Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

November, 1945 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE 27 tering, forced our attention toward what can be done as we gain experience. THREE FOLD PROBLEM The problem resolves itself into three main parts : what concerns the film maker, what concerns the educator, and what concerns finance and promotion. The motion-picture producer can vouch for his technical competence but cannot pretend to a command of subject matter or pedagogical method. The subject expert is not necessarily a teacher, nor the teacher necessarily a subject expert. Neither possesses the skill to produce motion pictures. Hence all three need each other if the result is to meet the requirements which educational films should fulfill. These are authenticity, completeness, interest, and motivation. In other words, the educational film must be true, it must give a rounded view of the subject, it must hold the interest of the student, and it must impel the student to apply his new knowledge. It only remains to assure the distribution and use of the films, which is an economic and social matter. EDUCATIONAL PRIORITY One of the things most often asked of the educators who visit the Disney Studios is : what pictures are most needed, what pictures should first be produced? So far we have not received an answer that could be regarded as predominant. There are those who believe that the first objective in education is training in character, in moral and ethical living. There are those who emphasize training in knowledge and skills, in mathematics, biology, chemistry, arts and crafts. There are proponents of beginning with history or geography. The choice of subject-area naturally is dic tated by the interest of the particular educator. We find also much divergence of opinion as to the admissibility of music, color, comedy, and idiomatic speech to educational films. SUPPLEMENT NOT SUBSTITUTE Challenging is the occasional evidence of academic traditionalism, and sometimes prejudice, that regards teaching films as distracting novelties, and, in significant cases, as attempts to displace books, lectures, laboratories, and perhaps the teacher himself. Fortunately, even the educator who is most orthodox in his attitude still preserves enough intellectual curiosity to admit, after demonstration and discussion, the potentialities of the teaching film. There can be no presumption that the film can replace the textbook, the laboratory, or the lecture. As education acquires new instruments, each must be assigned the function that is best suited to its capacities. And as the equipment grows in variety and power, the operator must also increase his versatility and skill. That is why we are inclined to reject the term “visual education” as misleading. Instead we like to think of one dynamic process that is “education” and to consider all the devices and methods connected with it as technical aids to its progress. It follows that since education is the one and only end, any facility used to accomplish it is justified to the extent that it proves effective. Pictures, of course, can be made on any subject. The educational film can be the closest approximation to actual experience and practice. But it would be idle to expect that films alone can do the whole job. No one ever learned to i)lay a piano, repair an engine, or conduct him self as a responsible member of society merely through passive observation. The student must work, he must apply, he must fit himself to meet problems and solve them through his own ingenuity and self-command. The function of the educational film hence is stimulative and informative like that of the textbook or the lecture. The film commands a higher degree of attention and retention. Its physical nature, however, prevents the ease of reference that is inherent in the textbook. Hence the need for a combination of film and book is clearly indicated. Similarly, in the laboratory, the film can prepare the student much more quickly than any manual, but it cannot substitute practice. The need for both film and experiment is clearly indicated. ACCEPTANCE OF A NEW TOOL So far, these notes have dealt only with the educational picture and some of the elements that should be incorporated in it, as if all that were necessary were to unite the teacher and the producer and turn out a truly educational film. But production is only the beginning. Once an educational film is made that meets all pedagogic requirements, the task remains to make it as available to education as the textbook is now. This appears to be by far the most difficult problem. Education in America is almost entirely regulated by local government and supported by tax moneys. School administrators must justify to their boards, which are elected by popular vote, not only their exi)enditures and management but also the tendency and content of their work. Boards of education are obliged to show taxpayers that public funds are not being