The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 58 The Educational Screen if relatively experienced, would normally have some diflficulty in putting over to a group of trainees." J. C. Coffey, of the Jam Handy Organization, spoke on the subject, "Why Don't More Teachers Use Films?" and presented some of the reasons for this situation. He stressed the point that to use films suc- cessfully the individual teacher must bring together the right print, right projector, right operator, right class- room, and right class as a prerequisite to the success- ful use of lighted pictures. The speaker then discusse'' each of these "rights" from the teachers' angle. He emphasized the fact that the visual aid is sup- plementary, not accurately fitted to the curriculum, and that the teacher personally must do the "fitting." That this "fitting" involves, on the teacher's part, timing, in- troduction, conclusion, and test. He or she must first fin ' out what the visual aids look like, and must make • •^r-lection on the basis of (a) previous knowledge (1 ^ •vritten description in visual aid catalog (c) opinioi'" of associates or (d) actual preview—all requiring ef- fort. And then arrangements must be made to get tb'' chosen aid and get it at the time wanted—a real diffi- '-iilty when the course must be planned for weeks head. Once the right visual is arranged for at th-^ right time, the teacher must solve the projector prob- lem. Help must be secured to handle the projector and prepare it for use on schedule. Mr. Coffey then listed fourteen major and minor phvsical hazards which may cause faulty or poor pro- jection unless careful checking up of equipment is superintended by the teacher. Though these incon- veniences occur but rarely, steps must be taken to avoid them. While none is insurmountable, yet it calls for e.xtra hours and extra effort on the part of the teacher to surmount them all. Small wonder that some conclude "it is easier by far to let visuals alone." Mr. Coffey added that since available visual aids are sup- plementary, the teacher is not obliged to use them, and that using them doesn't relieve the teacher of any burdens. But the teacher using visual aids is delivering extra measure at the cost of extra effort. "The record shows that more teachers are using more films in more different teaching areas than ever be- fore." and the causes of this are numerous. The intro- duction and promotion of victory training films have given an enormous stimulus to the use of audio-visual aids everywhere. Speakers of the Office of Education have spread the vi.sual gospel at meetings and conven- tions. The school press has given visuals much pub- licity. Film libraries have increased their stocks of films. Good work has been done in evaluating film material, and improved catalog descriptions are proving helpful to teachers. Film producers have focussed their atten- tion on immediate teaching problems, and are offering much new material, designed to meet changing con- ditions. Finally Air. Coffey showed that the greatest increase in the use of films is found in the vocational field. "It is the vocational teacher who has recognized the need, and who has besought, connived, and demanded tools which help him meet his greatly increased responsibil- ity." It is the vocational teacher who has fought through the inconveniences above mentioned to achieve visual material that best meets his needs. The vocational teach- er's struggles in the present will rebound to the ad- vantage of all other teachers in the future. In a panel discussion led by Maurice Trusal, visual education director, Williamsport Technical Institute, Williamsport, Pa., panel members William P. Loomis, and Lyle Stewart of the United States Office of Educa- tion, and Mrs. Emma Green, supervisor of training films, Fifth Service Command, Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, described the utilization of training films by war worker trainees and Army personnel. It was their consensus that efficient utilization of training films requires plan- ning, preparation, and presentation in terms of good instructional practices. Training films, it was pointed out, should be repeated several times if necessary to help trainees understand intricate details. The panel agreed that training films, no matter how excellent, could be abused as could textbooks, charts, or other instructional materials. Intelligent use of films, it was decided, does not depend upon the amount of time spent in showing these films so much as the use which is made of this time. Four half-hour sessions at which training films were shown were declared to be far superior from an instructional point of view than a two-hour session at which an equal number of films were shown. The importance of preparing the class to see the film and of follow-up by questions and discus- sion after the showing was emphasized. A. Demonstration Room in the Humanities (Concluded from page 46) to hear recordings other than the ones played during the listening periods. During several jieriods each day our Demonstration Room is available for the playing of recordings of this type. In the catalogue of the re- cordings the student selects the compositions which he wishes to hear; an assistant in charge of the room finds the recording for him and operates the record player. The room is equipped with reference books on music and charts; one of these charts is a board repre- sentation of the plan of an orchestra on which remov- able illustrations of the instruments have been arranged. We have attempted to centralize in our Demonstra- tion Room audio-visual aids for use by individual stu- dents, by groups of students working informally on special projects, and by classes which meet here when instruction in the topic under consideration can be made more effective by the use of the visual and auditory resources. Although any of these aids may be taken to class-rooms by instructors who wish to use them, we urge instructors to bring their classes to the Demon- stration Room where all of the materials are easily accessible. Throughout our program for using the room runs the central objective of introducing students to experiences in the humanities. Direct contact with music on recordings and with works of art in colored prints or in models eliminates the abstract verbalizing which has unfortunately characterized instruction in the humanities in our schools to such a great extent. Only by the extensive use of audio-visual materials can the student be initiated into so experiencing the qualities of enduring works of art that he will come to regard them as joys forever and as sources of emotional .satis- faction. The Demonstration Room in the Humanities at Wright City Junior College has aided us greatly in making such experiences possible for our students.