The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

June, 1942 Page 219 Movies Versus Field Trips A straightforward discussion of the limitations of field trips and the possibilities of the use of films. ARTHUR G. HOFF State Teachers College, La Crosse, Wisconsin PROGRESSIVE education attempts to make the experiences of pupils more functional at all levels and ages through various means. One common technique is to achieve more correlation between pupil activities within the classroom and their real life expe- riences outside. The majority of real experiences outside the school have been eflfected through field trips of various types. These activities on the part of whole classes have been in use in institutions of higher learning for many years and, during the last few decades, have crept into the secondary and elementary school to a greater extent. Field trips for pupils in the public schools unques- tionably possess outstanding merit as a means for effect- ing vitalization of the experiences. A large city in the Middlewest employs a fleet of busses and a full time director to supervise such work for pupils in both the elementary and secondary schools and has found it to function very successfully. Field Trips Have Their Disadvantages Field trips in the public schools, however, as now organized, have many disadvantages which are prac- tically impossible to overcome. These limitations may be listed as follows: 1- The school program is disrupted. The average secondary school employs periods which are from 40 to 60 minutes in length and because of the inadequacy of this time for a complete trip, the periods following are generally intruded upon. In the elementary and non-departmentalized schools, however, adjustments in the regular routine may be more easily made. 2. The hazard of taking a class comprising 30 to 50 pupils is very great and this difficulty increases as age of pupils decreases. Possibilities of accidents on the street, highway, and in the factory or establishment visited are very great. Even under the most careful supervision, busses have been hit by trains. 3. A relatively small proportion of such a visiting group gets the full significance of the activity. In the majority of cases, the guides are untrained, tending to speak to only those persons who are fortunate enough Welders working on huge motor frame, shown in the General Electric film, "The Inside of Arc Welding." to be able to get close to them. Often the object under discussion is hidden from view for a large portion of the pupils due to crowding and lack of room, hence they miss out both on the visual and auditory end of the supposed learning experience. 4. The rental of busses or the purchasing of the transportation equipment involves a great deal of ex- pense to the public. In the average city of 40,000 population the rental fee for a 40 passenger bus is $7.50 per hour. Transportation in private cars with pupil drivers is a distinct hazard which should be strongly discouraged if not prohibited. If pupils are reqiured to pay their own transportation expenses, it is difficult to make the experience mandatory. 5. Many establishments are not equipped for hand- ling large groups such as the average class. This means that the classes need to be broken up into two, three or four groups with some inferior guides and without teacher supervision. 6. Many establishments propagandise rather than educate. Generally the establishments bring out sales stimulation propaganda, thereby using this opportunity for advertising their product. In many cases, the vital information is over-shadowed by the sales talks. 7. The trips can not always be arranged at the psy- chological time during a unit. Often the establish- ments find it inconvenient to permit a tour because of excessive production, unavailability of guides, and the like. 8. The zvar emergency has limited the range of edu- cational resources zvhich can be tapped by field trips. Restrictions which are attendant upon the war emer- gency make field trips to factories fulfilling defense con- tracts practically prohibitive. Other establishments, such as the city water department, sewage disposal plant, and power plant, which were formerly available for first hand study by the pupils are closed to them in the majority of communities. 9. Time is a supreme consideration. It may often