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

includes some schools in New Jersey and Connecticut. Here was our opportunity to investigate the value of the course and practice using it with only a very small investment of money. Our school buildings were already sufficiently equipped with television receivers. But this educational tool— television— only provided a means of showing the filmed lessons. What about the necessary follow-up materials and the teacher training aspects of this program? For follow-up materials, each of our ten 4th grade classrooms were provided with a teachers guide, the teacher training records, and the set of 40 recordings for student practice and drill. In addition we purchased the 8 teacher training films for use in in-service workshops and for extra practice and drill. The school, therefore, had provided the materials. But what of the teachers' fears and misgivings in this bold venture into an unknown field? Here we utUized the extremely competent consultation services of Mrs. France Brodey, a FLES specialist and a native of France. Upon her shoulders fell the task of reassuring the classroom teachers that they could carry on the program, assisting them when needed. In order to insure the initial teacher enthusiasm which is so important in this program, Mrs. Brodey organized an in-service workshop of 8 two-hour sessions. Nine of our ten 4th grade teachers were able to enroll, as well as ten other teachers who might become involved in the program if it were to be continued in successive grades the following years. Our Board of Education granted in-service credits for this course. Mrs. Brodey's workshop proved to be a most stimulating and rewarding project which provided the security and confidence our teachers needed to carry on a successful program. Proof of the effectiveness of this in-service workshop came in later evaluation when we found that the best results were shown by the classes whose teachers had taken the course. Audiovisual materials notwithstanding, the qualified FLES consultant and the enthusiatsic teacher are the backbone of the program. The FLES consultant, Mrs. Brodey, was provided by the Heath de Bochemont organization to assist in our teacher training. The classroom teacher's enthusiasm was bolstered by the filmed lessons, the teachers guides, and the records. As the teachers viewed the program and participated with their students in a most completely planned series of lessons, their enthusiasm grew. The success and interest of the students in the first few weeks, plus their own success in learning or releaming of the foreign language, influenced the teachers in a desire to continue the program. Basically, the program proved successful in our first year. It would be inaccurate to say that we have not incurred some problems with the course, as we would with any new curriculum area, but none of these problems were serious and with the able assistance of our FLES consultant, the problems were resolved. As a result of our findings the first year, we committed ourselves— without hesitation— to continue the course in our fifth grades and to repeat the first level in upcoming fourth grades. With the help of modem technology in the audio visual field, we had successfully launched an enrichment program in foreign language instruction. But were it not for such devices as television, motion picture projectors, record players, tape recorders, and pictures, this undertaking would not have been possible. These audiovisual materials have helped us— and other educators— overcome one serious problem they would otherwise face in initiating a FLES program— the lack of adequately trained personnel. Educators all over the United States are realizing the importance of an early start in foreign language training; this is creating a personnel supply and demand situation for which our colleges are only now preparing solutions. Time is an important factor. Our current elementary school students will have progressed on into high school or college before enough teachers of foreign languages on the elementary level can be trained. We cannot wait that long. Simple arithmetic shows that our present fourth graders will be our college graduates in 1975 and our country's governing society in a few additional years. Can we hold back on this important training in world understanding for many more years? If we continue to advance in technology of communications and transportation at our present rate, what will the world society be in 1975? We must utilize these technological advances in teaching. We must use modem audiovisual methods to meet this challenge. Let's look more specifically at these AV devices, particularly in this area of teaching of foreign language. Educational television and films have and will continue to provide instruction in many areas where a local school district has neither personnel nor sufficient funds for providing newer curriculum areas. The per-pupil cost can be pooled to provide for the preparation time, personnel, and materials which make up outstanding and productive teaching. This is true of 'Tarlons Fraeais"; the producers of this system of instruction have created a superb teaching tool that could not be matched by the average individual school. By using 'Tarlons Fran?ais" on television rather than film, we lost one of the realities involved in the program, that being the naturalness of color. We also had to schedule our classes to meet the TV broadcast time. Owning our own films would have permitted greater freedom in scheduling and allowed for rescheduling lessons interrupted by holidays or snow days. "Parlons Fran?ais" is available in either 8mm or 16mm sound and in color or in black and white. We have been fortimate in obtaining the 8mm color films for experimentation in one of our buildings. While no definite results have been realized as yet, we have come to some technical conclusions. The 8mm film produces a picture that is, for our purposes, equal to that of 16mm film. The threading of the projector is equally as easy and in some ways less cumbersome than the 16mm projectors. This limited use has also indicated that there is less physical and mechanical stress on the film resulting in less film damage. The sound quality of the magnetic strip 648 Educational Screen and Audiovisual Guide — November, 1962