Motion pictures for instruction (1926)

258 MOTION PICTURES FOR INSTRUCTION Films for High Schools (Not Arranged in Courses) As explained before, many of the films recommended for the elementary grades, are suitable also for high school students, and even for the college classroom. It is the teacher's treatment of the film, her questions and supplementary facts, that will determine the grade of the film, more than the film itself. With older children technical features can be held on the screen (by means of the stop-on-the-film shutter) so that a more detailed study of mechanisms and complicated forms can be made than in the case of elementary pupils. The three film libraries given in Part I are really all short, and entirely inadequate for the larger school systems. It should be borne in mind, however, that slide lessons will be as frequent as film lessons, perhaps more frequent, so that where only two film showings per week are held by the school, two or more slide lessons are probably given too, making four or more screen lessons each week. Superintendent Emery of Pawtucket, R. I., a city of about 70,000 people, has made some careful studies * of the film needs of a city of that size, containing 25 school buildings. He recommends the rental of 10 or 12 reels a week during the school year, ' 1 These to be routed for a day at a time to the various larger schools, with occasional use with a portable machine in the smaller schools. 9 9 When there are 20 school buildings in a city, the film would need to be run 20 times — 40 times if the teachers collectively have not had a preview of the films. This would require the film to be held several days in order to make the circuit of the schools. If a reel renting for $4.00 had to be held 5 days, it might make the total rental for one reel $20.00. It would * James Newell Emery, "Visual Instruction in a Small City System/' the Educational Screen, September, 1925.