The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 288 Proceedings of the D. V. I. Meeting The Educational Screen Visual Instruction in a Medium Size School System MARTHA P. FARWELL Chairman of Teaching Aids Committee, Brockton Schools, Massachusetts A request to discuss visual instruction in the Brockton schools presents a problem not easy of solution. Viewed in the light of our ambitions for the work, the situation oflfers little that is spectac- ular ; yet regarded as an accomplishment that has added nothing to school costs and has grown steadily since its inception, the work of our committee is reason- ably satisfactory. Another difficulty in treating the subject is its constant change. The program and method of administration vary from week to week, if not from day to day. This constant change results from the revision of the system and the expansion of its serv- ices. An attempt at visual instruction in Brockton almost ten years before had been forced upon the school with unfor- tunate results, both as to material and as to use. A revival of the work neces- sitated caution and an entirely different method of approach. Part of our caution in proceeding with the work arose from the situation in the city. A one-industry community pro- ducing high grade shoes, Brockton some years ago suffered such an industrial loss that it was impossible to add a penny to the school expenditures. In fact it was necessary sharply to curtail educa- tional costs. The philosophy underlying our use of these materials has several very well- defined principles. We make no distinc- tion between the various types of aids to learning, and from the first have designated our field as a department of teaching aids, esi)ecially avoiding the use of visual aids or visual instruction be- cause of the layman's possible mis- interpretation of the terms. We did not establish an elaborate system, but had a very informal organization with no at- tempt to sell the idea either to teach- ers or to members of the school com- mittee. Furthermore, it seemed essen- tial that the material should be avail- able to the teachers when they wished it, and that the teachers be encouraged to use the materials in the classroom. There has been a gradual expansion of our services as a result of requests from teachers whom we have kept informed on available materials. Always we have felt that schools and classes in the city should not be encouraged to conduct money-making projects for the work, since we believe it is a legitimate edu- cational cost, not an extra frill. From the outset we realized that, because of a local school committee ruling of twen- ty-five years' standing, free material containing advertising must be discreet- ly used. Originally the work was organized as a committee with two high school teach- ers as co-chairmen, both of whom were carrying full programs in addition to this work. There were no provisions in the budget for any funds for admin- istration nor purchases. The first year we made a survey of conditions, and of available equipment and materials in the high and junior high schools. We used a bulletin board at the front en- trance for special exhibits by individual classes or clubs. Later we issued a weekly bulletin giving the highlights of stage, screen, and radio, with criticism of the moving pictures based on "The Motion Picture Review Digest." The bulletin continues as a monthly radio bulletin, but when "The Motion Picture Review Digest" suspended publication, we found it difficult to secure reviews of current films. In the spring we bought a used silent projector and began the collection and filing of information on the use of teaching aids, and materials for purchase, rental, and loan. We also began a collection, at present stored in the school library, of research exhibits on entertainment films which might be helpful in literature, history, or art classes. The second year we made a contract for the weekly delivery of films, issued the bulletin to the junior high schools, and gave information on radio programs of particular educational value, especially on series of broadcasts in subject matter fields. One member of the committee had a half year's leave of absence, so the work was continued by the other. The next year the program expanded into the junior high schools, two of which already had silent projectors. One of the co-chairmen who had been trans- ferred to junior high school was re- placed by the head of the science de- partment. At that time, we divided the responsibility so that he assumed com- plete charge of equipment and operators, while I, relieved of one of my classes, worked on materials, bookings, and all miscellaneous matters, including com- plaints. This arrangement is still in effect. We purchased a sound projector for the high school late that year, and began a collection of poetry records for use in literature. Within the next twelve months we had evolved a continuous program for film bookings in the high and junior high schools, purchased a set of Mer- cury Theatre recordings, and subscribed for sets of illustrations from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for use in liter- ature, language and history, as w'ell as art classes. We also began the prepara- tion of lists of available materials to be used in topics covered by courses of study being revised by the junior high .school curriculum committees. As yet, the.se lists are far from complete. The department that year for the first time submitted an annual report to the school department, a report which proved sur- prising even to those of us who had been closely associated with the work. From January 1 to December 31, 1940, for the high school we had booked 98 films for 269 showings to a total oupil audience of 9,660. This figure was all the more impressive when we considered that not one of the showings had been before more than 50 i>upils. In the junior high 44 films were used 50 times for a total of 19,800 pupils. The high school pupils had seen films in the following subjects: science (all branches), commercial ge- ography, business organization, clothing, foods, history, English, journalism, mu- sic appreciation, home room guidance, shop theory, industrial management, and driver training, as well as in the Brock- ton Vocational School and Vocational Education for National Defense Work- ers classes. From January 1 to June 1 this year the high school used 49 films 250 times for a total of 9,700 pupils. This illus- trates the steady increase in the work. This past year we purchased a 78 r.p.m. phonograph (all of the others in the building had nearly ruined our rec- ords and had certainly not fostered in the teachers nor in the classes a desire for more such work.) The new machine, delivered the middle of October, was used over 1,0(X) times by music, Eng- lish, and language teachers, as well as for home room periods. We have also bought silent projectors for each junior high school which did not already own one, and for the two largest elementary schools. The committee has been ex- panded this spring to include the pri- mary and middle grade supervisors, and one of the district principals. Under the present organization we are distributing in the spring check lists of available materials, especially films, for supervisors, heads of departments in the high school and for cliairmen of various curriculum committees. These lists are compiled from catalogues issued by the sources from which we secure the aids. Each year the lists are longer as we supplement the preceding one; but we also eliminate numerous titles, rsing as a standard the comments submitted by teachers whose classes have used the material. When returned to us, tlie lists have indicated the aid desired, the ap- proximate date when it would be most helpful, and the topic, or unit, for which it is to be used. We have evolved a fairly satisfactory booking record, based upon that used by agencies supplying theatres, by wliich we can tell for what day or week the ma- terial is ordered, by whom it is to be used, and in what subject. Afterwards we record the number of times it was used, the number of pupils present, the place of showing (classroom or audi- torium), the teacher's estimate of the value, and any other pertinent informa- tion. Moreover, we have trained stu- dent operators who are on call during their study periods. In addition, my room has become a kind of clearing house for all informa- tion on teaching aids. A skeptical Eng- lish teacher pens a hasty note: "How recently was 'Treasure Island' filmed?" or. "Can't we get some recordings on 'Macbeth' ?" or "What became of those 'Songs from Shakespeare' records which used to be in HOB?" From a member of the history department comes: "Would it be too expensive to