The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

May, 1942 Page 185 judgment of the teacher or the initiative of the pupils to decide whether a class discussion will follow the broadcast. A Centralized Radio-Sound System— R. E. Oldis, Science instructor, Gar- den City Public Schools, Long Is.— School Executive 61 -.37 Mar. 1942. Practical suggestions for the school administrator. Scientific Gadgets Come to the Aid of Learning — Harry A. Carpenter, Rocliester, N. Y.— Education, 62:296- 300 Jan. 1942. Among the "gadgets" at the service of teachers are the phonograph, the stere- opticon lantern, color pictures and in the future, television and three-dimensional color motion pictures. The radio has been a great aid. But, regardless of the material used, these gadgets do not and cannot take the place of the teacher. Radio can reach into the homes of even the most remote pupils. There are dramatic broadcasts; master artists or specialists; and the directed learning broadcast by a master teacher. Sources of information on the use of radio and visual aids are then given. Sound Records in Modern Language Instruction—Lt. F. Sidney Walls, As- sistant Professor, The Citadel, Mili- tary College of South Carolina— South Carolina Education, 23:103 Feb. 1942. Linguaphone records for pronuncia- tion, in which master teachers demon- strate, were found effective in the teach- ing of French, Spanish and German. BOOK REVIEWS Visual "Education"? The Serious Stu- dent's Guide to Social Misinformation. The Movies a>id Public Opinion, No. 2 — Winifred Johnston — Cooperative Books, Series I, No. 12, 55 pp. 1941 Norman, Oklahoma. This is a provocative book. It cannot leave its reader unimpressed. It will be welcome to the many people who have been looking with alarm for years at the lack of discrimination on the part of educators who are charged with the se- lection of materials to be used in school. We have expressed our feelings through speeches and articles, but the faulty practices have continued. Winifred Johns- ton, as a "non-educator," has provided a perspective that is fresh and stimulating. Her statements are well-documented and all based on fact. The truth should not alarm us, nor certainly should it antago- nize us. We should take this bulletin, read it, discuss its contents at meetings and with the persons most directly con- cerned, we should take note of the con- structive advice it offers and thus will new practices grow. The author, we are informed, is a student of photography, a historian and critic of the movies and one who has had intimate knowledge of the aesthetic and social restrictions binding one of the great mediums of modern communi- cation. Miss Johnston's previous volume, Memo on the Movies; War Propaganda, 1914-1939, revealed many important facts, based on her experiences in the Signal Corps during the last World War. That study was based on the films designed for theaters. In Visual "Education"? Miss Johns- ton criticizes the fact that schools, armed with many of the nation's 350,000 non- theatrical projectors, are bringing into their classrooms films that are false mirrors of life. She speaks as one who is inspired with the fine possibilities of this medium for education, but who can- not continue to see it misused, albeit without malice aforethought. She has ex- amined lists of available educational films and concedes that there are many good ones for teaching scientific phenomena, processes and the like. But, it is in the social sciences that she finds them most wanting. Good films on man's relations with his fellow man are few, and she has enumerated the reasons for this: "1) the use of the movies in the teach- ing of the social sciences is still new. 2) that use does not escape the sub- jective difficulties inherent in all teach- ing in the complex subjects dealing with man and his motivations and behavior. 3) Because of their 'controversial' char- acter, and the powerful psychological effect of luminous projection, movies in the social studies run peculiar dangers of censorship by this or that political or religious organization. 4) By the very nature of their subject matter (human behavior and problems), the non-theatri- cal films that might be made for use in the social sciences tend to compete more or less directly with regular entertain- ment films." The illustrations that the author furnishes as evidence that certain films are barred from school film libraries are, unfortunately, those intended for adult movie-goers and not for education. It is a known fact that modest productions in the social sciences, even though they may be good and well-planned, stand little chance of survival when competing with the more glamorous titles that are either wholly or adapted Hollywood products. Most of the volume, therefore, deals with evidences of distortion of his- torical or sociological accuracy in cer- tain commercial productions. The final suggestions offered by Miss Johnston are worth noting and acting upon : ". . . The public at large and edu- cators in particular must learn to exer- cise intellectual discrimination, they must become informed enough to choose among the movies available those that advance the public's best ends. "... that it is not enough for edu- cators merely to encourage 'appreciation' of movies, radio and the press. ... It is not enough for any institution to estab- lish film libraries, from which the im- initiated and non-discriminating can choose his own poison according to monetary whim. . . . What is needed now is leaders in these fields who can exercise an alert, informed and objective supervision. This does not mean censor- ship. ... It does mean that there must be scholars in every field of learning who are interested in the methods opened up by new mediums, who can bring the sharp evaluation of the specialist to bear upon the offerings in that field." Trash Craft—C. Rosenberg Foster, Du- Sable High School, Chicago, 111.— W. M. Welch Manufacturing Co., Chicago, 174 pp. 1940. An excellent source book for teachers with creative and imaginative young- sters. The volume is the result of many years of working with students, and of exhibiting the results before audiences in all parts of the nation. There is no doubt about the desirability of develop- ing in us an awareness for using dis- carded materials for art purposes. The greater the artistic ability of the work- er, the greater the promise of the pro- ducts. But, for all of us, the gifted and the appreciative, there is much satis- faction to be derived from decorative pieces made with our own hands, using our own ideas, from waste materials. SOURCES OF INFORMATION The Other Americas Through Films and Records—prepared by the Motion Picture Project of the American Coun- cil on Education, 744 Jackson Place, Washington, D. C, with the assistance of the Pan American Union. January, 1942. 37 pages (printed). More and more emphasis is being placed on the study of the other Ameri- cas in today's classrooms as educators become increasingly aware of the inter- pendence of the countries of the Western Hemisphere, and the need for a better un- derstanding of our Latin American neigh- bors. This publication has been pre- pared to assist in this study and to promote the better use of films and recordings, important instructional aids to the communication of ideas, attitudes, and emotions. The pamphlet describes forty-seven 16mm films (silent and sound) which have been approved by educators or specialists in inter-American affairs. Sources, including rental libraries, are indicated. The films are also grouped by countries in an Appendix. The se- lected Music Recordings are classified into four groups—traditional, popular, concert, and primitive. Four pages are devoted to concise suggestions on effec- tive use of films and recordings, based on experience and research. Health Education—A tentative survey of visual and teaching aids compiled by Ethel M. Booth, R. N. New Jersey State Teachers College, Visual Aids Service, Upper Montclair, N. J. 14 pp. mimeo. Particular attention is called to ma- terials that are free or inexpensive. Part I names organizations and periodicals specializing in health education. Part II lists publications, charts, films, slides, filmslides, pictures, exhibits, with prices and sources from which available. This is a very useful compilation to teachers and others interested in health instruction.