The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 296 The Educational Screen School Joiuneys Expanding the Classroom —by Harriet Woods, Normal Training Critic, Woodbine, Iowa— Midland Schools, 54:12 September, 1939 An excellent summary of the history and status of school journeys in our own country and abroad. Among the values listed are: opportunity for the teacher to get better acquainted with her pupils; arouses a spirit of inquiry, develops the power of active investigation in the visualization of other areas, in special schools mentally deficient children are segregated from normal pupils, and the school journey by bringing them into immediate contact with their environment is one of the means by which the ban of backwardness is being revived. Any given area is made up of landscapes that are natural and cultural. By noting the relationships between activities repre- sented by the cultural landscape and the natural environment represented by the natural landscape, the geographical land- scape may be more easily interpreted. The school journey must be carefully planned, and well-organized. One week of a school journey offers more varied interests and materials to work over and digest than many times this amount of regular school experience. Trips in an Experience Curriculum — by Nelle Morris, University School, Ohio State University— Childhood Education, 15:347-51 April, 1939 In the Ohio State University elemen- tary school, setting aside a definite time for trips has proved a satisfactory plan. For purposes of general understanding and cooperation from parents and uni- versity students, these trips are generally scheduled on Thursday afternoons. Parents understand that study trips all over the city or into adjoining environ- ments are a part of the school's program. There is no compulsion about a weekly trip and there are circumstances which often make other experiences advisable. Lantern slides, a motion picture film, some person brought in to share his ex- perience with the group, science experi- ments, or some other activity related to the study are often used as substitutes for a trip, or to further clarify a trip which has been taken previously. The classroom teacher is always in charge of the trip. Before going, the children and teacher of each group set up standards of conduct which will help make the trip pleasant. With respect to modes of transportation used, some very significant experiences require no mode of conveyance because they are within walking distanoe. To have a variety of transportation experiences is in itself an educational experience. Walking, street cars, taxis, university bus, school bus, are the modes which have been used for trips. All these ex- periences are rich in situational oppor- tunities for exercising caution and re- sponsibility conducive to safety. The children have the advantage of educative guidance in experiences which involve some of the characteristic hazards of every-day living. Surely this is much more defensible than the over-cautious avoidance of school trips and experiences to which some school authorities resort as a safety measure. Study trips are an excellent means of arousing and encouraging intellectual curiosity and a scientific attitude on the part of children. Even primary children can begin to think critically; to develop a problem-solving attitude of mind; to seek answers to their own problems; to seek for cause and effect of happenings; to want something better than a guess, and to try to validate their answers. A greater interest of parents in the school is often aroused through hearing their children discuss their experiences. Some vital, shared experience such as a trip taken by the whole group, brings about group unity tlirough supplying group concern. By providing stimulation for further study and inquiry, trips lead to other trips and provide for a continuity of many other purposeful activities. A group of seven-year olds went to visit a food shop. Thep became inter- ested in the sources of the different foods and why foods have to be shipped. This led to further discussions about climate and soil and also to an awakened interest in the globe and maps. As the study progressed, they decided to make a food map of the U.S. A large window blind was fastened to the blackboard, and a lantern slide map of the U.S. pro- jected on to the blind. The children traced the outline with sharpened cray- olas. In order to find out what foods are raised in different states, one wrote to a friend in Michigan; others to friends and relatives in other states. One child whose father had a short wave radio set talked to five different states and ob- tained information. Pictures of the foods were drawn on the map. Books, pic- tures, encyclopedias and dictionaries were put to use. They took a trip to a refrigerator car to see how foods are preserved while being shipped long dis- tances. A booklet, illustrated with lin- oleum block prints was made. The study culminated with a visit to a whole- sale market and bought produce which they sold to their parents and other visitors at retail. It is only through many first-hand experiences, which the teacher so plans and guides that the child senses the re- lationship between these experiences and himself, that he acquires a stock of meanings valuable for his living and thinking, builds up a rich, meaningful vocabulary, and is ready to understand the writings of others. Are Field Trips Doomed in Wisconsin? by Haym Kruglak, Milwaukee Voca- tional School— Wisconsin Journal of Education, 72:20 Sept., 1939 Implications of the recent ruling _gn teacher liability for student injuries in Wisconsin. Teachers are urged to con- tinue, the practice of making school jourfleys, but they must exercise par- ticular care in planning for the trip, and make school trips a necessary part in the curriculum of every school in Wisconsin. Maps Gradations in Map Learning —by Clara M. Shryock, Wilmore, Pa.— Journal of Geography, 38:181-7 May, 1939 Too often the ability to read maps is inadequate to meet either the pupil's needs in school or the adult's needs in everyday life. Some of the causes of this are: a) thrusting the map with its many symbols upon the child before definite concepts of physical or cultural features have been built up; b) inade- quate equipment; c) lack of uniformity in the use of map symbols; d) inclusion on a map of too much data for the size. Third Grade. Children acquire some understanding of the adjustments people in the home conununity make to the ele- ments of weather and climate; how the community depends upon other regions having natural environments different from their own; direction (if not taught earlier) is taught. Their only map need at this time is a simple map of the local community developed by the group under the guidance of the teacher. However, unless the teacher has had training in map-development and can skillfully direct the children's efforts, it is advisable to defer map work until the following year. Fourth Grade. Gaining of world un- derstandings of simple, direct one-step relationships between certain human ac- tivities and contrasting types of natural environments at varying distances from the equator. No particular region studied as such. Political divisions are not im- portant here. Slated globe for teaching shape of earth, equator, etc. Location of rivers, cities, etc. are built up. A physical-political globe, at least 16 inches in diameter, with few symbols should be used. Fifth Grade. Human-use regions of the U. S., showing the work activities of the people as they are dependent upon the environment, and then industrial areas. Relationship between distribution of population and natural environment. Maps showing seasonal temperature, sea- sonal and annual rainfall, natural vegeta- tion, density of population by means of color-bands or dots, and maps showing distribution of cultural features are in- troduced as the need arises. The children now read maps for distribution of natural features, highlands and lowlands, sea- sonal and annual rainfall, etc. They use the scale of miles in measuring direct or airline distance from one place to an- other; they read direction in degrees and miles. Sixth Grade. An understanding of the geographic personalities of the various countries in which the culture is very similar to that of the U. S., and then those of countries in which the racial heritage is different. A world map show- ing the principal uses of land, daily weather map, slated base maps of the continents studied, and a good atlas are used. Areas of high pressure and low pressure; longitude; projections, etc. are taught. Junior High School. Understanding geographic individualities of countries