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

while.others are still struggling throiigli more elementary history books. Perhaps much of tomorrow's learning time will be spent with headphones and programmed instructional materials of a sophistication imdreamed of today. Records and tapes combined with films and filmstrips and accompanied by te.xt and magazine data will he the common instructional devices for individual attention. It is not impossible to create the course of study which can (and will) be tailored to fit the individvial needs of a great many children rather than averaged off to meet the needs of a few, and a few of the needs of many. Tomorrow's education from the primary grades upward will be vastK different, and it is high time that we, as instructional materials enthusiasts, prepared for the day when our simple duties will be changed many ways. Data Retrieval One of the things we hear about in many places today is computer controlled data retrieval systems for classroom application. Silly? Not at all. TomoiTow's teachers will have a variety of functions which today's teacher does not imagine. The student who leaves a teaching training institution this month can only look forward to a changing profession, increased responsibility and multiplied opportunities to serve. Drill will continue, but drill will involve each child observing each question and answering each. Drill will mean learning more rapidly, because we can confidently predict imrelenting participation in the learning process. Tomorrow's teacher must face up to a problem of knowing where materials are available to meet the needs of each child. In major communities it is likely that she will feed data about a child's interests and accomplishments to a machine and receive in return suggestions for the advancement of that child's tiaining. Does this mean that teaching will be automated? If that is your belief we respectfully refer you to this column in the issue of May, 1959— the final lines of which were: "Thus be it ever— the teacher's supreme. True teaching will never be done by machine!" We stand by that belief. Teaching cannot be automated to the extent that personal contact between teacher and student is in any way abridged. Indeed, it is to be magnified. In tomorrow's school the teacher will have a great opportunity to use her highy specialized training in dealing with the individual problems and needs of individual children through what may amount to a tutorial system. Tomorrow's teacher will have a different functional approach to the same objectives we hold dear and professionally attainable todav. Shakespeare This man seems to pop up all the time. We have previously indicated our high regard for his ability to write to be heard, and now we can bring to your attention more recordings which have been released comparatively recently. Let's start with the full length presentations. Let's add parenthetically that, for libraries and college groups, each is worthy of purchase. Audio^ C4RD>|[06® Record Reviews on Cards Box 1771— Albany 1, New York D Please enter. .1 year subscription (s) to Audio CARDALOG, 400 cards — 10 issues — $25.00 D Please send us full information about Audio CARDALOG. Name Organization or School Address __^ Cty and State And for secondary school groups most are also worthy. If they are to be used solely for class instruction, the recordings chosen should be equated with the course of study. But if the high school library lends books and records to the student for his home listening there is no limit to the Shakespearean recordings which can be added to your collections. And you will need elastic shelves, for more are bound to come. The newer full length recordings include Twelfth Night (London A 4354) presented on three 12-inch di.scs. The performance is by members of the Marlowe Society aided by professional players. Other records in this series include Tirnon of Athens (London A 4350), King Lear (London A 4423), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (London A 4349). The Shakespeare Recording Society has released two more titles in their repertoire of complete plays by the bard. These are King Richard II ( SRS 216) and Trotjhis and Cressida (SRS 234). Spoken Arts, too, is constantly offering new recordings in the area. Most recently they have released Henry IV, Part I (Spoken Arts 815), Henry IV, Part H (Spoken Arts 816), Henry V (Spoken Arts 817), The Merchant of Venice (Spoken Arts 810) and Romeo and Jidiet (Spoken Arts 812). The Spoken Arts recordings are perhaps better suited to sec-ondary school purposes because they are abbreviated (single disc) performances featuring the highlight speeches and situations of each play. In the class these may be readily separated and offered to students as need and interest indicate. For home listening or for assigned listening they may be employed for a variety of purposes, not the least of which is motivating reading of the works of the period and encouraging the study of English history as a background to our own. Write You owe it to yourself and to those you sei-ve through your instructional materials center, library or audiovisual center to have lists of these records on hand. Write today to Shakespeare Recording Society at 481 Eighth Avenue, New York; to Spoken Arts, 95 Valley Road, New Rochelle, New York; to London Records at 539 West 25th Street, New York, and to The Spoken Word at 10 East 39th Street, New York, and ask for infonnation about their Shakespeare recordings. Or, if vou prefer, drop me a line at P O Bo.\ 1771, Albany 1, N.Y., and ni forward your request to these companies. But do it— now! 320 Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide — June, 1962