Moving Picture Age (Jan-Dec 1922)

18 MOVING PICTURE AGE February, 1922 VISUAL EDUCATION A Science and an Art J. V. Ankeney Associate Professor of Visual Education, University of Missouri VISUAL-EDUCATION PROBLEM'S 1. Relative Values. 2. Method. 3. Technique. 4. Psychological Basis. 5. Supply. PROBLEM 4 SO far in our discussion we have handled very briefly the problems of evaluation, method, and technique as they apply to the field of visual education. Let us now look briefly at the last two problems. Problem 4 might well have been stated "Research," since the preceding problems depend on research for their solution. On experimentation, under proper control, depends the solution of the problems here listed. Visual education can only begin to assume the role of a science when scientific methods are used. It is extremely gratifying to note that visual education is gradually passing out of the period of extravagant statements, based largely on speculation, to the stage of analysis of the field and measurement of results. Experiences are being pooled; investigations, tests, and experiments are being made. The field of the psychology of vision, imagery, recall, etc., in relation to visual education will yield valuable returns for the investigator. As I have pointed out before, the field of educational resarch is not subsidized, as is that of agriculture. For example, when the early agricultural colleges were founded there was little to teach. Experimental stations were subsidized by the government to provide materials to teach, based on scientific investigation. Since investigational work in visual education must at present be carried on by volunteer workers, progress must of necessity be slow. Organizations such as the National Academy of Visual Instruction can do much by mapping out the field, organizing the workers, apportioning the work to those ready and qualified to do it, securing the co-operation of educators the country over, and properly disseminating the results. There is one other matter upon which I am anxious to concentrate attention at this time, and it is that of time involved for these investigations. As pointed out above, progress is slow because of volunteer workers. It is slow because of the very newness of the field. It is slow because careful systematic research work cannot be completed in a day or a week. The average uninitiated is ready to become disgusted if results are not immediately forthcoming. The problem of source is a very perplexing one. It naturally divides itself into two parts, i. e., production and distribution. The question of production is practically settled. Just what is wanted (within reasonable limits, of course) can be produced just as soon as the user of visual aids knows what he wants and is willing to pay for it. Too few teachers know what constitutes a good lantern slide, a good chart, a good graph, a good film; too few have any adequate conception of the possibilities and limitations of each medium. The second phase of this subject is not easily disposed of. It is largely an economic question. It is true in a sense that, if there is sufficient demand, visual aids will be produced and a way will be found of distributing them. On the other hand, the writer has found that school men as a whole will create little demand until they have the assurance of some supply that is quickly and easily available — that is, available just when they want it and somewhere within the limits of funds available. If slides and films are to be used, projectors must be purchased. If no slides and films are available under conditions above pointed out, the machinery will either not be purchased at all or will fall into disuse entirely. It has been my experience in Minnesota and Missouri that, as soon as materials are available, projectors are quickly installed and the materials are used. As to the ultimate solution of these problems of distribution, no one is able to tell. It is my desire to point out some possibilities. The first possibility is that of ownership. The school or school system may purchase or make its own visual aids. The extent of pursuance of this will depend on : The size of school or system. For instance, it would be economically impossible for a one-room country school to own 10,000 lantern slides. Funds available. Availability of technical advice as to what to purchase and how to use it. Whether or not some other arrangement would not be more satisfactory, taking into consideration cost, deterioration, etc. Certainly the good teacher will want certain lantern slides, pictures, and even short films for her own. There is no doubt but that the larger cities, for example, St. Louis, Cleveland, and Detroit, will have their own libraries of visual aids. The second possibility is that of the visual-aid library with branches. The best example of the making of a slide library of this kind is the New York State Bureau of Visual Instruction. Here are 160,000 fine negatives, and over 200,000 lantern slides of the highest quality, all catalogued like books in a library, with a catalogue in the hands of the teacher. This library has 150,000 different pictures available to the smallest school in the state. It is possible that a national library might be established. The requisites for libraries of this kind are : a plan, high ideals of quality, a knowledge of education, available funds, and a willingness to pay the producer for quality. That the people of New York believe this a good plan economically is testified by their long, continuous support with funds. For 36 years appropriations have been made by the legislature for this purpose, and for 1921 the sum was double that of 1920. That the schools appreciate and use the library is clearly shown. During the month of November, 72,060 slides were loaned to schools of the state. This is 40 per cent more than for any previous month in thirty-six years. Would the schools of New York be using 72,000 slides a month if this library did not exist? If this can be done with slides, can it be done with films and other visual aids, and, if not for all, for what ones? The University of Wisconsin is a notable example of a state film library. The maps published by the National Academy of Visual Instruction in the November issue of Moving Picture Age show what other states have attempted to do, but do not show the kind, quantity, and quality of visual aids used. The third possibility for a solution of the distribution problem is that of commercially operated distributing centers. The outstanding previous difficulties with this method have been as follows: Number of concerns. The average school man does not have time and patience to deal with 20 or 30 film exchanges and slide distributors scattered all over the United States. Cost. In order to maintain these distributing centers, pay a reasonable return on the investment, and provide against depreciation of materials, it is very necessary to charge a fee. These fees, while not unreasonable from the distributor's standpoint, when added to express and insurance make it impossible for many schools to use materials, and as a result no projectors are installed. Uncertainty of getting materials when wanted. Any distributing system must be able to supply just what is wanted just when it is wanted. Uncertainty of getting just what is wanted. To give an actual illustration : A church school teacher wanted a film on Jerusalem to illustrate to a class just how this film could be used for teaching the geography of Palestine. The exchange did not have the film specified, but another of entirely different content but of very similar title. This they sent, but it was entirely useless. If the booker had been an educator, with the data that this booker had at hand, at least the rental and express charges would have been saved. As to just how this problem will work itself out finally, there may be some difference of opinion. Of course it will be solved eventually. There can be little doubt that in the future we will pay greater attention to training our children to get the meaning out of things that they see but do not see (perceive) on every hand. How to study and to get the meaning out of pictures, charts, slides, graphs, exhibits, motion pictures, etc., is certainly worthy of most careful training.