films. These will be retained for one week, and be returned on the following Monday. A complete list of these aids will be issued in the teacher's bulletin during the preceding week, so that all may know what material will be available. While many of the ^Ums