The educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 110 The Educdtional Screen BRING WORLD BATTLEFIELDS to LIFE in YOUR CLASSROOMS . . With all the movinf;: drama of "on the spot" reality. Father Hubbard's "World War 11" Sound Films add lively fascination to classroom studies of far-ofT places and peoples in the news today. Authentic, en- tertaininK. stimulating. Over 170 colorful subjects, recorded in 16 mm Sound. 10, 12, 30 and 45-minute showings. Low Rental Rates. FATHER HUBBARD EDUCATIONAL FILMS DepL E., 188 W. Randolph St., Chicago, III., or Santa Clara, Calif. disposed toward altering their aims or methods of in- struction to make room for realistic principles. There- fore, the gap between school work and what went on out- side of school remained wide. This situation has remained down to the present time, despite attempts to remedy it. For example, three centuries ago, a small circle of con- scientious educational reformers including Milton, Dury. Kinner and Petty, with Samuel Hartlib as leader, en- deavored to establish certain realistic tendencies in edu- cation in England, but failed in their efforts to break the domination of a strong linguistic tradition. Conclusion: This study attempted to indicate several implications for education: 1) Certain forcsighted educational reformers in the past have sought to utilize all available means of making the educative process more realistic. In comparison with the variety of instructional aids which now e.xist, their tools were meager indeed. But the book, then as now, remains preeminent, despite recent research in psychology and the development of newer types of perceptual aids, such as laboratory apparatus, still pictures, models, exhibits, stereo- graphs, slides, phonographs, silent and sound motion pictures, and radio. 2) The advent of the printing press widened the in- tellectual horizon immeasurably, but, at the same time, narrowed the educational task to the scope of the printed page. 3) What man has learned about the human eye, the voice, and the ear has been brought to bear upon the mechanical aspect of life through such inventions as the wireless, the phonograph, the motion picture, the radio and television. These instruments have the attributes and potentiality of changing the character of education as radically as did the printing press. 4) It is not generally or clearly understood amongst educators that learning difficulties oftentimes arise due to a lack of concrete experience. The use of represent- ations of reality, materials which may range from models to diagrams, should build perceptual experience essential to the comprehension of abstractions. If verbalism is the result of abstractions based upon an inadequate back- ground of experience, the solution of this particular prob- lem would seem to lie in the provision of concrete materials for sense perceptions which will give meaning to concepts. 5) The term verbalization as used here implies the functional growth of lajiguage. Words convey rather than embody thought, i. e.. language stimulates the formation of ideas but does not impart them directly. This may be regarded as the proper function of language. The fulfill- ment of the educative process requires that words become instruments of conceptual thinking on a comparatively abstract level. The caution that must be emphasized con- tinually is that either symbols without experience or experience without vocabularj' means incomplete learning. In accordance with this viewpoint, then, verbalism is the outcome of instruction carried on at an abstract level while verbalization is the attainment of meaningful abstractions through the relatively concrete experiences of the learner. Department of Visual Instruction Notes Change in Officers for Zone IV Lee W. Cochran, 'Director of Bureau of Visual In- struction, State University of Iowa, has been commis- sioned a Lieutenant in the U. S. Navy Reserve and is .stationed at Fort Schuyler, New York City. His duties as President of Zone IV have been taken over by the first vice-president, Mr. Alvin B. Roberts, Prin- cipal. Haw Creek Township High .School, Gilson, Illinois. Mr. H. L. Kooser, Director, Vi.sual Instruction Service, Iowa State College, Ames, replaces Donald McCavick as Secretary-Treasurer. Mr. McCavick hav- ing accepted a position in the Bureau of Visual In- .struction at the University of Texas. Metropolitan New York Branch Programs The last two programs in the series on "War and the Schools," arranged by the New York Metropolitan Branch of the D. V. I., under the chairmanship of Charles G. Eichel, was gratifyingly attended by hun- dreds of teachers from the New York City area. ■" The Jainiary 13th meeting was devoted to "Our Allies," and featured a talk on "Tolerance and De- mocracy" by Dr. Jacob Greenberg. Associate Superin- tendent of Schools, New York City. Films shown were Netherlands America, Our Fighting Allies (Czecho- slovakia), The Fighting French Navy, Diary oj a Polish Airman, Tools for the Job (India), One Hun- dred Million Women (Russia), Keeping the Fleet at Sea (Australia), Listen to Britain, Kiikan, (China). The United Nations Information Office cooperated in the organization of the film program. "Training for the Emergency" was the theme of the February 16th program. An address was presented by Dr. C. Frederick Pertsch, Administrator in Civilian Defense, New York City Board of Education. The following films were furnished by the Office of War Training Program, the New York State War Council: Map Reading, ABCD oj Health, What to do in a Gas Attack, Dinner at School, Shock Troops for Defense, Fire and Under, A A^eiv Fire Bomb, Fit to Fight on All Fronts. Appropriate curriculum material was prepared for distribution at the meetings by Esther L. Berg. News of Members • Mr. F. L. Lemler has been granted a leave of ab- sence from the University of Michigan, where he was in charge of the Bureau of Visual Education, to work with the U. S. Office of Education. • Mr. R. H. Mount, formerly Director of Visual In- struction at Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, is now a First Lieutenant in the Signal Corps. Lt. Mount is in the Film Distribution and Utilization Division of the Army Pictorial Service, Chief Signal Office, Washing- ton, b. C. • Milton H. Steinhauer, formerly of State Teachers College, Millersville, Pennsylvania, is now a Lieuten- ant in the Naval Training School (Aviation Main- tenance), Teacher Training Division, Norman, Okla.