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

The A^e of Verbalism by Sidney A. Shotz I .HE children who come to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia appear to be adept in the use of vocabulary that is far beyond their years. We are usually thrilled by their precocity, not realizing that their luiderstanding is often very shallow or entirely erroneous. In response to the question "What is the grownup word for birds moving to another place?" a third grade child answered, "Evaporation." Obviously the child could not differentiate between "evaporation" and "migration" in either either sound or meaning or both. On the way to Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, the author's little son saw a ring-necked pheasant run across the road. He called out, "Look at the peasant" —and there was the sixth grade child who referred to the Barbary States in Africa as the "Barbarian States." Young children are probably more familiar with their immediate environment— home, school and neighborhood. With the advent of radio, motion pictures and television, children are being given a superficial acquaintance with subjects on the more distant horizon. Children are also surrounded and influenced by advertising and by the conversation of adults. We educators and parents thus must be wary of the indiscriminate use of vocabulary. With good phonetic teaching, children may correctly pronounce new words and even use good expression, all the while disguising their lack of comprehension. Teachers and parents frequently abet this trend toward verbalism by using unfamiliar words, taking for granted that the children will make the correct associations. Having children use words in sentences is not always an adequate guarantee. Teachers of reading are aware of the importance of readiness for reading. Readiness for a particular lesson is equally essential. Vocabidary development is a prerequisite for the success of every lesson, and thereiis vocabulary unique to each subject area. For example, to teach science effectively the teacher must devise methods to present such concepts as: hibernation, migration, evaporation, condensation, conduction. Audiovisual aids are the tools the teacher uses to remove the "un" from the "unfamiliar." Successful teaching is the result of finding the right audiovisual aid for the particular task. Edgar Dale o&'ers valuable guideposts' to help us select the most desirable. ' The child's background of experience is the founda ' Dale., Edgar, Audio-Visual Methods in. Teaching, Rev. Ed., Dryden Press, N.Y., 1954-pp. 23,^29,39, 40, 42, 68, 220, 221, 294, 350. tion on which the teacher builds. A marginal point is reached where further teaching is impossible without extending his experiences. The use of field trips is one of the best ways to provide children with first-hand experiences. Children can see the real thing by visiting a firehouse, bakery or museum. In many cases where the subject is distant in locale or of bygtjne ages we must accept facsimile as exhibited in museums. I All the resources of the community are at the disposal of the interested teachers. When a field trip is not feasible, concepts can be developed bv proper use of films, filmstrips, slides, pictures, maps, flannel board, models and dioramas. Parents share the important responsibilit>' for providing enriching experiences for their children. Even first grade children must have a background that is sufficiently broad to enable them to give meaning to words; without that background, children are not ready to read. Our parents must recognize and accept their role in the education of the children; teachers cannot do it alone. Instead of having the various members of the family go their separate ways in search of diversion or recreation, family adventures should be planned. Family vacations, a weekend picnic at a state park, a tour of a local museum, a visit to an historic spot— these are activities that parents and children can enjoy. Primary children should become familiar with their neighborhood. As the children grow and develop, their horizons should be extended to include a familiarity and understanding of the community, city, state, nation and world. Taking the child to the actual place for a first-hand experience is preferred because of its opportunity for indelible and accurate impressions. When the former is not feasible, the parents can stimulate their children by: 1. reading to them. 2. showing them pictures. 3. making books and magazines available for thet child's own perusal. 4. directing them to motion pictures that have educational value. 5. discussing with them the news of the day. As a parent of two school children, the writer is faced with verbalism in his own home. The elevenyear-old daughter, who regularly brings home social studies and science outlines to be studied, was recently overheard to say: "There are many craters on tin' surface of the moon." Her father casually asked, "What is a crater?"— and the next few minutes were spent ex plaining the meaning of "crater." 486 Educational Screeiv and Audiovisual Glide — September, 1961