Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

il-f i by NILS HAKANSON Higher secondary school students at Karlstad, Sweden, put Euripides' "Alcestis" on tape. Recording and broadcasting are populor A-V tools in Swedish schools. How this report came to be Dear Editors: During my visit to the United States in 1952 to study the use of audio-visual materials in the American schools and teacher training colleges, among many other nice people I met Mr. William S. Hockman, the church editor of EDUCATIONAL SCREEN, then still working at Lakewood, Ohio. We have since then become pen friends and he has several times asked me to write something for EDUCATIONAL SCREEN. Therefore I now hove the pleasure of sending you a brief report on audio-visual education in Sweden. Maybe the article is rather "dry" but I think it will be best at this time to give only a summary of our activities. Perhaps it can be something more "live" another time! With best wishes for the future of EDUCATIONAL SCREEN and of the good relations between the audio-visual people of the whole world . . N/75 Hakarison Mr. Hakanson is Consultant in Audio-Visual Education at the State Board of Education in Stockholm, Sxueden. 1i\ SWEDEN the interest in audiovisual aids has increased considerably during the last few years. Teachers as well as principals, superintendents and other school authorities pay iTiore and more attention to such media as still pictures, motion pictures, phonograph records, and tape recordings. School broadcasting activities have achieved an important position, especially in the elementary schools. Because of scheduling difficulties, the higher schools have not been able to make use of the programs to the same extent, but this problem can be solved now since good tape recorders are on the market. Some years ago the State Board of Education set up a committee of ex]jerts to find out which of the available tape recorders are most suitable for school use. This conmiittee finished its work during the siniimer of 1951. Tape recorders are used not only for the recording of programs specially broadcast to schools. They are also usefid to record other radio programs, and of course they are a great help during music and language lessons. The tape recorder has proved useful also in other subjects, such as history. The State board has taken the initiative in other fields as well. In its book "Planning School Buildings," it is recommended that every classroom he ecjuipped for the use of audio-visual aids. Among other things the impor tance of electric outlets and convenient darkening facilities in all the classrooms is stressed. The Swedish school system is rather a centralized one. Thus the blueprints for all school buildings must be studied and approved by the State board. This makes it likely that all new schools will give teacliers a good chance to use audio-visual devices. In collaboration with audio-visual dealers and the Material Testing Institute of Sweden, data sheets for the best kinds of ecjuipment will be made. These sheets, containing only objective and checked data, will be inserted in the brochures of the firms. Schools may also order the data sheets directly from the State board. If a school wants to buy one or several filmstrip projectors, for instance, it can get data sheets on all projectors suitable for use in school. The State board has also published a film catalog containing about e.'iO titles. This catalog was made in the following way. .\fter an evaluation sheet had been composed at the beginning of 1953. a number of teachers from various school levels were asked to evaluate films. Most films were evaluated h\ at least two teachers from different types of schools. The evaluation sheet raised questions concerning the technical and education.d construction of the film. The evahiation process ended with approval or tlisapproval of the film. This evaluation was the basis for the State board's decision to in.sert a title in the catalog. 74 Educational Screen