The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 224 The Educational Screen ^fiE JLitExatuxE in ^ i/iiuai lJn±i%uaiion A Monthly Digest Conducted by ETTA SCHNEIDER EVALUATION Evaluating the School's Use of Motion Pictures—Edgar M. Johnson, Dir- ector Audio-Visual Education Center, Farmsville State Teachers College, Farmsville— Virginia Journal of Edu- cation, 35:280 Mar. 1942. The principles underlying qualities of a good film program are classified under six large headings: a) All factors and persons involved in the program should receive adequate consideration, includ- ing teachers, children, school authorities and community; b) The people involved in the program should have their social consciousness extended to wider areas; c) The program should be acceptable to the persons involved and in some sense serve their needs and interest; d) The use of the educational motion picture should help provide purposeful unity within the regular curriculum; e) Creative activity and thinking should result from the use of these films; and f) The program should provide opportunity for making intelligent decisions by all the people concerned. If the use of films is not providing ex- periences with the qualities indicated above there is something wrong. The trouble may be in the way they are used, in the quality of the films them- selves, in the selection of films, in the distribution system or in the mechanical equipments available. Each school and each classroom will have to decide what methods and what devices contribute to providing desirable experiences for their own particular group. Some things will work well in one situation that will not work in an- other. However, there must be some basis on which one can determine which device and methods to use. There should be no haphazard selection. Visual and Other Aids—Robert E. Jew- ett, Ohio State University— The Social Studies, 33:176 Apr. 1942 Report of a project being carried out at the Bureau of Educational Research, Ohio State University, under the di- rection of Roy Wenger. A selected group of films were shown to instructors of teacher-training. These instructors were asked to list important information to be gained from each of the films. The immediate purpose of this experiment was to aid the instructors in evolving a method of analysis of films which would help them to further their education objectives; the analysis of specific films would also serve as aids to their teach- ing. Evaluation for each film was based on the following three points: 1) The as- sumptions underlying the film; 2) Gen- eralizations significant for teacher edu- cation; 3) The larger social problems raised by the film. Statements made by these instructors regarding two films, March of Time's Sharecroppers and the National Proba- tion Association's Boy In Court, are quoted. UTILIZATION Effective Use of Filmstrips — E. I. Woodbury, Director, Poster Division, National Safety Council— Safety Edu- cation. Apr. 1942 p.350 The possibilities of the silent filmstrip in the classroom were noted by the author as the result of the production of five strips for the Education Division of the National Safety Council. Among the advantages are: a) the filmstrip is flexi- ble, the equipment simple and inexpensive; b) the teacher can adjust the speed of projection to his own needs; c) the con- tent of the filmstrip can be adjusted to local needs. The author points out the greater flexibility in the use of a silent filmstrip rather than a sound filmstrip. The filmstrip is not a substitute for a motion picture, but for some curriculum problems it is more suitable and much more economical. SCHOOL-MADE VISUAL AIDS Something New for Commencement— Roy V. Sullivan, Principal, Narrows- burg Central School, Narrowsburg, N. Y.—School Executive, 61:29 Apr. 1942 A description of a commencement pro- gram which describes the local school program to the community by means of 2"x2" slides, with commentary by grad- uating students and with especially pre- pared phonograph records. Scenes in- cluded the work of primary children, in- termediate grades, upper grades; the trip to Washington of the senior class; one-room school activities; athletic activities; excerpts from guest speakers in the year's assembly programs. The Production of a Slide File—Man- ning Edward Bleich—Metropolitan Vo- cational High School, New York City Social Studies, Mar. 1942. p. 127. A cooperative project in a large high school whereby transitory materials, such as cartoons, charts, pictures and the like are transferred to standard lantern slides and indexed as teaching aids for use by the social studies classes. The Commer- cial Photography Department cooperated with the social studies teachers in this instance, but the author believes that even where limited equipment is available a "live file" of teaching aids can be de- veloped by a copying camera and glass slides. So long as the school does not intend to sell these materials there is no danger of infringing on copyright laws. Students will be found willing to do the laboratory work, so that teachers in any part of the school can send materials to be copied and get back finished slides. Class-Made Visual Aids with Sound Effects—Timothy E. Smith, Leonia High School, Leonia, N. J.— The Social Studies, 33:175 Apr. 1942 Suggestions for making miniature slides (2"x2") from copies of pictures found in magazines, newspapers and books. Phonograph records of appro- priate musical or sound accompaniments can greatly enhance the showing of these slides. Approximate cost for making the slides and the recordings are given. Photography in a Junior High School Class—Helen M. Roberts, Horace Mann Junior High School, Denver, Colo.—rA^- High Sclwol Journal, 25 :26 Jan. 1942. A unit on photography in a science class in which the pin-hole camera served as the point of departure. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION International Journal of Religious Edu- cation, vol. 18 No. 9 May, 1942. Spe- cial number on Visual Education in the Church Program. This issue contains a number of ar- ticles which answer most questions about the values and uses of audio-vis- ual aids in religious education. Theory is in each case implemented by prac- tical suggestions. "But Is It Prac- tical?" by William L. Rogers provides the answers that church school admin- istrators usually want before they will invest in equipment and materials. He surveys the church school curriculum and makes specific recommendations, such as: 1. The primary department has a unit of study on worship in other lands. A bulletin board should be set up. On it each week should be pictures of a different country. The children would be asked to look at the pictures before class time. The interest thus aroused would be used to stimulate study and discussion for the lesson of the day 5. The young people's society topics for the year include some dealing with life problems and some on inter-faith and race relations. They are asked to consider the possibility of using ap- propriate motion pictures to stimulate discussion of these topics. They are also to consider exchanging visits with various religious and racial organiza- tions. Later they may write and pro- duce a play based on their study of minority groups. The importance of selecting good art pictures is stressed in the article by