International Review of Educational Cinematography (Jan-Dec 1932)

— 842 — tions, in fact nearly all things that children read about should be accurately illustrated so that correct mental images are formed. The arithmetic lesson that makes use of visual aids will get a far better response than the one where none are used. The school store is a real stimulus for making change correctly and finding the amount of bills. When the little child can see and touch the objects he counts, the arithmetic lesson will be a delightful game. Attractive food charts for planning and finding the cost of school luncheons, picnics, and parties can be made from magazine advertisements. The teacher who realizes the importance of using visual aids will depend upon them to help her in the teaching of such difficult processes as carrying in addition, division with and without remainders, fractions, and mensuration. Here the " seeing experience " greatly lessens the amount of time necessary for intelligent understanding. We have always been told that actual contact is vitally important in the study of nature. Considering natural science as a study apart from the rest of the curriculum, this may be true. But now there is a very close correlation between nature and every other subject taught. The reading, geography, physiology, or English lesson may stimulate a desire to know more about beavers, rubber trees, correct food, pets. Whenever possible, the observation of the living thing in its natural environment would be ideal, but it is often impossible and impracticable. Here is where the moving picture is invaluable. The child can observe in fifteen minutes natural phenomena that would otherwise take days, perhaps months or years to see. Usually the film contains such clever graphic diagrams and microphotography that the story is quite complete. To illustrate : a second grade was reading a story about beavers. They were very much interested in the stories and pictures of these clever animals, but it was very hard for the children to understand how an animal could bring down trees and build dams. A film was available that showed beavers at work. It answered all the questions perfectly and the children were given an understanding that they otherwise could not have had. A fifth grade class was studying Alaska. They were more than ordinarily interested in the volcanoes of the Pacific Region. Encyclopedias and books on science, even pictures were not able to explain these phenomena sufficiently well to satisfy these youngsters. Some weeks later, however, the film Volcanoes was received. The subject was reviewed and a list of the things the children wanted to know was prepared. Then they saw the film. A discussion followed which showed that the picture had cleared up the vague ideas and given an intelligent understanding. Had the moving picture been available at the beginning of the study, much less time would have been spent because the film so well explained the written discussions. The educational film has a very important place in the teaching of physiology also. By means of this visual aid certain important facts about food, teeth, posture, and cleanliness may be taught to even first grade children. Older children understand clearly just how food is digested when the next book discussions are supplemented by the moving picture on the subject. In one of our classes there was too great a percentage of underweight children. An investigation showed that the children could have had the necessary amount of milk and other nutritions foods but, as often happen among American children, they refused to eat the foods they needed. The teacher decided that a thorough food study should be