Visual Education (Jan 1923-Dec 1924)

112 Visual Education made complete masters of the subject treated. For a long time we went along without thinking it worth-while to check up on the results. Why check up? The eminent Edison and other big men had declared that the motion picture was bound to supersede textbooks and eventually even teachers ; hence there must be value to what we were doing, and no check-up was necessary. Thus, for at least two full years, our only care was to find films which would effectively present the proper subject-matter — a task so difficult that had we wanted to accomplish anything else during these first stages of our venture, we should hardly have been able to find the time and energy to give to it. Nevertheless, we could not help having certain interesting facts thrust upon us — facts which stimulated us to give the subject detailed attention and deep study. The Value of Screen "Excursions" When first introduced, moving pictures captured the enthusiasm of both teachers and pupils. The benefit from the observation of films showing the great industries — steel manufacturing, mining, lumbering, fishing, etc. — seemed to be, and in my opinion really was, almost equal to that derived from an actual visit to steel mills, lumber camps and mines. In some respects it was greater, because by going "the film way" we avoided all the annoyances, dangers and discomforts usually attendant upon school excursions, and we could have certain processes repeated for us as many times as necessary in order to understand them. It is small wonder that we were "movie converts" on our first trial of industrial films. We were perfectly happy in letting our pupils have these delightful and comfortable "excursions," and thought we had done enough by making them possible. They showed so much of real nature — so much of actual human endeavor — so much everyday life and work so much that would have remained forever J5Z^<J«-^i^ '-ZZlL^^r-iy REPORTING ON THE FILM Even little second-graders could give a definite idea of the film they had just seen, in clear though simple English. This etching does not reproduce the pupil's own penmanship, by the way, but is the teacher's copy of one pupil's blackboard work. The film here reported on is "A Study of a Mountain Glacier," especially designed for classroom use. hidden from the eyes of the majority of our pupils — that no one dreamed of questioning the efficacy of this method of teaching. Getting Down to Causes But as we progressed the weaknesses of our method became more and more evident. We observed that the attention of pupils was on the decline. The novelty of "movies in school" had worn off. What had once been wonderful and unusual, eventually became commonplace. The films ceased to be entertaining. Hence it was quite natural to ask ourselves "Why?" and also the inevitable follow-up, "Is there a remedy?" Then we began our checking up. We discovered that, after all, very little was understood and surprisingly little "stuck." The writer took special pains to investigate, and found to his great dismay that even the more obvious facts had escaped pupils in grades where they should have been easily grasped. What ? The most excellent help in education a failure? It was hard to believe. It called for the most careful scrutiny, for thorough analysis. We undertook both — and with gratifying results. Even Personal Excursions Demand Preparation First we asked ourselves whether, if our pupils were to be sent on the most profitable excursions we could devise for them, they would be able to derive any benefit without certain preliminaries and without certain definite utilization of their experiences. And we answered this question emphatically in the negative. Nature herself, the greatest teacher of all, can teach nothing to those who do not approach her with eyes wide open, in the attitude of a student. Just as an excursion easily becomes merely a picnic, so a classroom film — the best possible substitute for an actual excursion — is in danger of becoming just an amusement, frequently a poor one from the child's point of view, because when a child is looking for amusement he almost always expects something to laugh at. Such is the effect of the motion-picture theater upon our youth ! Perhaps you will say that we might have started with the above as a working hypothesis. In a sense we did, as far as could be expected. Also, we did try likewise to utilize the children's observed facts; but there was so little remembered, compared with what we thought they would be sure to retain, that this "utilization" proved a very unsatisfactory exercise indeed. Two Basic Difficulties to Overcome What was really happening to the children was this : Moving pictures to them had always meant amusement, never information. Hence they had been approaching the school exhibitions in a state of mind that precluded scientific observation, concentration, and retention of the facts presented. The ideai of teaching through moving pictures was so novel that they were unable to adjust themselves to it. It meant entertainment, amusement, fun, good times — anything but what it was meant to be : an effective lesson.