Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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the color photography. The drawback to the use of feature films taken from popular novels is the fact that the pro- ducers try to please the masses, thus frequently distorting the story and the characters as conceived by the author — the part interesting to education. Many other types of film have proved their usefulness for educational purposes. Sound films are being used for music appreciation and for studying the tech- niques used in playing various musical instruments. Even in the realm of social contacts children, studying human relations through films, recognize their own experiences and at ' empt to estab- lish better relations with society. The March of Time, which is made available to schools through membership in the Association of School Film libraries helps to teach government, economics, sociology, and human relations. Travel- ogues and newsreels also help to broad- en the experience of the student. School- rooms in dis ' ant, out-of-the-way places need no longer be isolated but may be connected with other parts of the world through the use of ' he travelogue. New Zealand may be brought to an Alaskan schoolroom; China, to one of our own community classes. The President’s address to Congress sheds a new light on the study of civics when a newsreel is used. In addition to the educational value of the subject mat ' er itself, there are modern devices which are not only tri- umphs in science and photography but which greatly increase the educational possibilities of motion pictures. The action similar to that of the growing of rees which takes place in nature over a period of time can now be compactly observed by the student by means of time-lapse photography. On the other hand action which occurs too rapidly for analysis may be slowed down for study in science and in physical educa- tion. Through slow motion photo- graphy the elasticity of glass under ter- rific strain may be studied. The strobo- scopic method of photography recently developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is another invaluable aid to study. A film consists of a series of images projected on a screen with such rapidity as to produce an object in mo- tion. In the stroboscopic method, con- trol of light rays enables the camera to catch an object in motion — ' he wing; of a humming-bird in flight for example — an achievement v hich without the stroboscope would not be possible. An interesting experiment was carried cn in Greenwich High School of Green- wich, Connecticut where a course was developed to make studen ' s more aware of the sociological, economic, and in- ternational aspects of the motion pic- ture. With the development of this course, other courses interlocked. The services of the English classes were en- lis ' ed to send out numerous letters for information on the subject. Elocution was utilized in making the necessary records to accompany the film. Literary 24

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of Boston University. This commit- tee, aided by John D. Rockefeller, built up a series of pictures based on charac- ter education from films which were no longer being distributed to the theatres. This scries, entitled “Secrets of Success was welcomed by public schools and other educa ion2l institutions. A Commission of Human Relations was developed under Dr. Alice Keliher to govern selections and grade them for educational purposes. Specifications were set up on subject matter, effective- ness of presentation, and expected edu- cational results. It was found tka ' the pictures having the greatest educational possibilities were those dealing with physical phenomena. Always remembering that motion pictures are an aid, never a substitute, for real educa ' ion or even for books, still we cannot minimize their growing importance among modern teaching methods, and we must consider them along with textbooks and reference books as valuable teaching aids. Nor is their value limited to any particular field. Animation in films helps the pupil in biology to visualize such les- sons as the interaction of the neurones on the spine or the passage of food in the digestive tract. One of the most popular subjects of visual education which can be used as an example to illustrate its application is botany. The student may be informed beforehand of he features to be observed in the film- ing. If the botanist is instructing his pupils on pollination, microscopP||f « studies may be viewed by the students after they have seen the motion pictures. Without the use of sound the instructor may lecture during the viewing of the film. Although a student of botany can learn many things in the course of a year from a book plus his imag’n- ation, he can benefit much more by a graphic presentation of his subject on the screen as a supplement to his book. Films can easily be adopted also to teaching foreign languages. The appli- cation of films in class may be bene- ficial to students not only in learning French or any other particular languag: but may also be instrumental in ac- quiring the cultural background of the language. With the showing of the films students may use dialogue copies from which to study. In studying English, famous plays may be brought to the classroom through the use of film. Dramatic classes may learn act- ing technique from the showing of a silent film. Many films become suit- able for several departments; for ex- ample, if “Gone With the Wind were the type of film to be distributed for educational purposes, it would be of value to the history department for its data on the Civil War and Reconstruc- tion Period of the South; a home eco- nomics class, interested in costume design, would be intrigued by the period dress; the English department would be interested in Miss Margaret Mitchell’s plot construction and in the acting; whereas the boys would marvel at the settings, the architecture, and especially 23

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aspects, social problems, skills involved in motion picture production, appreci- ation — all were brought into :he course. For such schools as are following the course of study in motion pictures simi- lar to that of Greenwich High School the Museum of Modern Art Films Library, which was recently developed, has a series available on the history of films and other similar subjects. With an instructional sound motion picture presented in eleven minutes stu- dents can gather more material than from two or three hours of reading in a book of several hundred pages. More- over the modern iinstructional film makes it possible to present subjects in the class room which cannot be obtained through any other teaching device. Mr. John H. Hollingcr, Director of the De- partment of Science of Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania Public Schools considers that “Visual instruction aids in forming cor- rect concepts, challenges attention and stimulates interest; stimulates and con- trols imagination, accurate and reflec- tive thinking; develops appreciation of ethical, aesthetic, social, civic, and eco- nomic values; and widens the mental horizon.” A bulletin issued by the Masachusetts Department of Education declares that Philip J. Roulon of the Harvard Gradu- ate School of Education reported an in- crease of from twenty to forty per cent in the amount learned when pupils in science classes were shown supplemen- tary films and that Dr. V. C. Arnspiger of Teachers College, Columbia Univer- sity, reported an increase of twenty-six per cent in the amount learned in natural science and twenty-seven per cent in music classes when films were shown. This demonstrates the advantages of visual education by film over book. Just as the novel was shunned as un- suitable for a child in olden days so the film was frowned upon, and justly, a few years ago by many people. Recent developments in the industry, however, have demonstrated its value. Heahh departments and various organizations have acknowledged the fact that much can be gained through the use of film by stimulating pupils’ interest in phy- sical and men ' al hygiene. Teachers are recognizing the fact that educational films blend in with other material and help to clarify abstract data. Although audio-visual aids have their weaknesses, that is, :he lack of opportunity for dis- cussion during observation and in many cases the lack of training in observation, it is worthwhile to consider the benefits which may be derived from this modern form of education, for films can be used to great advantage in coordinating ma- terial learned and observed in life. This means of instruction sharpens the pu- pils’ powers of observation and puts new life into learning. The use of film provides the motive for learning and increasing the effectiveness of all class procedures; it is a means of ap- proach to an understanding of truth which is, after all, in a democratic country, the goal of all education.